Win Green Bay Packers' Season Tickets

The Green Bay Packers and the Wisconsin Lottery announced details of this year's Wisconsin Lottery Packers offering, see - Green Bay Packers…LOTTERY! The Pack teams up with Wisconsin Lottery to offer scratch-off tickets. Three different scratch-off tickets are offered. The Packers and the Lottery have worked together on five previous Packers themed games. The grand prize includes season tickets and a parking pass. Do you suppose Mike Ditka buys any of these lottery tickets?

Have You Ever Wanted an LA Lakers Yoga Mat?

As highlighted in the article CIRRUS Fitness Completes Historic League Licensing Sweep, CIRRUS Fitness has reached licensing agreements with several professional sports leagues including the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and WNBA. They also provide fitness equipment for several NCAA universities. The fitness equipment consists primarily of Yoga mats, Yoga mat bags, Stability balls, and Medicine balls. Since I'm a Los Angeles Lakers fan, I wish they had a Boston Celtics punching bag. Even better would be a Kevin McHale punching bag (never got over his clothesline of Kurt Rambis in 1984 NBA finals).

A Look at Walt Disney from 50 Years Ago

The article 50 years ago in U.S. Catholic: The controversial kingdom of Walt Disney  reprints an article that appeared in the August 1964 issue of U.S. Catholic. My first reaction was what was controversial about Walt Disney? But apparently some took issue with his world view. It's interesting to see a perspective from 50 years ago on Walt Disney's success. As successful as he was, The Walt Disney Company has just continued to expand. Now Disney is truly an international company just beginning to enter the enormous Asian markets.

Not Your Father's NASCAR

The article NASCAR Changes: Race, Gender, Youth Fan Base Growth Key To Sport’s Financial Future examines how NASCAR is reaching out to expand its fan base. Driver Brad Keselowski tweeted a photo of a fuel fire while a race was temporarily halted. At latest count Keselowski has 500,000 followers on Twitter. NASCAR has 70 million fans, but only 30% are between the ages of 18 to 34. However, a new generation of NASCAR drivers from non-traditional backgrounds is putting a new face on NASCAR and hopefully attracting a younger fan base.

Kim Kardashian Pockets $85 Million from App

As reported in From Kim K to Karl Lagerfeld, Celebrities are Cashing In on Branded Products celebrities are reaping large profits from licensed products. It is had to fathom how Kim Kardashian could realize $85 million from an app that the Washington Post describes as "ridiculous" and "laughable". As the old saying goes, Kim Kardashian is probably laughing all the way to the bank. Others cited as doing well are Britney Spears, Christian Louboutin, Blake Lively, Cristiano Rinaldo, Kate Boseworth, and Karl Lagerfeld.

For Only $2 milion, the First Teenage Mutant Turtles' Drawing Can be Yours

This week in San Diego, the first drawing of the Teenage Mutant Turtles is up for sale, see - TMNT creator Kevin Eastman is selling his first drawing of the characters at Comic-Con for $2 million. Somehow I think he will probably sell the drawing. Although it's hard to imagine why anyone would buy the drawing at that price. Then again the purchaser will probably sell the drawing for $4 million in a few years. Is this a great country, or what?

Transformers Invade San Diego

Hasbro is bringing an extensive array of its global brands to Comic-Con in San Diego - see Hasbro Returns to Comic-Con International, Showcasing Top Entertainment Brands . Brands on display will include Transformers, My Little Pony, My Little Pony Equestria Girls, and Kre-O. There will also be licensed toy and games lines for Angry Birds, Marvel, and Star Wars. Hasbro booth #3213 will be the focal point for Hasbro's activity. Comic-Con will be a good place to see what Hasbro is up to.

At Comic-Con Print Your Head on a Zombie

What better reason to attend Comic-Con than to print your head on a zombie. At Booth 3513 at Comic-Con, they will scan your head and print your head either on a Star Trek crew member or zombie from AMC's The Walking Dead - see 3D Print Your Head On Your Favorite ‘The Walking Dead’ Zombie At Comic-Con 2014. On the heels of the partnership between Hasbro and Shapeways, 3-D printing seems poised to make a big impact on licensed products.

