75 BUSINESS ADVICE “Having designed kits for The Clangers a few years back, the world of brand licensing wasn’t entirely new to me. However, back then I was only responsible for the product design and had no contact with the agency and knew nothing of the approvals process! Working with The Point.1888 on the ‘technical side’ of licensing has been such a positive experience for me, with help on hand whenever I’ve needed it. It’s been a steep learning curve for sure, but we’re really proud of what we’ve achieved with our beautiful Moomin kits. Jo Lochead, The Crafty Kit Company To contact The Point.1888, email helloyou@thepoint1888.com or visit https://thepoint1888.com Aardman, the creator of Shaun The Sheep, Wallace and Gromit, among many others. Having seen these products and met with The Makerss team, we decided it was a perfect fit for our client Percy the Park Keeper, and a new product range is now in development. So what are the takeaways for you as a small crafting company if you wish to break into brand licensing? The main action is to make your intentions known. Contact brand licensing agencies to let them know about your products and your manufacturing capabilities, as well as your brand values, ethos and sustainable practices. Those last three are really key for brand licensing. Next, be choosy about who you work with. Don’t work with brands whose ethos you don’t agree with, or for terms that don’t support your growth. Furthermore, be prepared for how much work a brand licensing programme could entail and be realistic about what your small business can achieve. Brand licensing can elevate your business to a place far beyond your wildest dreams so long as you have been able to meet all your commitments and maintain strong relationships along the way. Then, with all of that in place, the next step is to be on the hunt for opportunities. The brand licensing press can be a great place to identify new brand licensing programmes in need of licensee partners. On that note, we’ll leave you with one last example of a craft company experiencing success with brand licensing – Sting in the Tail – which is currently working with another of our lovely clients, The Repair Shop. Whether it is a cause or an effect of the surge in popularity for crafting, The Repair Shop is now one of the UK’s best loved television series and has even featured HRH the King! Sting in the Tail is working with the brand to develop a range of gift products, but The Point.1888’s hunt for licensees is not over. We’re seeking partners who can help us to develop products for the target customer demographic of females aged over 50. If you think you would be a good match, get in touch. Your entry into the brand licensing world could happen more quickly than you think. And from our experience, once a business steps in to licensing and collaborations they rarely go back!
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=