Ford Makes You Want to be a Kid Again

I remember my little toy car with foot pedals. Could not go very fast, but it was lots of fun. If you look at the video in the article Power Wheels Ford F-150 Will Make You Want to Be a Kid Again, you truly will wish you were a kid again. This toy car is over-the-top cool. It's like having your own Disneyland car ride. Except is runs on electricity so you won't have all the noise and fumes. And you won't have to wait in a long line to ride it. Maybe I just need to go out and buy a Ford F-150.

FIFA on Top of Underwear Scandal

When I read the headline of the article FIFA investigates Neymar for his choice of underwear I was left with the impression that the FIFA must have a lot of time on their hands. Why else would they be investigating someone's underwear? Neymar may  have been violating the code which prohibits players from displaying non-sanctioned messages or products. Neymar was wearing Blue Man boxers featuring Brazil's yellow and green flag. And Blue Man is not an official sponsor. Would he have been safer not wearing any underwear?

Nike and Adidas Battle in World Cup

Nike and Adidas are spending multimillion dollars in advertising on the World Cup, see - Nike, Adidas face off in U.S.-Germany World cup match. Nike outfits the American team, while Adidas does the same for the German team. Adidas expect to sell 8 million World Cup jerseys. Nike reported $1.9 billion in revenues related to soccer last year. Adidas expects to reach $2.7 billion in soccer-related sales. The future of soccer can only be rosy with its popularity growing in the U.S.

Obama's Head as an Urn

When I first saw the article  The latest in urns: Obama's head, I did a double-take. The concept of an urn of the President's head would, I believe, be disrespectful to many people.  On the other hand, who would buy the urn except for someone who has a high regard for the President. So I am conflicted. Anyhow, the urn does exist - Personal Urns (Keepsake Sized). You can also buy officially licensed Boy Scouts of America® Memorial Urns, The Official KISS Cremation Urn, Star Trek Urns, University Cremation Urns, and Major League Baseball Urns. To each his own I guess.

One Man's View of Vegas & Licensing Expo 2014

Josh Selig gives you has take on the Licensing Expo 2104 in Licensing Show: Meat & Potatoes  Josh is not too thrilled with Las Vegas. Or maybe he wrote this article for his significant other to read. In one sentence he derides gambling, drinking, and sexy shows. He sums up this years licensing show with the adage "Everything old is new again". Explaining that many "classic brands" have had a makeover and are back as digital reincarnations. Josh did not denigrate the Las Vegas buffets, maybe he likes to eat.

Will the Cleveland Indians become the Cleveland Steaming Manholes?

Now that the Redskins trademark has been taken away from the NFL's Washington Redskins, the article Case Won't End With Just The Redskins, Says New Canaan Businessman suggests that other teams will suffer the same setback. The Cleveland Indians are another team that may find their trademark protection removed. Several years ago Stanford University decided to change their mascot from the Stanford Indians to the Stanford Tree. Stanford rejected the ideas of the mascot being a steaming manhole or a giant french fry. Personally, I think if the Cleveland Indians have to change their mascot name, the Cleveland Steaming Manholes would fit just fine.

China Dominates World Cup

China's soccer team missed the World Cup this year, but China can't be missed at the World Cup. One Chinese company, Wagon Group, is responsible for 80% of the officially licensed souvenirs for this year's World Cup, see - At the World Cup, It’s Made in China, Sold in Brazil. Simon Lee, president of Wagon Group, proudly says that 'Made in China' is slowly becoming the definition of high-quality. GO U.S.A, BEAT PORTUGAL!

Is Storytelling Important to Your Business?

What has storytelling got to do with licensed products? The article It’s All About Storytelling suggests that if you are not involved in storytelling, maybe you should take a good hard look at it. Licensors are 'using character development and narrative to engage fans and make their products stand out'. Areas impacted include: print and digital publishing, movies, TV, online entertainment, apps, and theme parks. Companies successfully pursuing this avenue include: Dreamworks Animation, Rovio Entertainment, Activision, Hasbro, Nickelodeon, and, of course, Disney. Not a bad group to emulate.

What do Coca-Cola, Hershey's and Hasbro Have in Common?

What can you do with a plastic Coca-Cola bottle besides recycle it? With the new Ekocycle Cube 3-D printer from 3D Systems you can print a variety of 3D objects, see - 3-D Printing Hits Licensing With Coca-Cola, Hershey's and Hasbro. Coca-Cola in partnership with 3D Systems produce the 3D printer. 3D Systems is also working with Hershey's to produce a 3D printer for producing confections. And finally, 3D Systems and Hasbro have some 3D projects in the works, but aren't saying much about them. I'm still waiting for a 3D chocolate Elvis.

And the Winner Is - Duck Dynasty!