Hasbro Empowers Fans to Become Licensees

Hasbro may be about to have many more licensees. As explained in the article BRONIES, LITTLE GIRLS REJOICE: 3-D PONY PRINTING IS NOW LEGAL, if you have a 3-D printer and a fondness for My Little Pony, you can produce and sell designs based on licensed material. The heart of the effort is a partnership between Hasbro and the 3-D marketplace Shapeways. Initially five 'SuperFanArt' designers have been selected to produce designs. If it works out, this could be a real game-changer.

Licensing Expo to be Run by New Owners?

The intriguing article Sources Say Advanstar for Sale appeared today. Advanstar produces the Licensing International Expo. The article declares "Reuters  is reporting that Advanstar Communications is 'exploring a sale that could fetch more than $900 million'". What a sale may mean for the Licensing International Expo is pure speculation because Advanstar Communications has yet to comment on the reports.

Teenage Mutant Turtles Movie-goer's Likes/Dislikes

The article Is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Missing A Big Opportunity? takes a look at who goes to see a Teenage Mutant Turtles movie, and what products they tend to buy. Not surprisingly, the movie goer is on the younger side. The top brands they tend to like are: Full Throttle Energy Drink; Chipotle; Totino's Party Pizzas; Honey Bunch of Oats; and, Dick's Sporting Goods. The brands they tend to stay away from are: Mini Cars; Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream; L.L. Bean; Hyundai Cars; and, Trader Joe's.

What is Duke University Thinking?

Would you think a bottle of bourbon featuring John Wayne's photo, signature, and the word Duke, with Wayne carrying a shotgun was a licensed product from Duke University? Apparently Duke University thinks you might get confused. The article It's The Duke vs. Duke in trademark dispute delves into Duke University's efforts to restrict John Wayne Enterprises from selling licensed products (including bourbon) that use the word "Duke". Personally, I think the only person who might get confused about the "Duke" bourbon would be a Duke University freshman who has had too much of the bourbon. To quote "Duke" - "Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid".

How to Sell to Everyone from Babies to Retirees

The article Popular Retail Brands Consumers Interact With During Various Life Stages  addresses how brands sell to different age groups.The life stages looked at include: infancy; tween and teenage years; youthful years; maturity; and, post-retirement years. Celebrity endorsements are valuable in some stages. Runway models Gisele Bundchen and Adriana Lima have popularized Victoria Secret for those in the youthful years. Angelina Jolie is luxury brand Louis Vuitton's most prominent celebrity endorser for those in the maturity life stage. Cosmetic manufacturer L'Oreal has enlisted Hugh Laurie and Diane Keaton to sell to the post-retirement years life stage. No wonder L'Oreal uses Diane Keaton, at 68 she looks fantastic.

What Do Shirley Temple and Paris Hilton Have in Common?

Shirley Temple and Paris Hilton seem like an unlikely pair. But as pointed out in the article From Shirley Temple to Paris Hilton, celebrity branding done right each of them had success in brand licensing. Shirley Temple started it all with $45 million in sales of Shirley Temple dolls before 1941. Now Paris Hilton has 45 store locations throughout the world. Not to be outdone, Kathy Ireland runs a multi-billion dollar lifestyle company. The rock band KISS has been spectacularly successful having outsold The Beatles and Elvis combined. Who knows maybe someday there will be a Shirley Temple doll in KISS makeup.

Long Island University Offering Branding and Licensing Minor

Long Island University (LIU) is now offering a branding and licensing minor as described in LIU POST INTRODUCES BRANDING AND LICENSING MINOR. The program was developed in partnership with Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA). The program is offered by LIU Post's College of Management. This sounds like a great idea. With the Licensing Industry experiencing rapid growth, a graduate with a minor in branding and licensing should have ample opportunity.

Almost One-half of All Licensing Revenue Comes from Characters

Licensed products had a good year as reported by the Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA) annual Licensing Survey. As reported in Survey Shows Character-branded Merchandise Fuels Licensing Revenues, royalty revenues grew 3.3 % and retail sales grew 3.25%. Of particular note was the role played by character-branded merchandise. Character-related merchandise including entertainment/ TV/ movie and celebrities accounted for 47% of all royalty revenue. Off-hand several licensors come to mind with whom I do not associate any character. Seems like a huge opportunity for these licensors.