{"id":16412,"date":"2019-05-24T09:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T13:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2019-05-28T11:30:09","modified_gmt":"2019-05-28T15:30:09","slug":"full-speed-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/full-speed-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Speed Ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the retail industry changes with the times, new opportunities are opening up in the licensing and merchandising business. <\/em><\/p>\n

Much was made last year of the liquidation of Toys\u201cR\u201dUs, the ultimate purveyor of toys. There were fears that its bankruptcy not only underscored a singular company\u2019s financial woes, but perhaps foretold unavoidable ails for an entire industry. But those fears may have been unfounded, or at the very least, premature.<\/p>\n

Despite a 2-percent decrease in toy-industry sales in 2018, as reported by the NPD Group, the Toys\u201cR\u201dUs liquidation was possibly indicative of an isolated problem: an outmoded business model for a soon-to-be bygone era. Once the industry adapts to make up for its absence, it seems reasonable to believe that more growth lies ahead.<\/p>\n

As broadcasters launch streaming apps and media megabrands like WarnerMedia and Disney unveil SVOD and AVOD platforms, they\u2019re acknowledging a pivot in how viewers want to consume television. So too, kids\u2019 media brands and merchandisers must acknowledge a pivot in how consumers want to buy toys and other branded merchandise for the children in their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmazon and Walmart have to top your list each and every time,\u201d says Jennifer Coleman, Konami Cross Media NY\u2019s VP of licensing and marketing, about the routes brands are taking to bring their products to retail in light of the closures of many brick-and-mortar toy sellers. What\u2019s more is that Konami, which recently rebranded from 4K Media and manages the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand, in addition to Contra, Frogger and Bomberman, is meeting the buyers where they are\u2014on the internet. \u201cWe\u2019ve had our own small Yu-Gi-Oh! shop online.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natasha Gross, SUNRIGHTS\u2019 director of licensing and merchandising, also sees the rising importance of having a strong presence in the online sphere to reach consumers directly and with more flexibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrands could feature select products and attract niche consumers, but this area is still challenging because you need to attract your audience and build awareness,\u201d says Gross. One solution is to take Konami\u2019s route of creating an online shop. \u201cMany manufacturers, and even brands, are creating their own e-commerce platforms that are very targeted toward a particular buyer, but it will take time to grow these sites.\u201d<\/p>\n

ONLINE SHOPPERS <\/strong>
\nIn Italy, where Mondo TV is based, the retail industry has yet to dramatically shift away from brick-and-mortar, though that doesn\u2019t mean that the company is turning a blind eye to online retail\u2019s encroaching prevalence in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still do a lot of business through traditional retail, shops, stores and kiosks,\u201d says Valentina La Macchia, Mondo TV\u2019s licensing director. \u201cIt\u2019s true that online trading is making inroads into these markets, and we are factoring this change into our planning. However, we are wary of overcommitting to any one retail approach when the retail market remains fairly diverse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ian Shipley, the head of licensing at Monster Entertainment\u2014whose The Day Henry Met…? <\/em>property has inspired a series of books\u2014is not entirely immune to the internet\u2019s many charms, but he maintains the belief that brick-and-mortar still serves a fundamental function in the L&M business.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the brick-and-mortar retailers, brands and properties lose out massively on the exposure in-store and the ability to present a range of products and undertake brand promotions. Suppliers also miss out on the impulse purchases generated in-store,\u201d he says, adding, \u201cGrandparents and other relatives looking for a present would often buy if they could see a range was popular; they don\u2019t get this with online retailers in the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shipley has an idea of one category in particular for which Amazon could help brands develop products that frequent toy buyers like grandparents might be keen to buy. He thinks that a key opportunity in the coming years for the L&M business could be \u201cfor a major [retailer] like Amazon to get in on the print-on-demand model and become more innovative with the products that can be personalized. There are many people doing print-on-demand, but at the moment, they just do not have the reach to generate long-term high revenue for IP owners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery segment of the L&M business is getting more personalized and consumer-oriented,\u201d observes Valeria Korotina, FUN Union\u2019s international marketing director. She explains that the company is constantly researching and studying its target audience. \u201cWhich social networks they are using; which platforms they watch. We can adapt our content by analyzing which episodes are more popular and by attending to audiences\u2019 comments. It\u2019s not enough now just to produce content; you have to be in a dialogue with your audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

