Media brands have always been an exciting corridor for licensing opportunities. Strong brand awareness and consumer confidence make your favorite magazine or news website an ideal fit for branching out into new categories via licensing. That is why media brands such as Outdoor Life, SAVEUR and Popular Science have been leveraged for real success in recent years.

From Outdoor Life's recent licensing deal with Tidy Dog Pet Products to Popular Science being named a "One-to-Watch" in 2019, the last few years have been strong for the Camden Media brands. License Global recently spoke with Richard Oren, licensing sales director, Camden Media, to learn more about the brands' licensing strategy.

During our conversation with Oren, we discussed what makes media brands a unique opportunity for licensing, what works best for Camden Media's brands and what's on the horizon in 2020. 

License Global: What are some of the major licensing announcements you’ve had for Popular Science and Outdoor Life this year?

Richard Oren: Following our successful premiere of the Outdoor Life and Popular Science brands at Licensing Expo in 2019, we announced several partnerships. For Outdoor Life, we added a master apparel partner for sportswear, outerwear and bags, as well as licensees for sleepwear, hydration, camping knives, and even dog treats. We also announced a master toy partner for Popular Science, as well as a licensee for telescopes, microscopes and optics. We have several new partnerships in the pipeline that we plan to announce early next year.

For Popular Science, what demographics work best for licensing partnerships?

We’re fortunate that Popular Science covers so many topics because it appeals to a broad audience and expands our potential for licensing. As a result, we have partners who manufacture products for both adults and kids. Older consumers can appreciate the authority of the Popular Science brand, while the brand reaches a younger audience where topics such as STEM are important.

What unique opportunities does licensing provide for media brands in general?

Media brands offer not only great awareness but the ability to speak directly to their audiences. If they’ve done it right, they have the data to understand their consumer and the reach to help market themselves. In the case of our brands (SAVEUR, Popular Science, and Outdoor Life), we have numerous vehicles to help promote our products and to drive traffic to the places they can be purchased and a really great team who help us create a targeted approach and content that resonates with our consumer. 

Are you able to leverage readership data to develop products with partners?

We know the demographics of our audiences and can certainly use that information when developing products, but our goal is to expand beyond our readership to help grow the overall landscape. The data does help to understand our audience better and informs our decisions, but it’s just a part of the picture. 

What sort of deals are you looking for both brands in 2021?

We are always looking for innovative partners who appreciate the consumer awareness of our brands and the trust they have earned and who can develop meaningful program extensions that can be leveraged in a variety of retail channels. In the case of Outdoor Life, that means leveraging its heritage into outdoor-oriented products, while for Popular Science, we’re focusing on areas of technology and advancement. For SAVEUR, we’re looking for that next level of product for home chefs, such as appliances and accessories.