Agency on board to represent Brown & Friends character brand across EMEA.
Line Friends has appointed CPLG as licensing agent across EMEA for its global character brand, Brown & Friends.
The brand – including characters such as Brown, Cony and Sally – was originally created for use as stickers for mobile messenger application LINE and its 200 million active worldwide users.
Since it was first showcased in 2011, it has gone on to collaborate with a number of big names including LAMY, Brompton and L’Occitane.
CPLG is now aiming to develop a licensing programme for Brown & Friends targeting tweens, teens and young adults, with a focus on fashion, accessories, gifting and stationery.
“We have been following LINE FRIENDS for a number of years and are thrilled to be working with the brand,” said Steve Manners, evp at CPLG. “Their iconic characters appeal to a wide audience, transcending language, age and culture, which gives us enormous opportunity to develop long-term licensing programmes.
“We are already seeing demand for these characters at retail and are excited to showcase them to the industry at Brand Licensing Europe next week.”
LINE FRIENDS also operates its own store network, with 113 stores globally in a total of 11 markets worldwide including Seoul, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai. It has also expanded its portfolio to feature a wide range of character products, animations and mobile games, along with cafés, hotels and theme parks around the world.
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