Foreign direct investment in retail cleared by Indian cabinet

The reform we were waiting for seems a reality! FDI in retail seems in the anvil albeit with some problems!


Check here for why we believe this will be a catalyst to Licensing industry growth

Saban brands sign Dream Theatre as agent for Power Rangers Samurai!

We are so excited to be both working with Saban and  representing one of the top properties in the world- Power Rangers! !
I had already mentioned as to how bullish we are on the brand and its domination in the "boy space".  Power Rangers has had great history in India on Disney and Hungamma. We hope that there is a "second wave" of popularity on Nicklodeon.

Kenneth Cole signs licensing pact with Reliance Brands

Kenneth Cole is coming to India! Fashion brands have been bullish on India and this announcement comes on the back of speculation where the Government is planning to further raise Foreign direct investment in retail (currently,the government allows 51 percent investment in Single brand retail)

Dream Theatre story so far...

http://yourstory.in/2011/10/toying-with-dreams-the-dream-theatre-story/

Miles to go before we sleep...and dream again!

Toy Story- Mattel buys Hit- the home of Bob the builder, Thomas the tank engine, Barney etc!

Wow! The large toy companies are blurring the lines between toy and content! Mattel has bought out Hit Entertainment -the much loved home for Thomas the tank engine, Bob the builder, Barney etc. This is the second toy company that has shown serious effort at forging ties with content and broadcasters. First, Hasbro tied up with Discovery channel. This move was more of creating content around Hasbro's top shows and making them multi dollar brands. Trivial pursuits, My little pony, GI Joe will all evolve into TV and digital content and find a home on Hasbro TV.


Mattel of course had significant success with Hit brands like Thomas, Bob and Barney and they will now leverage the popularity of the brands and make ancillary revenues outside of pure toys. I am keen to know how broadcasters react to this partnership.  Our experience has been that every toy player (regardless of how engaging content is...) has needed to pay for placement. Some of the Japanese properties like Beyblade are an exception but whenever they know its a toy company creating content; they would demand their pound of flesh. This is now the norm.  So broadcasters will make some more change whether on placement or via disguised incremental advertising spends. So, Hasbro in a way, safeguarded these struggles with their Discovery tie-up.


In India, pre-school content has no value as all broadcasters are driven by advertising monies. Since our Indian rating systems do not capture 0-4 year old's; the broadcasters pretty much look at this as "dead inventory" and do not invest in these magnificent shows. A pity really! But then, all motivations are purely commercial. Who really cares what consumers want right?


Good luck to Hit and Mattel. Two remarkably cool companies. We of course represent Hit on the licensing business. Will we be HIT? Right now, we will put our heads down, work and show our METTLE!

RA-One is a pioneer in Indian movie licensing & merchandising!

Star Wars has made more monies on licensing and merchandising than Box office! Today, more licensees are shying away from movie licensing. They say, shorter life cycles of the movie business as the prime reason. Hollywood films have created a science out of extending life cycles: Theatrical launch followed by home video, merchandising, TV syndication etc.


I don't believe that Bollywood is far behind on mirroring Hollywood trends. However, there has been no real effort at building a licensing & merchandising program. Part of the reason is to go with a plan that has worked historically i.e Box office, home video, satellite rights and usual marketing touch points. why fix whats not broken? The second is that its not seen as a serious tool of a marketeers arsenal and so, there are no integrations at a script level keeping licensing in mind. We (in our last avatars) worked on three movies Drona, Bhoothnath and Love 2050. In the case of Drona, a key product that was launched did not feature in the final cut of the movie while we had invested in launching the product. A small slip! Drona and Bhoothnath sank like the titanic and so all the products including the Pink teddy bear was stuck with the licensees as dead stock. Bhoothnath at least did not lose money for our licensee. 


However, all of these were half hearted efforts and afterthoughts.
This brings me to Ra-One! I am agnostic on how it will fare at the Box office but full marks to SRK for making a genuine effort at creating a licensing, merchandising and gaming program. Check the store. One may criticize quality of products, the movie content etc. but dont forget, Krish had an opportunity and they did not do it!
SRK has used his existing endorsement clients to push the Ra-one message. He has created, games, comics, products, Mcdonalds Happy meal giveaways. Will the movie tank and with it all the products? This is unpredictable but this is the first genuine effort at building a superhero licensing program. For this, much respect!