Licensing Excellence Awards were announced today at Licensing Expo 2014, see - VEGAS 2014: LIMA reveals Licensing Excellence Awards winners. Duck Dynasty was awarded the Best Film, TV, or Entertainment Program award. Other winners of major awards were: Dena Designs, Hot Topic, Junk Food Clothing; Discovery Communications, Thomas Pink Limited, Mattel, Girls Scouts of the USA, Bassett Furniture, LEGO; Playmates Toys, Rovio Entertainment, Jazwares, Accessory Innovations, WWE, Paramount Pictures, and AMC. Congratulations!

Licensing Expo 2104 in a Nutshell

Licensing Expo 2014 kicked off today. Not surprisingly there were a multitude of articles related to the expo today. A list of the articles from today is available at Licensing Show News. Two articles that give an overview of the expo are: Jurassic World, Terminator, Insurgent and More at the 2014 Licensing Expo and Minions & zombie princesses invade the Strip as Las Vegas gets ready for the 2014 Licensing Expo. If you could not make Vegas, you can get a good feel of the expo from these articles. And you won't lose money at blackjack.

Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise and Services Were $115.8 Billion in 2013

2013 was a good year for licensed merchandise and services. For the third year in a row sales and royalty revenue increased, see - Licensing Revenue Royalties Rose 3.3 Percent In 2013 to $5.6 Billion. Character related licensing was a leading category with estimated retail sales of $51.4 billion, and $2.7 billion in royalty revenues. One emerging new trend is the impact of the digital revolution. Children who might have been playing with a physical toy in the past are increasingly turning to digital games or apps. Right now I'm sitting in a mall food court watching children ice-skate in the adjoining ice rink. I'm glad they are not using an app.

Marketing to Millennials

The article Marketing to Millennials: How to Capture Gen Y Consumers offers three tips for marketing to the Generation Y population (born in the 80's and 90's). The tips are: 1) be subtle and genuine; 2) timing is everything, and; 3) think outside the advertising box. The Gen Y consumers account for more than 20% of the nation's total consumer spending. They also have enormous influential power because they dominate the social media channels. Trouble is, maybe they really don't have that much discretionary spending. Aren't most of them still paying off their student loans?

Are Toy Licenses a Good Deal?

In the article Toy Licenses: How Important Are They? the author, Lutz Muller, presents arguments for and against seeking licenses for toys. Last year the toy market in the U.S. declined by 1%, but the licensed toy market grew 3%. According to the article, Amazon's best-selling toys in late April included 22 licensed toys in the top 100 toys. Of these, 13 were associated with Disney's Frozen. On the downside, the author argues that a licensee gives up some control over their own business, and has to give up 10% to 15% of sales. Although I can't imagine Mattel is too unhappy about being able to sell a Disney Frozen Sparkle Princess Elsa Doll for $48.89.

Are You Ready for Vegas Baby!

Licensing Expo 2014 is next week in Las Vegas. Exhibitor profiles may be found at Virtual Press Office Exhibitor Profiles: Licensing Expo 2014. Profiles of exhibitors are listed, as well as available press kits. Profiles include the exhibitor's website address. Contact information is contained in the press kits. Don't forget to take a look at the Licensing Expo 2014 Perks Program. I know you will be busy at the Expo, but you might find a way to squeeze in a round of golf or a massage. They are cheaper than the Blackjack table.

Get Ready for Samba.

If Germany is any indication of the impact of the World Cup, expect millions to be spent on World Cup merchandise, see - World Cup boon for merchandise makers. One small German firm, Brandivision, had $40.6 million in revenue during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. According to Sebastian Uhrich, professor at the German Sport University in Cologne, people buy this merchandise because 'From psychology we know that people feel the need to classify themselves into certain groups and show others which social categories they belong to'. The noise maker of choice for the 2014 World Cup will be the combinho, an instrument consisting of a rattle, drum, and whistle. The combinho produces Brazilian samba sounds. This is going to be fun. By the way, what is a Sport University? Is that like Notre Dame?

Mickey Mouse and Friends Take On the World

Hogwarts are on their way to Osaka. Kuala Lumpur is about to have an "Ice Age". Shrek will be touring Moscow. It's all because Hollywood is invading theme parks worldwide, see - Inside Hollywood's Theme Park Mania: Fox, DreamWorks Animation Plot New Ventures. China, Brazil, Russia, Japan, and Malaysia either have or are planning theme parks using Hollywood characters. Disney is building its first park in mainland China in Shanghai, and DreamWorks Animation is also working on an entertainment center in Shanghai. Additionally, DreamWorks Animation is launching indoor theme parks in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg.  I doubt even Walt Disney could have seen this coming. But then again ... who knows.

