Asembl Brands’ Justin Watson discusses opportunities for 2025 such as innovating entire categories and connecting with Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Licensors and agents based outside the UK share their takeaways from 2024 and their goals for 2025, the challenges affecting the licensing industry and the opportunities waiting to be seized, plus the one word they’d use to sum up business in the year just gone and the one we’re in now.
Today: Australia: Justin Watson, md and co-founder, Asembl Brands.
“Asembl performed well in 2024. Growth in FMCG/CPG categories continued, driven by impactful campaigns with clients like Perfetti Van Melle and Chupa Chups. We also took on the global management of sportswear brand Rip Curl, focusing on key strategic categories and collaborations which will begin launching in 2025.
This year, we will be deepening our relationships with clients and increasing collaboration with other businesses within the Merchantwise Group. For example, we are working with our gaming and entertainment licensing agency, Merchantwise, to strategically develop FMCG/CPG categories for some of their clients, and will be launching multiple FMCG/CPG categories for Minecraft in 2025.
Challenges for both clients and licensed partners include rising ingredient costs. However, consumers are still willing to invest in products that deliver exceptional functionality, value and experiences. This presents a great opportunity for product teams to innovate entire categories.
Finally, Gen Z and Gen Alpha also represent opportunities, with licensed brand extensions and collabs offering authentic ways for brands to connect with these audiences.
My word for 2024 is focus, and for 2025, transformative.”
This feature originally appeared in the spring 2025 edition of Licensing Source Book. To read the full publication, click on this link.
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