At the occasion of the Brand Licensing Europe, LM interviewed Marco Hüsges, CEO and Founder of Emoji Company
Which are the latest partnerships you have launched?
In 2019 we have launched a variety of exciting collaborations throughout different categories. In the middle of the year we launched the second wave with Ferrero KinderJoy and in August Burger the King® launched a worldwide emoji® kids meal activation program.
With Italian fashion brand TEZENIS, we released a sleepwear and underwear collection across Europe, while with Kidiliz Group in France we have build a joyful partnership and developed a beautiful kids apparel range that includes 3D elements, zippers and patches.
In Germany, with leading food chain ALDI we launched in the beginning of September a collectible emoji® figurine promotion and all through 2019 we have been very strong in promotions and loyalty programs across Europe and in Asia.
Which plans are on the way for the next future?
In the middle of 2019 we have launched our first emoji® brand apparel store in China. At present we are seeking for new locations and expect to open 2-3 more stores until the end of 2019 while continuing to open more stores in 2020. In 2020 we are going to open our first own emoji® brand cafes and will continue to launch QSR programs in several countries and you will see some high level apparel brand collaborations.
Our F&B business will stay strong as in the previous years and we will launch multiple high level collaborations in this segment.
Which are your key territories?
Emoji is a global brand. Solid developed markets for us are North America, Europe, Brazil, Mexico, China and Australia. Since this year we are also focussing to expand the brand strongly in South East Asia and started to put an eye on Japan which is a market with giant potential but entirely different in its demands.
Which categories are more important for you?
The operative range of business for the emoji® brand is immense. The brand is appealing and attractive to consumers all over the world, regardless of their age and gender. That allows us to reach out for categories aside from standard licensing. At present the leading categories for us are food & beverages, apparel and promotions. We also have a strong connection to the marketing and advertisement industry who license our content for the creation of their campaigns.
Which were your expectations from last BLE?
BLE is both exciting and important for us as Europe is a highly valuable market. This year we are came up with a brand new booth design and lots of interesting new products on display. We have developed fresh style guides and content for 2020 and offer some selective brand collaborations which include emoji® By Britto, Kiss x emoji® and emoji® x Smurfs.
