From the global rise of the Asian wave to new trends to follow in finding the right brand for developing products and experiences that appeal to today’s fans, the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas offered all this and much more!
Once again, this year’s Licensing Expo, held in Las Vegas last week, proved itself to be the leading global event for the licensing market. There are many new developments, and an event like this helps gauge the market’s temperature and identify prominent trends proposed by major players, often also suggested by smaller companies that exhibit at these events to develop their projects globally. The Licensing Expo is undoubtedly the perfect synthesis of both these worlds.
There are many new things we’d like to share with you following our visit to this edition of the fair. We were present as a Media Partner with a dedicated booth and the distribution of our magazines, along with numerous video and social interviews over three very intense days!
The Asian Wave
Firstly, we observed a notable growth in the international market for Asian brands, accompanied by a significant increase in the presence of Japanese, Chinese, and South Korean operators at the event. Among the exhibitors, we highlight the well-established presence of companies such as Crunchyroll, Toei Animation, and Ultraman, who offered many new developments for the brands they represent. These names paved the way some time ago for the major Asian trend that is now permeating the global licensing market. In addition to these big names, a large group of Japanese exhibitors presented brands inspired by manga and anime styles, poised for international development beyond Japan. Among others, we would also like to mention Garena, which is the perfect synthesis of some of the main trends of this period: Asia, Games, and Entertainment.
As we also wrote in the LM ASIA newsletter, the South Korean presence at the fair was vibrant and interesting. At the KOCCA booth, many brands were showcased that are gaining increasing global appeal. In general, the Asian market requires constant monitoring by various players, as it is increasingly defining trends and consumer tastes on a worldwide scale. Asian content (China, South Korea, and Japan) is becoming a strategic asset to keep up with consumer trends.
From Gen Z to Newstalgia, via Gaming: The New Market Keywords
At the Licensing Expo, we also noted some keywords that characterized the presentations of future proposals from major US groups, who, in Las Vegas, always set the tone for what will happen in the market soon, from Mattel to Universal, from Hasbro to Warner Bros. The most frequently used keywords were Gen Z, Gaming, Fandom, Newstalgia, and Live Experiences. Let’s look at them in detail.
GenZ is indeed the target that is most interesting to the licensing industry at this time. It is a challenging audience to satisfy, but it is the one most inclined to purchase iconic consumer goods associated with icons, brands, and values with which they identify and grew up. Today, this target is undoubtedly one of the main challenges for licensors and licensees. Therefore, many brands and style guides are being developed to satisfy this key market segment. Among the varied offers, Miffy is a global brand that can appeal to children and Gen Z simultaneously, thanks to its brand-new TV series and rich lifestyle development.
Gaming is another fundamental factor for engaging today’s consumer, from kids to young adults, who are increasingly interactive with the characters they love or discovering new ones. It is no longer just one of many product categories that can be developed, but a true central touchpoint in an overall content development strategy, aiming to engage consumers on every possible platform. The underlying theme is that every age group is now increasingly interactive, including preschoolers, and wants to identify with the characters they love, beyond the small screen and books. Licensors like Miraculous have perfectly grasped this point and have recognized the importance of Gaming as a central asset for the development of their rich franchise. During the show, we discussed this with Roz Nowicki at Miraculous Corp. and look forward to sharing this exclusive interview with you!
Streaming and personalized consumption are increasingly advanced, tailored, and interactive in content. For this reason, gaming now plays a central role in the licensing chain. In this context, we must mention Roblox, which has become the primary platform for interactive content for children and teenagers, where both major market brands and smaller ones go to test the validity of their new properties. Still on the topic of Gaming, it was a great pleasure to speak with Hanna Wills of Minecraft about the success this IP is having thanks to the film’s box office sales worldwide. An exclusive interview will follow soon—stay tuned!.
You can’t talk about Gaming and Gen Z without mentioning Fandom. What unites these trends is a different vision of the “consumer” or “target”—two words that are becoming as outdated as “linear TV.” We are no longer dealing with a user who passively receives a product or content, but with a fan who interacts and wants to be an integral part of a brand’s life and evolution.
Licensors have understood this very well and have decided to ride another trend that responds to this new type of relationship: #Newstalgia—a blend of “new” and “nostalgia,” combining a modern reinterpretation of classic IP. This trend reflects children experiencing classic properties updated to meet their new needs, as well as an older audience, offering a fresh take on characters with whom entire generations grew up.
Brands that are part of the social and cultural background of whole generations, and that can be reworked and made “new” to be enjoyed again freshly and originally by a new audience, without ever losing their identity, are capitalizing on this trend. Among them, WildBrain is also developing this trend with its classic IPs, as Teletubbies and Strawberry Shortcake. (Also, we will soon release an exclusive video interview we conducted with them.) Soon, we will see many other proposals in this direction from major licensors and beyond.
Finally, a trend that started in the post-pandemic period and continues to grow is the desire for Live Experiences. Brands with interesting marketing budgets are offering live experiences at existing theme parks or newly dedicated areas. All with the aim of surprising, exciting, bringing the brand to life, and immersing fans in original experiences that build loyalty! Brands that can offer this opportunity are at the forefront of live entertainment for their fans. Smurfs are one of them, combining a vast and global live experience offer with entertainment and gaming content!
Tariffs: The Common Thread of Many Meetings
Regarding the topics covered, the event program was intense. Products of Change were the undisputed protagonists for insights on #Sustainability, while Licensing International hosted many panels and presided over the highly anticipated Excellence Awards. In this exciting context, there was no shortage of analyses around the real issue keeping the market on edge: Tariffs. Industry operators throughout the global market chain—in the USA, Europe, Latin America, China, and Japan — are aware of how tariffs impact prices, supply, and margins. The current context, however, is not helping to clarify the situation, except in part through ongoing negotiations. More than ever, politics is affecting the market, and we hope that in the end, a solution will prevail that allows companies to operate, albeit with consequences for some production chains, which will inevitably change. But that is another story, and we hope to share it with you soon, as soon as the situation becomes clearer.
In London this Fall, at Brand Licensing Europe, we will be able to see how Tariffs and the Trends mentioned above are effectively shaping the market.
