Start Licensing’s Ian Downes turns the spotlight on gift guides and the role that licensed products are playing this Christmas.
“It is interesting to see how some retailers are still using printed gift guides and brochures to promote their Christmas ranges. In an age where we are going digital, it is quite comforting to see that more traditional paper guides have a role to play. As well as retailer gift guides, newspapers and magazines publish gift guides as well. Mail order gift companies are also busy at this time of year sending out their Christmas catalogues.
Anecdotally, there are an increasing amount of specialist gift retailers selling online and through more traditional mail order methods. I think this is, in part, due to the fact that the digital world allows companies to be more targeted in their marketing, but I also think specialist mail order companies are filling the void left on the high street in terms of more specialist retailers.
A good example of a specialist mail order company is Museum Selection. The company brings together a blend of their own products and bought in lines focused on the heritage sector. Licensing features in their selection with products from the likes of The Ashmolean Museum and the RHS in their range.
Licensing and licensed products also feature quite well in the guides I’ve seen. This reinforces the fact that retailers recognise that licensed products can be a core component of their Christmas offerings. It is worth reflecting on the point that a well chosen licensed product can deliver a ready made audience and, in the context of gifting, help to guide the gift givers’ purchase. Licensed brands are ones that are recognised and trusted. In gift giving terms they are safe bets.
Boots is a great example of a major retailer which uses a Christmas Gift Guide, as they have done for a number of years. They integrate the guide into their overall marketing and communications including in store. They have also added new digital features to the guide with the likes of QR codes, allowing consumers to learn more about products.
Licensing features in a number of ways in this year’s guide including in categories like personal care, with products such as Nerf bath fizzers and Squishmallows bubble bath. Boots reach beyond their core areas into categories like homewares and electricals, and it was interesting to see a feature made of Tonies in the guide. Tonies has become well established as a brand and has consumer recognition in its category – licensing and licensed content is a core part of their offer. Boots featured characters such as Paddington, Care Bears and The Gruffalo in its selection.
Beyond the gift guides and catalogues it is also interesting to see how categories like food and drink play a role in the Christmas gift market. Tea specialist Bird & Blend have launched a new tea blend in partnership with Aardman in the run up to the latest Wallace & Gromit film, with The Wanted! Feathers McGraw tea blend perfectly timed for the Christmas gift market.
They have also teamed up with Half Moon Bay to (up)sell their customers a Feathers shaped mug. This is a good example of how licensing can create collaborative selling opportunities for licensees. Brands like Bailey’s and Costa Coffee also feature heavily at this time of year. Licensing seems to be getting better at developing bespoke gift products in the food and drink category. I think it is a sector that has more growth potential for both brands and licensee manufacturers.
Beyond the gift guide, it has been interesting to see how retailer WH Smith has embraced the gifting opportunity this Christmas. One aspect has been a range of keenly priced stocking filler gifts – priced between £5 and £10. These have been promoted at front of store encouraging pick up. Brands like Guinness World Records feature in the selection, as do a number of gaming brands. Gaming is a solid category for gifting, while book based gifts, such as those featuring Guiness World Records, work well for retailers like WH Smith. They have a long-term trading history and brand insight through sales of the book.
WH Smith is also featuring well curated gift ranges for character brands like Hello Kitty. These have been coordinated with a number of suppliers and given end cap space in store. The ranges are well presented and provide a good example of how licensing can help deliver a cross category opportunity for a retailer.
Judging by the presence of licensing in the gift guides I’ve seen, I think there is a good chance there will be a fair few licensed presents given this year as well….
‘Tis time to pull a Christmas cracker – I need some new jokes!”
Ian Downes
Start Licensing
07776 228454 | twitter.com/StartLicensing
Top: Ian Downes runs Start Licensing, an independent brand licensing agency.
