Star Wars Merchandise Awakens

It has been 16 years since the release of Star Wars Episode VI Return Of The Jedi. After the long wait, Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens is set for release on December 18, 2015. Already there a plethora of articles describing Star Wars merchandise, everything from apparel to watches to a smartphone app. Here are a few of the articles: Huge Variety of Licensed Star Wars Merchandise Available at Walmart on September 4; The world of Star Wars vintage apparel collecting; Design By Humans Releases Officially Licensed Star Wars Apparel; Nixon Releases Official 'Star Wars' Watches, and; Your Galactic Hub: Inside the New, Totally Essential 'Star Wars' App.

It's a New World for Branding Celebrities

The traditional profit sources for talent has been film, TV and music arenas.  As megabuck movie and TV deals became harder to come by, bigger agencies began to diversify their income streams. The article Hollywood Agencies Look for New Ways to Brand Clients as Competition Grows discusses the new breadth of money-making possibilities for talent. Celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Kim Kardashian, Eva Mendes, Nick Cannon, Kate Hudson, Drew Barrymore, and Sarah Jessica Parker have all launched new retail products.

Minions Makes Huge Opening Splash

Minions had a gigantic opening weekend, taking in $115.2 million, the second-best animated opening of all time. The article 'Minions' takes over box office. Why $600M in marketing was worth it attributes a large part of the successful opening to an enormous marketing program. Minions are found everywhere from McDonald's Happy Meals to General Mills cereals. Comcast and its partners spent a combined $593 million publicizing the film.

New Bratz Collection Released as Barbie Sales Nosedive

I find myself puzzled by the press release Bratz® Is Back And Better Than Ever. I recall reading articles about the Barbie doll such as Mattel’s Barbie sales down for a third consecutive year and Barbie sales dive 21%, pulling down Mattel's profit. Now MGA Entertainment has partnered with Toys"R"Us to offer an exclusive online pre-sell of a new Bratz collection. It seems like an odd time to release a new collection for the Bratz fashion doll. I must be missing something.

Accessories You Can Expect to See at Comic-Con

In the spirit of the San Diego Comic-Con convention the article ThinkGeek SDCC ’15 collection brings Star Wars, Tesla, GOTG reviews accessories from comic and cult-classic titles like Guardians of the Galaxy, Knight Rider, the Avengers, and Star Wars. Have you ever wanted a watch with vacuum tubes? If so, the Tesla Watch featuring two vacuum tubes is for you. Other items that you might be interested in are: the Knight Rider K.I.T.T. USB Car Charger, the Black Widow Light-up T-Shirt, or the R2-D2 Bluetooth Speakerphone.

Beginning Friday Minions Will Be Everywhere

Minions opens in North America in 4,301 theaters Friday. Internationally, Minions has already debuted with $141.5M in 26 markets. The movie's promotions are revealed in  ‘Minions’ Lines Up Biggest Promo Push In Uni’s History With McDonald’s And More. Universal has stated that the promotional campaign is its largest ever. At the center of the promotions is a McDonald's Corp. campaign directed at both adults and children. Other companies involved in Minions promotions are General Mills, Tic Tac, Amazon, Hostess, and Comcast.

Marvel Comics Launches Secret Wars Blitz

Marvel Comics is launching a large merchandising program around Secret Wars, a 2015 comic book story line. The original Secret War series was released in 1984-1985. Details regarding the new program are found in The Spoils of War: How Marvel Is Merchandising Secret Wars For The Mass Market. The Marvel merchandising effort emulates those for blockbuster films. Secret Wars products will be available in stores such as Target and Hot Topic. Licensees include: Mad Engine, Mighty Fine, C-Life, Cafe Press, Bioworld, Silver Buffalo, Funko, and Cardinal.