The Brand Radar: Wild in Art, Shaun the Sheep and the exciting world of licensed experiences

A category of licensing that has made dramatic progress over recent years – and is now very much on the licensing radar – is that of live events, exhibitions, experiences and productions.

Live events have always been part of licensing, with long term examples being the likes of stage productions of The Snowman and Brainiac Live, while Rainbow Productions have been a standard bearer in live events with their proactive management of costume characters. In more recent times, there have been a broader range of players and activations coming to the market. We have pulled together a selection of recent and ongoing examples from the sector to give a flavour of this dynamic part of the licensing market…

“Exhibitions offer IP owners great scope to unlock their archives and create a calendar of events to build other activity around.”

Rebellion Publishing own an archive of British comics, The Treasury of British Comics. It’s a comprehensive, rich archive and Rebellion focus on bringing these classic comics to readers through a proactive publishing programme that blends reprints with original publishing. They are also alive to other ways of activating the archive and allowing consumers the chance to experience it. With this approach in mind, they have recently co-curated an exhibition called ‘Into Battle – The Art of British War Comics’ with the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum. The exhibition showcases original artwork from comics such as Charley’s War and Battle. The exhibition also gives the backstory to many of the comics, their creators and the context in which the comics were published. The exhibition opened in October and runs to the end of April. It’s been well received, and attendance numbers have been good.

Rebellion and The Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum plan to tour the exhibition. There is an established model in the heritage sector where museums hire in exhibitions from other museums, not least as they know the exhibition has had success and is road tested. Exhibitions like this also act as a focal point for other activities, such as talks from creators, editorial features and – in the case of Rebellion – related publishing initiatives. Of course, there are also retail opportunities around event specific merchandise but also existing products… The Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum have been selling a number of Rebellion’s war comic books.

“Theatres have recognised that branded content can help them reach non-traditional audiences.”

Exhibitions offer IP owners great scope to unlock their archives and create a calendar of events to build other activity around. This is particularly attractive against the backdrop of a fast-changing media marketplace. Exhibitions can become brand highlights – and can also become part of a brand’s forward plans. Other IP owners, like Aardman, have become very adept at curating and touring exhibitions.

Recently they have been working with London’s Cartoon Museum on a Wallace & Gromit exhibition which includes production sketches, props and interviews with the creative team. Exhibitions can also work on a global scale, as the ‘Elvis – Direct from Graceland’ exhibition currently at London Bridge shows. They can also become the centrepiece of anniversaries, as the Disney 100 Exhibition currently showing at The O2 in London demonstrates.

Another success story in the sector is Wild in Art. Wild in Art have pioneered the concept of public art trails featuring licensed characters, creating trails based around a series of sculptures that are installed in public spaces. The sculptures are decorated individually by artists or other creative partners and the trails are generally located in city centres or locations like National Trust properties. They have recently launched two new trails featuring licensed brands. The SmileyWorld Art trail was launched in London at Easter. The trail is located at Battersea Power Station and features 15 “positivity -spreading” emoticon sculptures, located around the riverside area that Battersea Power Station occupies.

The other recent launch for Wild in Art features Shaun the Sheep. 12 colourful Shaun the Sheep sculptures have been located around the grounds at Tatton Park. These trails bring visitors into the host locations and deliver health benefits for visitors as they walk around the trails. The trails are also a hub for creativity as the sculptures are decorated by artists – in many cases, they give artists a welcome showcase for their work. Of course, for the brand owners they have created a new way of connecting with consumers and create retail opportunities on site and in the local area. Locations like Tatton Park buy in products from existing licensees and in some cases, trail specific merchandise will also be created.

Wild in Art have found a successful formula for delivering successful trails; not least as they have been able to create effective partnerships between brand owners, locations and creators. From time to time the trails also involve charities who use them for fundraising – with companies sponsoring the sculptures, which are then auctioned off at the conclusion of the trail. Wild in Art have shown that it is possible to create new experiential ‘products’ and that there’s an appetite for well-known IP to be developed in fresh ways in the live space. Wild in Art’s success should encourage IP owners and production companies that there is scope to deliver new and original experiences.

Returning to the Museum sector, it has been interesting to see how museums have recognised that branded content can give them a fresh way of bringing in audiences. A good example of this can be found at The Story Museum in Oxford. They have announced plans to open an Elmer-branded storytelling space in the Museum. The spark behind this is Elmer’s 35th anniversary which is being celebrated this year. In addition to the storytelling space, the Museum is hosting an Elmer Day on May 25th which will include storytelling sessions.