The birth of a salesman- inspirational story of Amazon.com

So, the Dot com wave is back! There is a sense of deja vu with a plethora of sites, minimal differentiation, low customer focus and enviable amount of marketing dollars! In light of this boom, here is an inspirational journey of the "big daddies" of E-commerce: Jeff Bezos and Amazon.com. Loved the trivia on "workers working on their knees", the focus on customer service and of employees writing reviews. Fantastic! 

Indian Govt considers raising FDI ceiling

Most retailers we have been meeting have been speculating that it's just a matter of time before the Indian government opens up FDI on "multiple brands" in India.
The "matter of time" has taken really long but latest news is that the government is hinting on raising the ceiling on "single brands" from 51 percent to 100 percent.  This is great news!
I have already expressed why this change in policy (FDI fo multiple brands) has a very favorable impact on licensing in india. The waiting continues!

A Job fantastically done!

There are some great stories doing the rounds on Steve jobs. I am a huge fan of Steve Jobs and his untimely death left a huge impact. I admired his resilience (sacked from his own company to come back again and run it...), for designing our world with the beautiful "I" products (I came to believe that no education is wasted. His first job was a calligraphy artiste!) and ofcouse for Pixar!
However, from an India standpoint, bitter sweet as it may seem (more than the speculation that his  creativity was based on mind bending drugs consumed in the Himalayas!) I was so happy that his death and its news covered all the front pages of newspapers, and TV. It  washed out all stories of corruption and crime which has been a staple fare for the last year. Out of all the articles, I particularly appreciated the wonderful orbituary written by The Economist.
For those of you have not read/listened to his famous "Stay hungry, stay foolish" speech at Stanford. Read it! I prefer the written one. So inspirational!
RIP Steve.

Paris Hilton retail stores and merchandise

Paris Hilton has licensed her likeness to Brand Concepts and there are plans to launch merchandise and stores in India. Most of us  would harbor the thought: Who is Paris Hilton? Her reputation has not been pristine, her personality is not 
something aspirational and she is just an average pretty lady. So, will this work?


Before dismissing this project, lets look at the trends round the world. Celebrity based licensing generated close to 4.87 billion dollars in 2010 (The Licensing Letter). The two big learnings from Global trends- "B class "celebrities have done better at Licensing. They are more available for appearances and promotions of the brand. Sarah Jessica Parker's fragrance has been a hit in a cluttered market and analysts speculate that its due to her finding time in promoting the line.  
Second,  with "B class" celebrities, there is now sharp "ups and downs" e.g Miley Cyrus at her peak of fame launched  Max Azria at Wallmart was heralded  for its fashion but sales fell as her popularity waned. Licensing has worked best when the association is more fashion and less talent. So, Jessica Simpson's musical carreer is on a decline but licensing is on a trot. She has launched her 22nd category with diamonds! 


Then, there are the numbers - The women’s fashion accessories market in India is estimated at Rs 6,000-6,500 crore and Paris Hilton has 17 product lines, including handbags, eye-wear, watches, fragrances, apparel, footwear, music albums, pet products, stationery and bedding. This can all be housed under a retail format.
So, we will  wont be surprised if it works in India. My only caveat- we need to build a brand before we license. Has Paris Hilton done anything in India to be a 
brand is the question...Time and the efforts of execution will be the answer. 

Disney debuts iPad-compatible toys

This is indeed a true marriage between consumer products and mobile divisions and pushes the boundaries of possibilities. As world leaders in consumer products, Disney has paved the way on innovation. Thats what leaders do. We love it!

Anger Management

We love this visual! it also defines our jobs. We manage the licensing and merchandising rights for Angry birds!!

Our first year! story in The Economic Times Wealth-today.

The article captures our first year in business. Its great to be covered in the ET and its been a fun filled journey so far...Miles to go before we sleep! 

Animal Planet Home Video

You loved the Animal Planet toys and if you want to know more about animals and their world, our friends, Excel Home Entertainment has just launched 4 exclusive DVD titles:  Animal Planet Pranksters, The Last Rhino, Baby Panda's  Ist year and The Frog! Priced at Rs. 399, these DVDs promise not just edutainment, but are full priceless moments! Find them in the new release section of leading DVD stores and also in Crossword, Landmark and Timeout stores. Watch this space for new releases and news!

Finair to fly Angry birds

The Angry birds are currently preparing for their longest airplane ride!

This is thanks to an innovative partnership with Finnair! Finair will fly the world- famous Angry Birds, developed by the Finnish company Rovio, to Singapore. During the flight, fans of the mobile device game will compete in the Angry Birds Asian Challenge at an altitude of 10 kilometres. Tweets detailing the swish of the wings and the demise of the pigs will be sent from the flight. It will be possible to follow the events in real time. Check this video on the flight design.

