The

definition

of brand licensing is the process of leasing a trademarked or copyrighted property for use in connection with a product, service, or promotion.

The

property

could be a name, likeness, logo, graphic, saying, signature, character, or a combination of several different elements.

The

licensing agreements

that property owners and licensees make have the potential to unlock powerful brands with in-demand products that drive real value to both parties.

A walk down any shopping aisle illustrates the impact that brand licensing has on both the consumer and an increasingly diverse range of retailers, brands and manufacturers.

Licensing can extend a brand into new categories, areas of a store or into new stores entirely. It is a way for brand owners to increase their current fan base and move into new businesses without major investment in new manufacturing processes and also allows retailers and manufacturers to stand out from the competition and offer consumers the hottest brands as well as drive sales

From "

Pokemon"

action figures to

NFTs

featuring

Crayola,

the potential to leverage a brand for licensing or license out a beloved brand can deliver revenue and brand awareness to all parties involved. The licensing industry is valuable for both brand owners as well as

retailers

and manufacturers.

With the industry reaching over $292.8bn in sales in 2019, companies large and small are all reaching new heights thanks to licensed merchandise.

Funko has redefined what a collectibles company can do in the marketplace and proven that retail is very much alive, so long as you have what’s in demand. Aptly described as “fast fashion of pop culture” by Brian Mariotti, chief executive officer, Funko, the company deals primarily in bringing beloved licensed properties – from entertainment, sports and music to familiar, nostalgic corporate brands and mascots – to market largely via its Pop! vinyl figurines range, a core product offering and the company’s No. 1 seller.

The V&A works with licensees across Europe, the U.S., Japan, China and South Korea to spread the core values of the institute: making art accessible to all. It’s this core theme that drives the V&A’s work with designers and licensees to create valued, consumer-focused products.

Working with leading interior experts, craftsmen, designers and fashion creators, the V&A has produced innovative products such as children’s fashion lines with Little House of Hackney, paperback products based on English chintz fabrics with Pimpernel Press, tableware products with Caspari, Japanese textile-inspired needlepoint kits with Ehrman Kits and a range of gardening tools with Wild & Wolf.

Whether it's apparel, toys, novelties or collectibles, the licensed product categories for auto brands run the gamut. Iconic, classic American brand Ford and its top-rated licensing program is successfully exploiting all categories.

“Ford Brand Licensing has a process in place to review license applications and also works with a variety of internal teams to determine key categories and growth opportunities in which we’d like to seek new partners for,” says Casie Ocaña, global brand licensing manager, Ford Motor Company. “When it comes to picking those partners, Ford looks to ensure the company shares the same values as well as passion for our products and consumers.”

The world’s top Brand Licensors and IP owners, by sales of Licensed merchandise:

View the License Global Top Global Licensors 100 Report

The 2019 Licensing International Global Licensing Industry report breaks the market down into the following categories:

The character and entertainment sector is without doubt the largest part of the global licensing industry, generating retail sales of $122 billion in 2018 and accounting for 44 percent of total global licensing sales*. Examples include:

Brands and lifestyle is a growing sector of the global licensing industry both in terms of size and the number of blue-chip brands and organizations licensing out intellectual property in fields such as:

Although smaller than the other sectors, art, design and image is perhaps the most diverse, It runs the gambit from smaller independent artists to top-tier photo collections.

The sector represented more than $2.7 billion of global retail sales of licensed merchandise in 2018. It’s highlighted artistic and illustrative styles include:

One of the most widely held misconceptions is that barriers to entry are high because it is difficult to contact brand owners. Many think you have to be a business of a certain size and only the biggest companies will get all the best licenses. But licensing isn’t out of reach for smaller players, as long as you prepare and lay the proper groundwork.

Manufacturers and retailers seeking to become licensees need to decide if entering into a license agreement is indeed right for them. They should ask themselves:

To learn more about the licensing industry and take the next step for your brand or product,

download the Brand Licensing Handbook

to discover all the basics of the industry.

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