Licensed Promotions
June 16, 2008
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ASK MARKETERS what makes a great licensing program, and they'll tell you it starts with a great property. Ask them what makes a great licensing promotion, and they'll tell you it starts with a great marketing partnership. But what makes a great partnership?
For the most successful marketing marriages among this year's LIMA finalists in Licensed Promotions, the key ingredients are risk-taking and collaboration.
For example, when Mattel teamed with MAC last year on a line of adult cosmetics inspired by Barbie, there was plenty of risk involved for the toy maker. The MAC brand, after all, had been endorsed by Pam Anderson, whose penchant for nudity and other forms of cultural shock were legendary. Barbie, meanwhile, had long sought to associate itself with all that was good in the American girl.
So why did Mattel take the plunge?
"If you're looking for a breakthrough program, sometimes you have to let go of the baggage that your brand brings to the table along with its assets," said Richard Dickson, senior vp of marketing, media and entertainment at Mattel. "We recognized that one of Barbie's most important assets was her face, yet we never had a beauty partner. This was a chance for older girls and young women to reconnect with fond Barbie memories from their childhood. And we knew that MAC could create a hip, fashion-forward beauty line."
The bold partnership was cemented with some edgy promotional tactics. Like MAC designers conducting a Barbie face-painting session in the window of an Henri Bendel shop, and a stunning print ad in Vanity Fair featuring two human Barbies.
"We leveraged their creative team's skill set and they did the same for ours," noted Dickson. "Our normal [licensing] relationship has a pretty rigid approval process, but we wanted them to have the freedom to express their own interpretation of our style guidelines."
Other marketers have taken risks by integrating their products into television programming. An example of a more forward spin on traditional branded integration is the ongoing partnership between the Fox counterterrorism drama series 24 and Unilever's Degree for Men deodorant.
That licensing promotion, which began during the 2007 season of 24, centered around a series of online short films that featured the show's rookie agent character tackling increasingly stressful scenarios. The rationale here, according to creators of the program, was the overlapping brand attributes of protection, risk-taking and adventure.
"Marketers are being challenged to find deeper ways to leverage advertising relationships," said Elie Dekel, executive vp of licensing and merchandising for 20th Century Fox. "We wanted to get as close to the fan base and the entertainment experience of 24 as possible. We didn't look outward for templates. We were starting with a blank slate."
Like the Barbie/MAC duo, this partnership benefited from an unusual level of collaboration, according to Mark Pearson, Fox's senior vp, brand/franchise. "In more traditional licensing programs, you give the partner the right to use certain assets and you get approval of [the creative] that comes back," Pearson observed. "But that doesn't make for a great partnership or promotion."
There was at least one area in which these two efforts differed significantly, however. While the MAC line was billed as a one-time-only collector's item (product sold out very quickly), the 24/Degree for Men partnership has been renewed this year based on its success.
Not that Mattel didn't flirt with the idea of going back to the well, too.
"Sure it's tempting to produce more product when you see how successful it's become," said Dickson. "But most successful licensing promotions have a limited-edition feel to them; you create intense demand for a short time, you drive sales way up, and then [the promotion] goes away. Of course, we believe we've only scratched the surface of a big idea."
For more LIMA coverage:
A note from Charles M. Riotto, LIMA President
2008 LIMA Finalists
Character Brand Licensing
Corporate Brand Licensing
Film, TV and Entertainment Brand Licensing
Sports and Sports-Themed Entertainment Licensing
Licensed Promotions
Art Brand Licensing
Retailer Licensing Programs