COOL! We say...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HEmdvabeQw

Lazy Town bought by Turner Broadcasting

With every company trying to play responsible: this is a fantastic move and a great acquisition.! LazyTown is a show created in Iceland by Magnus Scheving, a gymnastics olympic champion and the CEO of Lazy Town Entertainment. Its a very succesful show with a message to "Be active!"
The  main character is Stephanie who arrives in town and urges her new friends Ziggy, Trixie, Stingy, and Pixel to go outside and be active, instead of staying inside and playing video games all day. Magnus also stars in the show as  a self-described "slightly-above-average hero"!
The show works 360 degrees on events and consumer products!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/08/lazytown-bought-turner-broadcasting

Innovators don’t ignore customers

A great article on how business strategy often overlooks the end consumer!
We also wonder how much of Reed Hastings strategy was driven by the investor!

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/b59e6896-e3a0-11e0-8990-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1YkdBHKWQ

Mummy, Google knows best!

Hilarious article on Google being mummy and Apple being Daddy!


http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/9dc0db14-df22-11e0-9af3-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1Ybgg8cL8

Starpower and the math on Ra-One

Interesting math on the recovery strategy for Ra-one


http://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/how-shah-rukh-khan-s-ra-one-will-recover-its-rs-150-crore/

Ra.one and the Happy meal promotion

We toast the first Indian Bollywood superhero! Shahrukh Khan has ensured that he has leveraged it over all influence points. Usually, brands are built and then extended. In this case Ra-one is incidental. Its all about SRK! 

http://www.apunkachoice.com/photo_gallery/parties_events/gid200001286-shahrukh_khan_launches_raone_mcdonalds_happy_meal/

Clever logo ideas!

We loved it when we discovered (courtesy the author DivineCoroline and "news connector"Dave Sharad) these famous logos had a distinct thought! Check out these inventive designs that cleverly use white space and optical illusions to display subliminal messages.


FedEx

This logo appears to be very simple, but if you look at the white space between the "E" and "x" in “Ex," you'll find it is more complex than you thought. Can you spot the arrow?


Le Tour de France

Named the world's most famous and prestigious cycling race, bike-lovers and non-cyclists alike are familiar with the event's emblem. However, you might be missing out on the logo's most interesting aspect. After careful examination, you'll notice an image of a person riding a bicycle; the yellow circle is the front wheel and the r is the body.


Amazon.com

Amazon.com has become a go-to source for electronic commerce. Clearly there is an arrow under Amazon, but have you ever thought about its significance? Take a look at where the arrow begins and ends: a and z. This secret message seems to conveys that Amazon offers everything from A to Z!


Hershey's Kisses

The Kisses logo doesn’t have much to it, but if you look at it sideways, you might see a chocolate kiss formed between the K and the I.

Toblerone

There’s a slightly obscured bear within the Matterhorn Mountain if you look closely. That’s because the candy bar hails from Bern, Switzerland, a city supposedly named for a bear. 

Mcdonalds and Sketchers Happy meal!

Wow! This sure is a unique partnership! Skechers USA, Inc. (Primary business is shoes!) is working with McDonald's to launch a three-week Happy Meal promotion with Twinkle Toes by Sketchers, which started August 26 in the U.S. and Canada. During the promotion, Happy Meal customers can receive one of six clip-on miniature Twinkle Toes by Skechers toy shoes, while supplies last.

In addition to McDonald's, Sketchers has extending its brand to numerous global licensees to produce a wide range of products, including sporting goods, children apparel, eyewear and luggage. 

We wait and we wait for FDI clearance!

http://www.livemint.com/2010/07/06233436/India-mulls-FDI-in-multi-brand.html

India has been facing a political diversion to the corruption crusade. In all of this, there has been no answer on the government stance with foreign direct investment in Retail. FDI for single brands is allowed. However, multi brands are still not allowed. We believe two of the three variables that drive licensing is alive and kicking in India. We have an inexpensive and vibrant media- people have access to the brands! We also have a purchasing class. What's missing is retail growth. FDI in multi brands will fuel the growth! We wait...

Look out Nadal...here comes Djokovic!

http://kidscreen.com/2011/09/12/power-rangers-samurai-brand-builds-global-momentum/

The Boys category is the prime driver in the Kids entertainment licensing business and Ben 10 has painted retail green!  Its been a 2 year run and can Samurai be the Djokovic? We believe.