The footwear company, Skechers, launched an entertainment division with Zevo-3 as its first animated series. With all the options available to kids, the challenge the company faced was cutting through the entertainment and promotional clutter. Skechers took it one step at a time using its core business to reach consumers by putting a DVD of the series inside every shoebox sold to kids.
Whether its wrapped around milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanuts, pretzels, or almonds, the candy coating of Mars, Incorporated’s M&M’s candies is recognized all over the world. This international recognition has allowed the Mars Retail Group to establish a number of sweet licensing deals for the M&M’s brand.
With today’s concerns about childhood obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, parents are eager to get their children outside to play. Few categories help them do that in the way that sports toys can. With the innovative steps manufacturers are taking, parents may not have to push their children too hard to go out and play.
Celebrity brands are still one of the strongest categories in licensing today and companies such as Bradford Licensing are well aware of the draw that the right name can have for the right licensing deal. Bradford Licensing president Michelle Minieri talks with aNb Media about one of Bradford’s newest clients to enter the celebrity licensing category: Denise Richards.
About a year and a half ago, the father and son team of Glenn and Travis Rutherford opened the door to The Rutherford James Group, a brand extension, licensing, and strategic consulting firm. The company is an amalgamation of Glenn Rutherford’s Logan James, Ltd., and Travis Rutherford’s Travis James, LLC, companies. Both principles bring decades of experience in the licensing business to the new company, which already has offices in California, Colorado, and Dubai. Glenn Rutherford, chairman and co-founder of The Rutherford James Group, takes a moment to talk to Royaltie$ about what sets the company apart and what’s on tap for a new company run by industry veterans.
Toy manufacturer Tara Toy, founded in 1977, is the manufacturer of a wide range of licensed activity products, toys, party favors, and, most recently, games. The company has grown from its roots into a licensee for brands from Disney, Mattel, and other major licensors, as well as establishing its own line of games.
Americans cherish their cars, making automotive-related brands popular for licensing. Automotive magazine brands are no exception to this. The Joester Loria Group has recently been named as the licensing agent for Car and Driver and Road & Track. The Joester Loria Group is putting together a licensing program for each magazine’s brand that will highlight its unique position in the category.
As the digital world becomes more entwined with daily life, classic brands and properties have to adapt to this new medium to keep pace with the demands of the market. Scholastic has had remarkable success with the transition, creating successful versions of its key children’s brands (such as Clifford the Big Red Dog and I Spy) for digital platforms, including the iPad and the Nintendo Wii. Carolyn Fraser, director of Scholastic Interactive, talks to Royaltie$ about making the leap into the digital world.
In a market where affordability has become more important than ever, the low-priced impulse and novelty category has found success in and out of the toy aisle.