BLE Creative Corner with… Dreamtex’s Corinne Duckworth

Corinne, it’s great to catch up. To kick us off, what fuels your creativity? What helps you have ideas?
Diving into successful marketing campaigns always gives me an energy boost and sparks new ideas by showcasing how creative minds push boundaries. Keeping up with the latest trends is also crucial for staying relevant and innovative.

Whether it’s through social media or industry news, understanding what’s current both helps align our ideas and helps us create new content. Also engaging in conversations with my peers is a major source of inspiration. Whether we are brainstorming or just chatting casually, exchanging thoughts and perspectives always leads to exciting ideas. It’s amazing what a great conversation can unlock!

Absolutely. Now, BLE is coming up next month. Do you feel going to the show is a good means of fuelling creativity and having ideas?
BLE is a catalyst for fuelling new ideas, sparking new collaborations and building on already successful partnerships. Through meetings, mid-walking chats or just coffee and catch ups, the networking worth is unmatched in my opinion. We are very excited for this year’s BLE; our diary is already filling up!

“BLE is a catalyst for fuelling new ideas, sparking new collaborations and building on successful partnerships.”

Good to hear! Can you tell us about a recent launch you were involved in that you feel is an especially creative use of the licensed brand?
One recent launch that stands out for its creative use of the licensed brand is the Bluey Halloween campaign in 2023. This was a new venture for us and we aimed to make a big impact in the market.

With a combined team of Dreamtex, Elmer Marketing and BBC Studios, we executed a micro-influencer campaign of 10 creators who produced engaging and interactive content, driving traffic to Asda stores. It was especially significant because it was our largest campaign for a completely new category of seasonal home décor.

The response was incredible, with people on social media filming themselves searching for the FSDUs in Asda stores just to get their hands on the Halloween-themed products. We were thrilled by the demand and have already planned a similar project for 2024. We can’t wait to launch it into the market soon!

We’ll keep our eyes peeled for that! Now, can you tell us about a launch you’ve seen – but weren’t involved in – that you feel is a creative brand extension?
I was blown away by the entire marketing campaign for the Barbie film and the incredible brand partnerships it sparked. One standout example is the pink Barbie-cue sauce. This was such an innovative and creative brand extension, executed simply yet leaving a memorable, lasting impact. The way they integrated the iconic Barbie aesthetic into a fun and unexpected product was truly impressive.

Good pick. Last question! What’s the key to successful creative collaborations between licensors, licensees and retailers?
There are many ways which we’ve found smooth collaborations between licensors, licensees and retailers. I would say the main one would be communication between all parties involved and having a shared vision of the end goal of the project… Having a unified goal – whether its product awareness, brand awareness or even awareness of national holidays – is key for alignment.

Communication of the strategic launch of the project is so important to the success of the collaboration. This can be executed through collaborative meetings, updates on timings and cross content sharing. Additionally creating synergy across all relevant platforms helps to deliver a seamless campaign and ensures that every piece of content is maximising its potential of success.

Thanks again Corinne – see you at BLE!

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