BLE Creative Corner with… Little Brother Books’ Matthew Reynolds

Thanks for doing this Matthew. To kick us off, what fuels your creativity? What helps you have ideas?
My kids – and the kids of our company team – are a big influence on us! But ideas literally come from anywhere nowadays… Talking to industry friends, spotting things in day-to-day life, talking to family and friends, watching the media and digital world with a keen eye, and so on!

Can you tell us about a recent launch you were involved in that you feel is an especially creative use of a licensed brand?
We wanted bring ‘newness’ to the education books category. Traditionally, education books that are school’s curriculum content are generic – kids find them boring and dull to do. We wanted to introduce well known licensed characters to make learning more fun for kids, while still bringing in the school’s curriculum content that parents want and trust… This is where our partnership with Purple Mash came in. They are the UK’s leading online digital learning platform that over 6,500 schools subscribe to. They write the school’s curriculum content for our education range and our amazing licensors add the fun.

Can you tell us about a launch you’ve seen – but wasn’t involved in – that you feel is a creative brand extension?
Wow! Stuff are one of the most creative companies I know. They think about brands and their customers and then creative ‘Wow’ products that customers love – and that perfectly fit the brands they represent. For example, their Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Nano Pods ranges… Another new company on the block that is also looking creatively how they can work with big brands is Toy Topic. They have to think creatively to find opportunities in a ‘cluttered’ product portfolio for these mega brands, such as their new Cubez range.

What’s the key to successful creative collaborations between licensors and licensees?
Both sides understanding each other in an open and honest partnership. Firstly, licensees need to fully understand the brand DNA, target market and brand strategy, so they can see how it fits with their products and categories. Then vice versa, the brand owner needs to understand each category and how they might fit their brand into it.

Finally, BLE is on the horizon. Is attending BLE is a good means of fuelling creativity?
Yes, absolutely. BLE is a great environment for discussing ideas, fresh brands, new brand plans and strategies. But most of all, simply being a ‘sponge’ and absorbing everything you see and hear from everything around you!

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