The Joester Loria Group (TJLG) has recently signed on a number of new properties that look beyond the global corporate, food, and media brands that the company has been working with as of late. Properties such as Annoying Orange and the Dew Tour, in particular, take TJLG to such diverse audiences as YouTube and action sports.
Earlier this year Jakks Pacific launched a Games & Puzzles division. Developed in conjunction with game developer, Forrest-Pruzan, Jakks is launching licensed games in 2011 based on top brands starting mostly with Disney properties such as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Phineas & Ferb. Many games in the line will retail for less than $20 and are designed for approximately ages 7 and up.
Following on Chrysler’s decision to separate the Dodge car and Ram truck brands, Brand Sense Partners (bsp), which manages the brands for licensing, is sowing a crop of new licensing opportunities for both brands. In addition, the separation of the brands also allows bsp the opportunity to focus in on each brand’s core consumer. Below, bsp’s president, Ramez Toubassy, discusses the opportunities that separating the Dodge and Ram brands offers the brands’ licensing programs.
Driver Dan’s Story Train, a preschool series with an emphasis on storytelling, debuted in the U.S. on PBS Kids Sprout in November 2010. Andrew Kerr, founder and commercial director, Aoh!K Commercial Limited, the brand’s UK-based licensing and merchandising agent, is looking to leverage Driver Dan’s Story Train’s success on Sprout by adding key consumer product partners in the U.S. throughout the year.
When Noodle Head, Inc., launched Pawparazzi Pets in 2006, the toy line was playing off the trend of celebrities carrying their pets in purses. Since then, Pawparazzi Pets has evolved into an interactive website and a soon-to-be licensing program. Sharon Bennett, president of Bennett Branding, the licensing agency for Pawparazzi Pets, explains the strategy behind the licensing program and Pawparazzi Pets’ entrance into mass market.
Earlier this year, Global Icons signed on to represent the Ford Motor Company worldwide for licensing. Global Icons intends to support Ford’s brand initiatives by increasing brand exposure through product offerings worldwide. Global Icons’ CEO, Jeff Lotman, talks about the developing Ford program.
Dynamic Designworks (DDW) launched in 2001 as a design firm for the toy and consumer products industries. The company has evolved and added a division called Dynamic MarketingWorks to provide clients with a range of services for promoting their brands. Suzanne Mills-Winkler, president, uses Blip Toys’ Squinkies as an example of how DDW is mixing product development with social media for its clients.
Holly Rawlinson’s company, The Name Game, is currently working with clients that are tastemakers in the respective categories. Her latest client, Jes Gordon, is an event producer and designer. Rawlinson is working with Gordon to develop her into a household name across numerous product categories.
Lawless Entertainment creates, co-produces, distributes, and markets both animated and live-action programming throughout the world for both film and television. The company works with content providers and has relationships with top film, television, home video, online, and mobile distribution entities throughout the world. Cathy Malatesta, president of Lawless Entertainment, discusses Suzy’s Zoo, which has an animated series in development and a host of current licensees.