Start Licensing’s Ian Downes takes a look at how some retailers are making the most of the Men’s UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.
Licensing likes an event. Probably more than ever now, not least as events can create traction at retail and deliver consumer engagement.
The UEFA Euro 2024 Football Championships are currently on in Germany with England and Scotland taking part. This has created opportunities for some companies, however my unscientific observation is that fewer companies have decided to get involved with the event. A measure of this for me was that I saw a very small selection of England bunting in my local supermarket – in tournaments gone by I think the ‘buy in’ for this sort of product would have been more substantial.
That said I would be quite pleased to be The Bermondsey Bunting Company at the moment – the Kirby Estate in Bermondsey has caught national attention with its display of flags and its use of street art. The estate has got a wonderful street art mural of England player Eberechi Eze (created by MurWalls I believe). Despite my earlier observation, the Kirby Estate is a great example of how an event like Euro 2024 can still excite people and this is something brands recognise.
One retailer that has embraced Euro 2024 is Lidl. It has front of store activity featuring the Euro 2024 mascot and is featuring a number of ‘official’ Euro 2024 products including a football, drinks glasses and plush toys. These are supplemented with team specific products like England bucket hats (I assume these will be replaced by Scots ones in Scotland). Of course, there are also potential uplifts from the Euros in other categories like food and drink.
In Lidl’s Weekly promotional booklet, it highlights products to buy to ‘Get Ready for the Big Game’ such as confectionery, snack foods and soft drinks. The range also includes other official England items like bedding, drinks bottles and car flags. It is also selling the official Euro 2024 sticker album and stickers.
Supporting events like Euro 2024 can be tricky in regards to levels of buy in, timing and also choosing which products to support. I imagine retailers like Lidl use forecasting models to help with the selections and buy in built on past experience. It also has the benefit of being an international business so can share acquired learnings from other markets, but it is still a tricky road to walk. It is not a surprise to see Lidl backing Euro 2024 given it is being hosted by Germany, but it is also an event that it recognises fits with its offer and appeals to its demographic.
Another challenge around events is that things can change unexpectedly. A good example of this is that Hellmann’s Mayonnaise is running a promotional campaign featuring footballer Jack Grealish which includes in-store FSDUs. Jack Grealish was in many people’s eye a certainty to be selected for the England team and, therefore, a good choice for a campaign like this. Surprisingly Grealish didn’t make the squad so isn’t featuring in any of the games. This all happened too late for Hellmann’s to change its plans. This may have been a disappointment, but I am sure it would have had a contingency plan in mind to deal with this situation and other scenarios that can happen in the ‘real world’. These days social media campaigns can be designed and delivered very quickly which gives brands an opportunity to manage their messaging. Of course Grealish was and is still a superstar footballer so his non-selection creates an issue but he still has broad appeal; indeed his non-selection has been widely debated and that debate in itself gives the brand some potential theming for the campaign.
I have noticed other brands choosing to partner with the Euros and using this within shops. Personal care brands Dove Men, Sure and Radox are running a Euro 2024 promotion at the moment with the opportunity to win Semi Final tickets. I noticed this in a branch of Poundland. I actually spotted the promotion on a floor poster. It was a very simple but effective ‘stop me and buy’ moment. The poster was well placed next to the fixture and drew consumer attention to the fixture. A good use of an ‘official partnership’ backed up with a QR code that allows consumers to participate in the promotion instantly while in store. This is also a good example of a growing trend for brands and retailers to use promotions in-store to achieve consumer engagement and directly influence purchase. As the media marketplace gets more fragmented and advertising models change, influencing consumer behaviour in-store is becoming more important. This is an area that I think licensing can deliver relevance and value in. Famous characters and brands combined with engaging content are a strong proposition in this context. We should be thinking about ways we can be part of this growing trend.
It is also interesting to see how IP owners are being more imaginative and proactive about creating their own events. I saw a great example of this in Brighton last week. I was in Brighton on a work trip and noticed that one of the local galleries – the Helm Gallery – was hosting an exhibition, Mr. Men Little Miss Reimagined. The exhibition features the work of five contemporary artists who have been invited to ‘reimagine’ the classic characters in their own style. This has resulted in some fabulous work featuring many of the much loved Mr. Men and Little Miss characters in fresh ways. The exhibition has also had input from Adam Hargreaves who has been at the centre of the creative work for the brand for a number of years.
The Helm Gallery is a contemporary gallery space which suits the brand and artwork well. The exhibition is imaginatively presented and is supported by well designed window graphics which will catch the eye of people walking by. There are also some other nice design touches like use of Mr Tickle to decorate a stairway. The exhibition is also being used as a brand hub to create a focus for events such as live painting demos and a children’s workshop.
Star Editions has created a bespoke merchandise range for the event using designs from the show. This reinforces the point that events can create their own retail platform. Another benefit from events like this one is that they create a lot of PR and public engagement. Given the theme of this show is that the characters are ‘reimagined’ it will, I am sure, inspire creative thinking from the brand owners, existing licensees and potentially new partners. A classic brand like Mr. Men Little Miss benefits from fresh thinking and a new take on design. The artwork in the exhibition manages to move things forward, but I think the artists have also been very respectful to the brand’s heritage – it is a successful marriage of creative thinking.
Moving away from events, I always find it interesting to see how direct marketing companies use licensing and licences. Recently I saw some magazine advertisements for a Steiff Doctor Who teddy bear promoted by Danbury Mint. Danbury is a direct marketing expert and knows how to reach audiences in an efficient way. It has recognised that fan lead franchises like Dr Who gives it the opportunity to use its expertise effectively and also to develop unique products that will resonate with fans. Working with Steiff allows it to benefit from the brand equity and trust that brand brings with it. This isn’t just a teddy bear it is a Steiff bear. Direct marketing and reaching the fan market is another growth opportunity for licensing. It is not a new marketplace but with the wider recognition of fandom these days licensing offers direct marketing firms a really focussed way of reaching fans.
It will be interesting to see how the summer plays out event wise – I can imagine events like the Olympics, Wimbledon and music festivals will create licensing moments as well as ‘I Was There’ or more likely ‘I Was Watching on TV’ moments for fans. Let’s hope we have something to cheer whoever we support!
Ian Downes runs Start Licensing, an independent brand licensing agency. His X handle is @startlicensing and on Instagram he is @iandownesphotos – he would welcome your suggestions for what to look out for.