3D Printers Change Everything

What will the consumer do with a $349 3D printer in their home? They can make toy Star Wars spaceships,  replacements for Ikea parts, and LEGO minifigures. Of course, there can also be counterfeiting, copyright violations, and trademark infringements. Michael Stone, the author of the article - A 3D Design For Licensing Disruption believes how people react with brands is forever changed. As an example he states 'Kids want some plastic Pokemon toys but you think the ones at the store are over-priced? Print it at home instead.'  He suggests that brands better get ahead of the curve, or they are going to be left behind. Hasbro, Toshiba, and Hershey are cited as forward-thinking companies in the 3D realm. Wouldn't it be cool be print a 3D Elvis in chocolate?

World Cup Guerrilla Marketing

Guerrilla marketing will be alive and well at the World Cup, see - 5 World Cup Sponsors Outplayed By Rivals. Five companies Adidas, Coca-Cola, Sony, Visa, Hyundai/Kia, and Emirates paid approximately $100 million each to be a World Cup partner. Other companies are paying $20 million apiece to be a second-tier partner. The article's author, Jason Nette, cites the following examples of official sponsors being upstaged: Adidas by Nike, Coca-Cola by Pepsi/Gatorade, Sony by Samsung, Budweiser by Modelo Especial, and Visa by Banco de Chile. There is more than one way to spend $100 million.

Chicken Viewed 1 Billion Times on YouTube

A blue chicken named Galinha Pintadinha  has taken Brazil by storm, see - The 1 Billion-YouTube-view Brazilian Chicken becomes a sensation for Spanish-Speaking countries! A business uploaded a video to YouTube that featured the chicken. It is now the top Brazilian pre-school brand with the video watched 1.5 million times per day. Total views on YouTube have exceeded 1 billion. The brand has over 60 licensees. Watch out Las Vegas, Galinha Pintadinha is on the way to the Licensing Expo in June.

California Chrome Runs for Millions

Millions of dollars are at stake when California Chrome runs in the Belmont Stakes, see - California Chrome has local attorney connection for Triple Crown. Licensees are standing in line to produce licensed merchandise, endorsements, and movie deals. Sketchers has already signed-on. The Sketchers logo will be prominently displayed around California Chrome's stall at Belmont.The attorney in the fore-front of the hubbub describes it as 'drinking from a firehose'.  Of course, if California Chrome loses - poof. There are going to be a lot of nervous people at the post time of  6:52 pm (ET) on Saturday.

In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Germany Defeats Brazil 2-1

I guess Brazil wasted a lot of money preparing for the World Cup. We already know the outcome, see - '2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil' (ALL) Predicts World Cup Winner. Using EA Sports 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil video game, EA was able to simulate the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the final game, Germany defeats Brazil 2-1. Sorry Brazil.

Go to Africa and Get Your Broncos Win Super Bowl T-shirt

Before the Super Bowl is played, T-shirts declaring the Broncos winners of the Super Bowl are printed. So after they lose, what do you do with the T-shirts? T-shirts like these used to be destroyed. But someone got the idea of donating the T-shirts to Africa, see - Denver Broncos 2014 Super Bowl Champion T-shirts shipped to Africa. If you want one of these T-shirts, you will have to find it on the black market. But then again, why would you want one of these T-shirts? Unless you really hate the Broncos. Hmm ... where can I get one?

Amazon Tests Limits for Showing Cartoons and Ads

In order to protect children from undo influence from commercials while watching cartoons, the FCC established rules for showing commercials. No such rules exist for streaming content over the Internet. Amazon is about to test the limits, see - Amazon tests boundaries for advertising toys online . Cartoons will be shown alongside banners promoting toys. I don't like this idea. I can already hear the arguments between parents and their children. I just hope a lot of Amazon managers have small children.

Electrolux Is More Than Vacuum Cleaners

We've had Electrolux vacuum cleaners in our house as long as I can remember. So when I see Electrolux, I think vacuum cleaner. I had no idea just how large Electrolux is until I saw the article - Electrolux. The company's product lines include Frigidaire, Eureka, AEG, Zanussi, Kelvinator and Philco. There are 46 active brands in the Electrolux Group. Based on $2.8 billion in retail value across all brands, the Electrolux Group is one of the top-20 licensors in the world. Just one brand, AEG, has 37 licensing partners in Europe. Who knew?

'Amatuer' College Athletes to Get Paid

Big changes are upon us in college sports. College athletes can now get paid for use of their likeness, see - College athletes to get paid for likeness used in EA Sports video games. According to the article 'As many as 100,00 former players could receive up to $4,000'. Current players whose likeness appeared in video games will also be compensated. So now the NCAA is faced with a problem. 'Amatuer' athletes will be receiving payments based on their play. The settlement does not affect the upcoming Ed O'Bannon anti-trust lawsuit against the NCAA. Stay tuned.