Another interesting example of live events developed from the publishing sector is celebrated illustrator Nick Sharratt’s Drawalong. This event features Sharratt showing how to draw a number of well-known characters that he’s illustrated in his career, including the likes of Tracy Beaker. He has written and illustrated over 300 books and is highly respected. The event is one bought in by venues; a really good example of how events can be created in different ways.

As noted in the introduction to this article, Rainbow Productions have been a leading light in the licensed events category. Rainbow design, develop and manufacture costume characters and a large part of their focus is on licensed character costumes. They generally operate these under license from the brand owners. In turn, they market the characters and costumes to the leisure sector to create events out of costume visits. Locations such as farm attractions, theme parks and play parks book costumes which then they market as ‘meet and greet’ opportunities. These appearances are promoted by the host venues and create footfall for them.

Over the years Rainbow Productions have finessed their model and now help create bespoke events for partners, plus supply operators like Butlins with costumes that are used in stage shows. Companies like Butlins use a range of branded content to build their leisure offer and the holiday sector is an area of growth for licensing.

It’s also worth noting how theme park operators such as Paulton’s Park have used IP such as Peppa Pig to create themed attractions and the positive impact developments like this have had for them. Likewise, IP has been used to create rides at theme parks – a good example being Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s ongoing use of Wallace & Gromit in their Thrill-o-Matic ride.

Theatre shows are another area where licensing is making an impact. Looking at recent listings for a regional theatre like Richmond Theatre give some insight into the variety of productions that are in the market that have been developed from licensed content or with a brand approach. Richmond Theatre has hosted Milkshake Live based on the Channel 5 programming block; a theatre show based on the board game Cluedo; a live version of the hit TV comedy series Drop the Dead Donkey and a couple of celebrity driven ‘Evening With’ style events featuring Professor Brian Cox and TV vet Noel Fitzpatrick.

Theatres have recognised that branded content can help them reach non-traditional audiences and create marketing momentum for them. Appearing in the theatre is a way of brands extending their reach and also creates a new way to deliver content.

Another dynamic in the world of theatre is the use of well-known IP in music concerts. Paddington in Concert is on tour, offering people the chance to watch the Paddington film accompanied by an orchestra playing the score. It’s also interesting to see media owners such as Radio 2 develop live tours. DJ Gary Davies is currently hosting a live tour centred on the ‘Sound of the 80s’, based on his Radio Two show. There are specialist operators in this space such as Carrot Productions who work with brands such as Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and the Amazing Maurice to create music shows. They have also partnered with Anderson Entertainment to create the show Stand By For Action which celebrates the music and characters of Gerry Anderson including cult hits like Thunderbirds and Space 1999.

New technology has also created new opportunities for licensed content in the experiential category. This is seen to good effect in categories such as escape rooms and themed experiences. Hasbro’s Monopoly Live, which operates in London’s West End, is a great example of how new technology and design have helped Hasbro bring their classic board game alive. Likewise, in the escape room sector, branded content is making a great impact. Brands like Wallace & Gromit now have a strong presence in the category. As the category matured and becomes more competitive, themed content developed with well-known brands can help operators stand out in the market and achieve a competitive edge.

There have also been some novel developments in the space which have shown how licensed content can work outside the norm, providing a creative solution to operators seeking an original approach in a competitive sector. Brigit’s Bakery operate themed bus tours in London which have included Paddington and Peppa Pig. These tours –hosted on traditional London double decker buses – allow passengers to sample a themed afternoon tea based around their chosen character.

Sticking with tourism, the Terrible Thames boat tour themed around the Horrible Histories book series appears to be a great success and is set to run again this year. It has added a new dynamic to Thames sightseeing boat trips and help stir up a rather traditional tour format.

Another example of a branded approach adding a new dimension to a leisure format is the Bear Grylls Adventure in Birmingham. Set indoors and outdoors at the NEC, this adventure centre leans on Bear Grylls reputation and spirit of adventure to create a product that is differentiated from the competition. One of the key advantages of leisure operators using branded content to create their products is that it brings an audience with it – and also a plentiful supply of content for their marketing activities. This latter point is particularly valuable in the digital marketing space.

It will be interesting to see what new developments are unveiled in the experiential market this year… There are sure to be a number of new developments as it’s clear this is a category of business that’s firmly on brand owners’ radars, while leisure operators have ample evidence to refer to these days that demonstrates that licensing works well in the live sector.