Digital Media Superstars Coming to Licensing Expo 2015

Licensing Expo 2015 will be held June 9-11 at the Mandalay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The show has approximately 5,000 brands represented with close to 500 booths. A show preview is contained in Branding Opportunities at the Licensing Expo. This year's show will contain new features including: a new sports area; two new keynotes, and; the launching of the Digital Media Licensing Summit. The summit will bring together digital media superstars and brand licensing experts.

Y.M.C.A....You'll Find It at the Y.M.C.A.

What do Pepsi, Taco Bell, Hasbro, Microsoft, Google, Hallmark and Toyota all have in common? All of these brands at some point in time have used the disco song Y.M.C.A  in their advertising. However, since 2013 the song was unavailable for licensing as the rights to the song were being litigated. As reported in Advertisers Can Finally Boogie Again With the Disco Hit Y.M.C.A., the legal dispute has been resolved. Thank goodness, now we can once again enjoy sights like grizzly bears dancing to the Y.M.C.A. tune.

150 New Exhibitors at Licensing Expo 2015

Licensing Expo 2015 is scheduled for June 9-11 in Las Vegas. This year, 150 new exhibitors will join the lineup. A full list of the new exhibitors is contained in  New and established brands join LICENSING EXPO for the first time. Among the new exhibitors are: A&E Networks, C3 Entertainment,  Major League Baseball Players Association, One Entertainment, The Royal Ballet, SkyMall, and YouTube with a pavilion of their brand partners.

May the 4th Be With You

The approach George Lucas took to merchandising Star Wars is presented in Darth Vader Ugg Boots To Launch On ‘Star Wars’ Day — A Merchandising Salvo?. Initially, he was reasonably restrained in licensing products. As time went on he changed, even licensing a Darth Tater Mr. Potato Head. Now that Disney owns all licensing rights to Star Wars, watch out. The first deluge of products is expected on May 4th -  Star Wars Day.

Top Racing Games for Your Smartphone

If you're bored waiting for your plane to board, take a look at the Top Thrilling 10 Car Racing Games For Your Smartphone. The first one in the list is Fast and Furious: Legacy based on the movie franchise of the same name. And it's free to download. The others in the list are: Speed Racing; Zombie highway 2; Drag Racing; CSR Racing; Death Rally; Real Racing 3; Asphalt 8:Airborne; GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience; and, Offroad Legends Sahara. Don't miss your plane.

"Greetings from Fermata. The next chapter begins."

This post's title comes from a headline found on Fermata's Twitter page. It alludes to the acquisition of Fermata Partners by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Sports as reported in CAA Sports Acquires Fermata Partners. CAA Sports represents more than 1,000 athletes in the world. Fermata Partners has licensing and branding deals with the University of Oregon, University of Georgia, Liverpool Football Club, and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. In acquiring Fermata Partners, CAA Sports strengthens its branding and licensing.

'Star Wars' Video Game Could Produce $600 Million in Revenue

The first Star Wars video game since 2013 will be released a month before Star Wars Eprisode VII: The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18. Details of the video game release are revealed in Electronic Arts will release the first 'Star Wars' video game since Disney shut down LucasArts in 2013. After halting development of video games at LucasArts, Disney signed a 10-year exclusive licensing deal with Electronic Arts to make Star War games.