This article talks about how character licensing in your brand can be a roaring success for your business. If character licensing gets your head spinning here is everything you need to know!

Before we start into the nitty-gritty of licensing, let us understand what does the term means?

A license is an official permission or permits to do, use, or own something. The licensor and licensee agree on the use of the property, typically intending to achieve a mutual benefit. We see licensed products every day, Superman t-shit, Disney Princess bag or a Wonder Woman mug and we all have a fan inside us who will love to own these merchandise and have our fan moment. Be it our favorite cartoon character or then incredible super-hero, we as consumers want to leverage the nostalgia associated with these figures. And here is where the leading cosmetic, personal care and FMCG brands are taking a charge and associated there products with the all-time favorite superheroes. 

“No one really goes looking for the generic video or t-shirt. It’s the characters, brands, and logos people know, believe and feel good about.”

Charles Riotto, President and CEO, International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA)

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Character Licensing not limited to consumer goods.

Licensed Merchandise has always seen a growth curve there was never an ebb and flow. From the cartoon characters in comic strips to animated movies, consumer goods and now brand collaborations, licensed characters have a wide spectrum of applications.

Licensing can be broadly classified in two categories –

• Consumer Good Licensing – The license required to use the character for salable items.
• Promotional Good Licensing – The license required for using the character/logo on the promotional goods.

A creative solution for achieving brand recognition.

It helps strengthen your brand’s profile, enhancing the product’s perceived value, thereby increasing the audience acceptance.

Marketing and Promotions are not only limited to providing value to the customer. To have a competitive edge it becomes very important for the brand to attach sentiment to the product and character licensing can prove to be an intelligent choice.

“The License works best when a great product is combined with a great brand to meet the consumer sentiment.”

While character licensing can be very promising for your business, if not done strategically, desired results can be tough to crack. How can you explore and navigate across the successful avenue of character licensing? 

Getting Started

Knowing your audience demographics

Define your audience and be very specific to the goals that you want to achieve.
Point to remember : Consumers should be impassioned with your character, creating a bond that will draw a parallel in their minds, instinctively tying the character image to your product.

Selecting the character

It is important to aim for the long term.  Make you are licensing the right type of character for the right reason. The character should align with the brand and the objective that you want to achieve through the promotional effort

Reaching out the licencor

Notable Tip – Brand owners will not engage with businesses that do not have a sizeable audience, substantial revenue, as they  to assure that licensing their property is worth it.

Licencors are big media and production houses, reaching out who can be a lengthy process. The documentation procedure and formalities will not be a cakewalk and you might end up getting stuck. It is thus advisable to connect with licensing agency who are experts in the industry can help you expedite the process.

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