The Kazachok Licensing Forum 2018 will take place from April 4 to April 5 in Paris. The forum also focuses on providing the most interesting content including the latest market trends.
For 15 years, this show has become an annual rendezvous for the French licensing industry. These two days of forum are punctuated by special meetings on stands, conferences, quality workshops and creative events and the famous licensing night.
More than 60 exhibitors will present with not less than 1200 properties. All actors from the licensing market will be able to meet, share and deal new business partnerships. This includes not only right owners or licensees, but also manufacturers, producers, and retailers.
With a special emphasize on sports and leisure, a special conference will be scheduled this year.
In what can be termed as one-of-a-kind exhibition, to mark the 15th anniversary, Kazachok will create ‘The Licence pop-up museum’ with the most iconic licensed products made during the previous years.
Check out the video to witness the fun-filled event in 2017:
If you want to join the partnership summit, kindly check the official website — forumlicence.kazachok.com for more details.
Kazachok was created by Nathalie Chouraqui and Sandra Ways in 2001.
It may have been the year after the Pokémon Go phenomenon, but Pokémon toys and merchandise continued to be a major success throughout 2017.
The Pokémon Company International has announced that the brand has beat the 2016 sales record.
According to the data released from NPD, and transmitted by The Pokémon Company, trading Euro100 million was spent on the Pokémon Trading Card Game last year, which gave the company an 82% share of the market (total sales of strategic trading cards was at Euro 122 million for Europe).
The biggest growth area for the game was Italy, with a 644% rise in sales, followed by Spain (56%) and the UK (42%).
In addition, the gullible toys also saw significant rise in sales for 2017. The Pokemon toys witnessed an increase of 54% in the United Kingdom, 14% in Germany and 146% in Italy.
From its debut, Pokémon has become one of the best-known brands on a global scale in the entertainment sector. Till now, over 300 million video games were sold across the world; 23,6 billion cards sold in 74 countries and in 11 languages. In addition, Pokémon witnessed over 450000 players in events each year; and over 900 episodes were in the TV series, with 21 seasons aired.
Simon Benton, Vice President for the Pokémon card game in Europe, said, “2017 was another exceptional year for the Pokémon cards. We are the champion collectible card game in Europe. With the help of forthcoming expansion and new initiatives that are already in motion, we are hoping for another record breaking year in 2018”.
Peter Murphy, Senior Director of Marketing at The Pokémon Company International said, “The first line of original Pokémon products by Wicked Cool Toys was accepted in a fantastic way by sellers and the media at the recent toy fairs in London and Nuremberg.”
Meanwhile, the British toy industry and Hobby Association and the Toy Retailers Association awarded Pokémon the Pocket Money Toy of the Year award. The Pokémon brand has also been recognized and received two awards at the Toy Fair in London. While the new line of Pokémon toys by Wicked Cool Toys, distributed by Character Options, was awarded the Editor’s Choice Award at the fair.
Pokémon was started in Japan in 1996 with a role play game for the Nintendo Gameboy, which was then spread into the United States and Europe between 1998 and 1999.
London-based international fashion brand Karen Millen has signed an agreement with IMG to extend its licensed product range in a multi-year deal.
With the new association, Karen Millen is planning to expand its overall product offering and open new channels of distribution in partnership with licensees. IMG will target a range of product categories for Karen Millen’s licensing portfolio, which includes women’s swimwear, athleisure, lingerie, gifts, accessories and luggage, among others.
“Our partnership with IMG marks the start of a new journey for Karen Millen and our customers, which will see us translate our distinctive design and attention to detail into a wider range of fashion and lifestyle products,” said Beth Butterwick, CEO, Karen Millen.
Matthew Primack, senior vice president, IMG Licensing said, “We aim to support this expansion by creating partnerships with companies to deliver a roster of aspirational and beautifully designed consumer products to complement their existing collections that are enjoyed by so many of the brand’s fans around the world.”
Established in 1981, the fashion brand offers fashionable style pieces for women of all ages. The brand now holds more than 360 points of sale across more than 65 countries.
Get ready to witness the scary world of dinosaurs alive! Universal has partnered up with mobile game developer Ludia again to launch a new mobile game. As a part of the promotion scheme, the move was taken ahead of the upcoming film ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’.
Using location-based technology and augmented reality, the new game “Jurassic World Alive” will bring the dinosaur adventure to life in a new platform. Users can collect dinosaur species as they explore neighborhoods and cities around the world and experience in-game incubators.
“Jurassic World Alive” is the third mobile game transaction between Universal and Ludia.
“With ‘Jurassic World Alive,’ our goal is for audiences to be fully immersed into a world with living dinosaurs in a way that’s never been possible until today,” said Alex Thabet, resident and chief executive officer, Ludia.
Loosely based on the Pokémon GO, you can meet dinosaurs, as you walk around real-world locations, and collect dinosaurs that appear in the wild. You can train your dinosaurs, raise them into more powerful ones, and fight them against other players’ dinosaurs.
