License Global’s Ben Roberts on creativity, authenticity – and getting inspired at BLE

Ben, it’s great to chat. Finally, a proper journalist on Brands Untapped! To kick us off, how do you assess the state of creativity in licensing today? Are we in a good place?
We’re in a good spot for creativity, that much is evident in what we’re seeing at License Global. It’s the age-old argument of change driving creativity, or creativity driving change… But I always harken back to the “logo slapping” phase of merchandise and licensing’s bygone era and use that to create meaning by comparison. We’re seeing the collaborations, products and ranges become much more subtle, fan-driven and connected to consumers’ lives. It’s authentic, which is an overused term in the market but nonetheless true.

That authenticity and reasoning behind the creativity is also connected to more than just products, with the rapid rise of experiences in the creative evolution of brand licensing. LBE moments like Monopoly Lifesized or Kew Gardens’ ‘Horrible Science’ experience each cater to different audiences and bring something different to the market for families, friends or the generations more connected to experiences.

Nice examples. Do any other recent launches come to mind that you feel are especially good examples of creative brand extensions?
How long do you have? I’m especially fond of watching nostalgia properties and long-standing franchises and characters continue to embrace established fan-bases. The best examples I’ve seen are in the apparel and footwear market, with Ghostbusters boots by Sony Pictures, the Gotham work coat by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products and the Pokémon PUMA collaboration that allow us to bring our favourite IP into our everyday identities.

Are there any categories you would point to as being especially ripe with potential for creative extensions?
Entertainment nostalgia properties are particularly interesting. These pop culture moments only really found their audiences in the late Seventies and early Eighties with brands like Transformers, or Dungeons & Dragons, for example. So, we have a first-time case study of how movie, television, toys and gaming nostalgia brands are being kept alive for now grown-up audiences and new fans. These IPs are now ripe intergenerational co-consuming, too, with parents and kids experiencing these brands together.

Then it’s interesting to see how that changes from the significant pop culture moments of the Nineties and Noughties. During that era, Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation changed the video game market, for example, and the huge raft of titles that came from that era are driving huge opportunities in the brand licensing market – as most are still going or being brought back for those established and potential new audiences… Whether that’s Pokémon, Zelda, DOOM, or Tekken.

Fashion (apparel) is consistently top of mind for our survey data of brand owners and agents, with toys, gaming, LBE and footwear standing strong, and health, beauty and home décor becoming increasingly important.

Changing lanes slightly, Linkedin tells me you were a creative director in a previous role.
I was!

Did that experience shape any aspects to how you approach what you do today?
It was my own outfit, so I can’t flex too much. I’ve been an illustrator throughout my career as a hobby, got addicted to graphic design and always had this love for creativity. Anyway, we ended up working on feature-length documentaries, concept designs for hand-crafted boxes with VR viewing packages all the way to magazine upgrades for some amazing clients.

What that experience taught me was that creativity is the interpretation of a need. The result always needs to tick the “needs” and be a functioning solution, but that execution can be layered with so many different elements. In licensing we see that a lot.

The need is to engage fans and create something that, ultimately, people will want to buy. You can create a sweatshirt or jumper with a character on it, or you can think about the nuances of the story within that IP… Bring out something that fans get and rewards them for their loyalty, like Easter eggs, and implement that into some beautiful designs or alternative product.

“We’re seeing the collaborations, products and ranges become more subtle, fan-driven and connected to consumers’ lives.”

How do you typically fuel your creativity? What inspires you?
I love my position at License Global as it allows me to see into the coming months and years through data, not to mention the retrospectives that create the case studies we usually see as best-in-class licensing.

In licensing, we have this giant industry-wide look book of incredible, innovative products from every brand, licensee and retailer you can imagine and that alone is inspiring. Personally, as a journalist, I find speaking with the industry on all levels an absolute must for inspiration, not to mention keeping yourself in the know so you can do your job effectively.

On that, licensing is such a vast space, covering so many industries – and not all those involved even necessarily engage with licensing when it comes to press or the shows. Not every great brand extension makes it into a press release! Do you feel the expansive nature of licensing poses a conundrum for the press? How do you approach accurately reflecting what’s going on?
With brand licensing, everything is not only cross-vertical, but each of the key consumer industries in our market – from fashion to movies, lifestyle, corporate and gaming – have sub-markets, specific consumer personas, cultures and demands. The trends within each of those markets are also dictated primarily by the consumer. So, it’s our job to reflect the primary focus points of consumer activity as it pertains to licensed consumer products. It’s definitely something that keeps us on our toes!

We’re fortunate at License Global to be able to cover that huge swath of global verticals through announcements, of course, but a huge amount of original content that is driven by direct market insight, internal data, proprietary data through our special reports, as well as good old fashioned editorial instinct.

We’re also part of the Global Licensing Group – responsible for Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo, Licensing Unlocked, France Licensing Day and Licensing for Retail Day – so we benefit from insight across global communities. We share the mission of the Global Licensing Group, so we don’t take our position for granted.

Good answer. Ben, this has been great. I have one last question! BLE is coming up. In what ways does attending BLE fuel your creativity?
Brand Licensing Europe usually fuels my creativity for the year. I always come out of it with a lot of ideas to pitch higher-ups for the next six months. I love seeing products in person, getting a first look at new launches and speaking to people about the thought process behind what they do.

Not everyone can get inspired in the same way, so for attendees, there’s a lot that caters to individual preferences. Keynotes that delve into the art of licensing, talks and panels that uncover topics and trends, activations, celebrations and networking… There’s also great access points into the industry now through Licensing Unlocked.

The Global Licensing Group really has tried to build touchpoints for attendees of every level, and I’m really proud to be a small part of a very talented team.

Thanks again Ben. See you at the show.

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