The newspapers that birthed them may have smaller circulations than they used to but comic strip characters remain as popular as ever. The recent global promotion between Starbucks and Peanuts being a good case in point. Simply drawn characters, with bags of personality, and that conjure up feelings of nostalgia

In 2025 the idea of a traditional retail loyalty program might seem, to some, quite dated. With price checking so much easier to do, many retailer loyalty cards offering discounts immediately, and the proliferation of different retailers, shopping in one place in order to collect points to cash in for

Product placement has a varied history, whilst prominently used for decades on TV in some countries, it needs to be clearly labeled, or is just banned, in others. In movies, product placement is commonplace - particularly with some franchises such as James Bond. And many music artists’ videos are often

During Licensing Expo last month Licensing International, the leading trade association for the licensing industry, released the executive summary of its 2025 Global Licensing Industry Study. The study outlines the continued worldwide sales growth of licensed products and services across categories including corporate, sports, entertainment, celebrities, fashion, and more. The

It seems today everyone has aspirations for their film, TV show or video game to become a 'franchise'. The word 'franchise' means different things to different people, but the thing it embodies for everyone is the opportunity to drive significant and sustained revenue. We won’t debate here on what

The ‘SuperBowl’ of licensing is done for another year. As ever the show was a great meeting place for brands, licensees, retailers, creatives and everyone else connected to the industry.  This year over 12,000 registered professionals attended, with international attendees representing nearly 30% of the expo audience. 381 companies