Jurassic World Alive puts players in the role of a new recruit in the Dinosaur Protection Group (DPG). Players are tasked with saving dinosaurs from another extinction by tracking them, collecting DNA samples and creating new hybrid species in a lab.
In a press statement, Universal and Ludia said players will track their Jurassic prey with a drone, and must track down supply drops in-game to earn in-game currency and battery life for that drone.
“Jurassic World fans have long dreamed of seeing these majestic and sometimes frightening creatures in real life. With the location and AR technology available today, we can finally make that dream a reality,” says Chris Heatherly, executive vice president, games and digital platforms, Universal Brand Development.
In addition, Cityneon Holdings and Encore Productions has announced the opening of “Jurassic World: The Exhibition, in Paris, France starting from April 14 until September 2. After Melbourne, Philadelphia and Chicago, the exhibition will mark the company’s fourth launch.
“Jurassic World Alive” will launch globally on the App Store and Google Play in spring. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will hit theatres in the United States on June 22.
Margherita Vecchio joins Sanrio as the International Licensing Manager. Prior Sanrio, she was working in the Italian TV channel Boing and before that, from a wider-ranging role at The Smiley Company in London. She will be based in the Milan office and work across selected EMEA territories and projects.
“It’s a great honour to be part of the Sanrio family and I am extremely glad and excited to have joined such a fabulous team and contribute to the growth of the business” said Margherita Vecchio.
“I am glad to increase the team in EMEA. Margherita’s infectious enthusiasm and ambition, will add to our growth in the region,” said Simon Gresswell, Chief Operating Officer, Sanrio.
Skilled in marketing management, budgeting, advertising, retail, and communication, Margherita holds a strong legal professional attitude.
At the annual upfront presentation dated March 6, Nickelodeon revealed its plans for the 2018-19. The channel will release more than 800 new episodes of new and returning series, which include:
A reboot of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
A remake of the preschools series “Blue’s Clues,” which features a new signature look and host
A developmental deal for “Los Casagrandes,” a new companion series for the animated show “The Loud House”;
“Pony,” a new animated comedy series developed by Nickelodeon International in the U.K.;
“Keep It Spotless,” a new game show series;
A new season of “Lip Sync Battle Shorties” starring Nick Cannon and JoJo Siwa; and
“Musical Dares,” a short-form content series and the first project by Viacom Digital Studios for Nickelodeon’s YouTube channel.
Blue’s Clues to return?
Nickelodeon is whistling for one of TV’s most famous dogs to come home and win over a new generation of kiddie viewers. he Viacom-owned kids-media outlet will instead revive Blue, the animated hound who used to leave problem-solving hints for years on “Blue’s Clues,” a seminal series for preschoolers that helped fuel growth at Nickelodeon in a different era. Nickelodeon has ordered 20 new episodes of the series and is likely to air them on its Nick Jr. cable network aimed at preschoolers.
The new, modern version of ‘Blue’s Clues’ will capture all the original’s creativity and visual identity for a whole new audience ready for its fun adventures and expertly designed problem-solving curriculum.
Besides, the network is also planning for innovative partnerships for its mobile offerings, which are as follows:
The network has partnered with IMAX for “SlimeZone,” its first multi-player, social VR experience, set to premiere at IMAX VR Centers globally this month.
Nick will introduce augmented reality to its “Sky Whale” mobile game and launch the “Do Not Touch” AR app in the gaming section.
The AR-enhanced “Sky Whale” app will be available this spring. “The Do Not Touch” AR app is available now in the App Store and on Google Play.
The network is also expanding its location-based offerings with Nickelodeon SlimeFest, produced in partnership with Live Nation.
BlackBerry has inked a technology and brand licensing deal with Swiss consumer electronics maker Punkt Tronics AG for “BlackBerry Secure” to provide product manufacturers with a deeply-embedded security solution that comprises the former phone maker’s proprietary software and applications.
The BlackBerry Secure will be installed in phones and other smart devices.
“If 2017 has taught us anything it is that every device needs to be secured because any vulnerability will be found and exploited,” Alex Thurber, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mobility Solutions, BlackBerry, said in a statement.
The deal enables Punkt, also known for its minimalist phone named “MP01”, to introduce a range of highly-secure products which will embed BlackBerry cybersecurity technology, be certified as “BlackBerry Secure” and thus securely connect to home and enterprise networks.
According to Petter Neby, CEO and Founder, Punkt, the company is completely focused on using technology to help us adopt good habits for less distracted lives.
Products built with components from “BlackBerry Secure” platform will have best-in-class security that would help safeguard privacy of end users and enterprises.
From body shamming to sexual harassment, women have always been the victim in this patriarchal society. On the occasion of Women’s Day, this year too brands have come up with special campaigns to support gender equality.
