‘Competition to gain the best exposure is very hard; brand owners have to change their approach’.
The UK licensing sector is in pretty rude health at the moment, but how much is this replicated in other countries?
All this week, The Source will be checking out the landscape of some key overseas territories with the help of some experts, and discovering that there are some challenges – and properties – which are universal, regardless of location.
Today: Spain
One of the biggest trends in the Spanish marketplace is female empowerment, according to Antonella Ceraso, country manager at Planeta Junior Spain.
“Traditional female characters like princesses – that are still attractive to the target market – are now facing competition from powerful female characters with a proactive attitude,” she says.
Antonella believes the Spanish licensing market was pretty stable in 2016, with Miraculous: Ladybug being a big hit. Indeed, Antonella thinks it will become licence of the year.
Again, though, the common theme of lack of space – both on TV and on retail shelves – is an issue.
“Competition to gain the best exposure is very hard,” she adds. “Brand owners have to change their approach to the market, being able to offer continuity and a 360 degree service, as well as being able to provide effective differentiation to all the players: TV, retail and consumers.”
While Antonella sees the market for licensed products continuing to grow, she says the offer has to be “adequate to expectations”.
She concludes: “In times of crisis, licensing is still able to bring value to products and help build differentiation between your product and the competition.”
This feature originally appeared in the summer 2017 edition of Licensing Source Book. Click here to read the full publication.
Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter.
