The British Museum’s Craig Bendle reveals why now is the right time to debut at BLE

Mr. Bendle! Please introduce yourself… Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Craig Bendle – and I have the privilege of heading up the brand licensing programme at the British Museum.

As simple and august as that – thank you! Tell me a little about the British Museum…
Well, if I can bookend our history with two facts… The British Museum was founded in 1753. It was also the first national public museum in the world. Now, more than 250 years on, we’re officially the UK’s most visited tourist attraction. Last year, we had almost six million curious minds through our doors – and many thousands more engage with our brand and collection through our website. So it’s a huge, highly engaged and ever-growing global audience; one that’s thirsty for knowledge and stories from the Museum’s collection, which tells the story of the entirety of human history.

“The entirety of human history…” When you put it like that, we have a lot of ground to cover. Ha! And I understand this is the first year that the British Museum has exhibited at Brand Licensing Europe…
Yes, we’re very excited about our BLE debut! The show provides us with a unique platform to raise awareness of the Museum, its collection and – importantly – the evolution of our licensing programme which first launched in 2015.

And why is now the right time?
I think that, after many years of organic growth and experimentation, we’re in a position where we have in-depth market knowledge of our business – and the direction in which we want to travel commercially. We’ve been afforded the time to build strong foundations: now they allow us now to push boundaries. This is most evident in our Bastet AKA Cute Cat licensing programme, based on the world-famous bronze Gayer-Anderson Cat from the Egyptian collection.

I’ll put a picture of that in here, Craig, just so people know what we’re talking about…
Please do! This is already a huge success in our on-site shops in London as well as in China… The programme underlines our global ambition to enter the character licensing space, which we think is a first for any museum. External factors obviously have a role to play too. Dare I say the dreaded c word – Covid?!

If you must!
Ha! Well, Covid undoubtedly changed our thought processes regarding the importance of licensing as a source of funding for the Museum’s educational and outreach work, as well as contributing to the care of the Museum’s world-renowned collection of objects. Additionally, I’d say now is a great time to forge new space in the licensing world, with entertainment brands becoming perhaps a little less dominant – and more retail space being given over to ‘other’ brands. That’s really helping our cause.

Great answer. Thank you, Craig. And for what kind of partners are you looking?
We’re looking for partners who want to create products that tell a story and truly engage their fan base. The Museum can add so much value to product ranges, making a real difference on the shelf and at the till. So collaboration partners would be open to foregrounding the narrative of an inspirational object, or even the Museum itself. We’re extremely passionate about the work we do, and more broadly the Museum’s mission to be a museum of the world, for the world… We’re really excited by those who share that energy into potential projects.

So who should reach out to you?
Our door is open to any partner who’s inspired by storytelling, creativity and collaboration. You’ll be looking for a commercial partner who’ll work tirelessly to make our project a success, who can bring a huge variety of assets to bear on the project, finding unique creative solutions to reach and resonate with your target markets.

Excellent! What’s the best way to do that?
Come and say hello at the show; we’d love to chat. Our stand number is C250 and appointments can be booked in advance through the BLE portal. Alternatively, just reach out directly to [email protected]. If we don’t catch up at BLE, let’s meet at the Museum and get inspired!

And I almost daren’t ask this: of the many artefacts in the British Museum, how many are available for licensing?
Over 8 million, in fact! And most of that vast collection of objects, spanning the earliest human history to the present day, can be harnessed for licensing in an infinite number of ways. Of course, such a large collection needs navigating, which is what we’re here for…

Well, tell me about that! Where do you start, Craig?
We’ve created a selection of around 1200 beautiful artefacts from across the Museum’s collections as the first port of call for licensees. Our current focus is working with partners to develop narratives around the most popular items in our collection. This includes Bastet, of course; based on the world famous bronze Gayer-Anderson Cat from the Egyptian collection, along with other famous objects ranging from The Discobolus, Hokusai’s Great Wave and the Rosetta Stone.

The Rosetta Stone! Amazing. So what’s the process you have for developing ideas? Walk me through it!
Great question, because creativity and the act of creation lies at the heart of licensing and is the thing that consumers respond to. We come at it from several angles. Of course, all collaborations come from conversations. The key for us here is to be open and to listen. The huge advantage of our very broad and deep collection is that we can solve design problems or fill gaps for partners on almost all occasions.

And can you give me an example of how that might work?
What if you needed – say – inspirational ideas that relate to cycling? We’ve got you covered with some excellent Victorian prints. Wanting ideas for games and gaming? Why not look at our extensive collection of games – be they senet from ancient Egypt, snakes and ladders from India, or chess from the Isle of Lewis! Or the gaming industry might want to look at our collection of militaria from across the world… Fashion that reflects future trends? We hold the national collection of prints and drawings to inspire your creative teams.

Gosh. Yes. Your scope is enormous…
Meanwhile, we invest in a lot of ongoing creative design work ourselves, with a third-party design studio – the excellent Skew Studios. The aim of this work is to explore creative interpretations of objects in ways that are highly commercial and that celebrate the objects in new and innovative ways. This work can then inform our conversations with potential and existing partners. Finally, the absolute privilege of walking through the galleries and exhibitions in the Museum itself is an ideas generator in and of itself. I’m constantly finding new objects, finding new ways of seeing and being inspired by new ways of thinking in the Museum.

And on that point, how important is creativity to you?
It’s fundamental to being a successful commercial partner – and to me personally. Creativity allows us to bring historical pieces to life, making them relevant and accessible to modern audiences. It’s about telling a story, evoking emotions, and fostering a deeper connection between the past and the present. By being creative, we can inspire curiosity, encourage exploration, and ensure that the cultural and historical significance of our collection resonates with diverse audiences.

We also need to be creative in how we use objects, given the importance of sensitivity when licensing in the museum space. We’re lucky that we have so much choice within our collection with which to be creative. That comes with the responsibility of ensuring we’re showcasing the heritage it represents in a way that’s both respectful and engaging – particularly to audiences that are new to the Museum.

How did you come to be doing what you doing, Craig?
A long and winding road… Dare I say “Journey”? My first degree was an Honours in Archaeology from Sydney University. However, my career ended up moving into the cultural commercial side with an MBA and a range of business experiences in the cultural, tourism and hospitality sectors. To now work at the British Museum, where much of what I studied is housed, is like a spiritual homecoming. I’m privileged to work with a deep sense of mission, of reaching out the collection to the world in the innovative way of licensing as well as helping the Museum continue its work.

A very passionate answer. Thank you. We need to start wrapping this up, but let me ask you this: what’s the one question I could’ve asked you today that I didn’t?
Hmmm. What’s your favourite object?

And what’s the answer?
Ouch… Now that’s tricky one…

Well, wait a minute! You make it sound like it’s my fault!
No, I know! Why did I ask myself that?! There are so many incredible objects… Okay, well I’ve asked that for today, so it’d have to be the Gayer Anderson Cat. It’s stunningly beautiful in so many ways. But also fascinating! When you come to see it, you can see some photography of the x-ray work that’s been carried out on it… So you can see how it was actually created around 2,500 years ago. But ask me tomorrow and it’ll be a different answer!

Amazing! Well, look… I won’t ask you again tomorrow – but I will ask when I see you at BLE! In the meanwhile, thank you for your time.