Here’s how these big brands decided to celebrate Women’s day:
Reebok:
Reebok’s Women’s Day campaign acts as both a vehicle for a strong message and as a mirror to the society we live in. The ‘Bruises can be good’ campaign takes forward the brand’s #FitToFight proposition. Conducted in Mumbai with select participants across both genders, spanning age groups, the experiment invited them to observe a young woman, marred with bruises. The audience reaction varied from “must be some horrid accident”, “victim of domestic abuse” to “terrible outcome of eve teasing”. Their reactions show how prevalent physical violence against women is around us. In a sudden movement, the bruised girl in the film, stands up to perform a martial art move, surprising the audience and undoing their reactions to her bruised body. With a voice over, it is revealed that she is a combat athlete and that her bruises are “good” as they are a proof of her strength that enables her to defeat an opponent in combat.
Biba:
The ethnic wear label has released their latest digital film #ChangeForProgress. The film very wittily manages to tackle the age-old stereotypical concept of boys and girls education and what is expected out of them.
Amante:
The film was conceptualized by Leo Burnett Orchard, which celebrates the fact that it employs 65,000 women to serve its customers. The message is, “When women support women, it makes for a happy women’s day”.
Tanishq:
One of the biggest jewelry maker Tanishq has always celebrated the power of women as a brand. Ahead of the International Women’s Day, continuing with the tradition, the film, conceptualized and developed by Lowe Lintas, tells the story of one such woman, who despite being a successful CEO decides to change direction in her life. The film inspires woman to be whatever they have always wanted to be.
PC Chandra:
Taking social experiment into another level, PC Chandra Jewellers went out and spoke to women across the city about bias and discrimination that they face in their day to day lives.
Ixigo:
Titled as ‘Ruk Jaana Nahi‘, ravel marketplace wants women to travel without any anxieties. It shows questions women are asked when she wants to travel. It ends with a message that reads ‘eight out of 10 women still need approval to travel. Let’s change that.’
Freshmenu:
The food brand presents SheSpeaks – a performance art project that hopes to celebrate the voices of women. Bringing together artistes from different performance styles, #SheSpeaks will be a platform that celebrates women in a space they deserve.
Borosil:
Created by Social Kinnect, the video shows a little girl getting ready to go to office, while a boy prepares breakfast for her. The short video speaks volumes about the importance of setting right examples for children and how by doing away with stereotypes, we can create a better future for everyone.
So, let’s take a pledge to contribute to change the society we live in! Women need to be respected.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail has announced an exclusive partnership with global cosmetics brand Flormar to bring its beauty and cosmetic products to India.
“We are launching Flormar in select 30-40 Reliance Trends stores to understand the customer preference with respect to shades and product choices. We are doing this to get the right product range for the Indian market. Later, we will launch the brand across all our stores,” Reliance Trends chief executive Akhilesh Prasad was quoted as saying.
Reliance Trends is the fashion and accessories arm of Reliance Retail. The products will be imported in India and sold through Reliance Trends outlets.
Headquartered in Turkey, Flormar has presence in over 100 countries across the world.
Reliance Retail Limited (RRL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) operates 3,751 retail stores across 750 cities.
Trends has strong network of 434 stores, across over 220 cities. It also houses more than 100 apparel and accessory brands along with 20 private brands across men, women and children categories.
Delhi Daredevils have extended their title sponsorship deal with Daikin for a fourth successive year. The Japanese air-conditioners brand will continue to be the title sponsor of the Delhi Daredevils for the Indian Premier League 2018 season.
The GMR Group-owned IPL franchisee and the Daikin Air-Conditioning India have entered into the partnership deal in 2015, after that, both have been continuously extending the association on year-on-year basis.
Daikin for the fourth successive year will the lead sponsor of the Red and Blue brigade from Delhi.
Reliance Jio’s branding will also feature on the team’s jersey.
According to a report in the Insidesport.co, Reliance Jio will have strategic tie-up with all the eight IPL teams. If the team’s official jersey is taken into consideration then Mother Dairy too will continue its existing relationship with the franchisee.
In a press conference where Gautam Gambhir was confirmed as the team’s captain for the new 2018 season, the team unveiled their Daikin-branded kit and presented representatives from the Japanese air-conditioner manufacturer with a certificate of partnership.
“This year with the powerful team with us I remain confident that the Daikin association with Delhi Daredevils will be further underlined going forward,” said Kanwaljeet Jawa, chief executive and managing director of Daikin India.
Daikin Air-conditioning India Pvt Ltd is a 100% subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd., Japan and a global leader in the manufacturing of commercial-use and residential air conditioning systems.
On the other side, FMCG major Cargill partnered as its principal sponsor for the ongoing season. Cargill India will promote its NatureFresh brand under this association. The brand association will be for all three sub-brands under its portfolio — NatureFresh Acti-life Refined oils, NatureFresh Sampoorna Chakki Atta and NatureFresh Professional.
The logo of the brand NatureFresh will be sported on the back of DD team jersey beginning this season and will launch joint campaigns.
Besides, two-wheeler major Suzuki Motorcycle India under its brand Suzuki Gixxer too has tied up with the Delhi Daredevils as principal sponsor.