In keeping with the theme of looking toward what\u2019s next rather than at what is, Konami\u2019s Coleman suggests that Kickstarter might become a vital platform for even established brands in the merchandising industry. She\u2019s witnessed companies \u201cusing it as a promotional tool to drive awareness, to create buzz and really to sort of seed it within that category, within that fan group that you\u2019re targeting, that target market.\u201d<\/p>\n

STANDING OUT <\/strong>
\nWhile conventional wisdom might dictate that a brand as storied and established as Konami\u2019s Yu-Gi-Oh!, with its sprawling franchise of series, wouldn\u2019t need to consider avenues like Kickstarter, Coleman would beg to differ. From her point of view, the assumption that established IP has a firm leg up on the competition profoundly misunderstands the retail game, which requires continuous effort to stay ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to work hard, you have to be creative, you have to be innovative, you have to make sure that you are on trend\u2014not only with the products that you\u2019re putting out here, but also with the style guides that you\u2019re developing for your partners to work with,\u201d says Coleman, suggesting that these musts hold true for all brands. \u201cI think you have to look hard and everything has to be aligned, and it has to be a concentrated effort across numerous departments across an organization to really find success in this competitive landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monster Entertainment\u2019s Shipley, meanwhile, sees how difficult it can be to crack through the BPA-free plastic ceiling of the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am saddened when I continually see the major household-name franchises and nothing else\u2014great for these brands, but they are blocking new IP from breaking through as retailers play it safe,\u201d he says. \u201cIf they only have three SKUs of lunch boxes, they will play it safe and go with a mainstream franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n

SUNRIGHTS will be representing the well-known Beyblade IP across all non-toy categories at Licensing Expo, as well as some select ancillary novelty toy products, as master toys are the brand\u2019s key driver. \u201cWe have an entire demographic that is nostalgic for Beyblade who are older, and we are marketing to our original fan base,\u201d says Gross.<\/p>\n

If nostalgia isn\u2019t in a brand\u2019s corner, it\u2019s feasible to break into the competitive field and stand out from the crowd through quality and originality, according to Mondo TV\u2019s La Macchia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to make sure the positioning of our brand is something that we have done differently from every other channel. The Robot Trains <\/em>app is an obvious example,\u201d La Macchia says, referring to the augmented reality app that\u2019s both free to download and available through product purchases.<\/p>\n

FUN Union has responded to the competitive market by seeking out the right partners. KingBee in China produced its BabyRiki toys, which launched six months ago with more than 70 SKUs in more than 120 stores. The company is also finding new ways to work with retailers on IP.<\/p>\n

While partnerships are central to the licensing business, SUNRIGHTS\u2019 Gross points out that when it comes to categories and timing, strategizing is as important as ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe days of signing up hundreds of licensees globally in anticipation of launching a brand are no longer the reality, and partners across the board are more conservative to align with retail interest and economic change,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

With Avengers: Endgame <\/em>ushering in the end of the most recent great age of the superhero flick\u2014and its corresponding stronghold on collectible toys\u2014Konami\u2019s Coleman sees an opportunity in the gaping hole that the megabrand will leave in its wake, one that can be filled by smaller brands, particularly ones tied in to the gaming industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited about what the future holds for some of these game entities, and that as a new medium for content development and putting that out there in the marketplace. I\u2019m a little happy that superheroes are kind of on the downturn so that other things can try to find their place in the category,\u201d says Coleman, adding, \u201cI like seeing the continued growth of Crunchyroll for our anime sector,\u201d referring to the streaming platform whose success underpins what\u2019s changed on the content side of the industry, and which goes a long way to forecasting what lies ahead in L&M.<\/p>\n

Mondo TV\u2019s La Macchia, too, acknowledges streaming\u2019s potential, as well as that of online media at large, though not without a caveat echoing one of Coleman\u2019s concerns. \u201cThe growth in viewing platforms and online media is helping to democratize brand exposure and reach highly targeted, licensee-relevant audiences,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is a major opportunity\u2014if it can be properly managed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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