The second edition of the Licensing Museum & Heritage Book highlights just how much the sector has grown over the past 12 months.
It’s only been a year since we launched the Licensing Museum & Heritage Book, but during that time the team has been astounded by how much the sector has grown.
One of our contributors in this issue summed it up pretty perfectly when she described museums and heritage organisations as punching above their weight when it comes to licensing.
Anne Buky, a brand and licensing consultant who has been working in the space for many years, charts the steady growth that she has witnessed when it comes to brand licensing in the sector – from some of the first Brand Licensing Europe shows, where the likes of V&A and the Science Museum were the flag flyers for a category which had yet to discover how it could use licensing to enhance its offer, through to the 2024 show, which saw some 20 or more heritage brands, charities and not for profit organisations either exhibit under their own steam or be represented by agents.
Speaking to a number of brand owners for this issue, there’s not only pride and excitement in how their own licensing programmes have found ways to complement and build on their main activity, but also admiration for other museums and organisations and the deals they have secured and the products and collaborations which have launched. And they’re not afraid to say it.
They all share the common aim of wanting to show how far museum and heritage brands can push the boundaries of licensing and compete with larger entertainment brands. As one pointed out, innovation is key in taking the customer on the brand journey with you – and innovation is something with this category has in spades.
Meanwhile, the licensees we spoke to were just as effusive as they discussed the successes they have enjoyed over the past 12 months and what’s to come in 2025.
We also caught up with the team at the Van Gogh Museum, as they discuss how sharing the brand’s values and compelling storytelling – with a dash of the unexpected – remain at the heart of every collaboration; while Habitat and Morris & Co explain more on what makes their partnership so successful.
We hope you enjoy the issue – please do share your feedback with the team; we’d love to hear from you.
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