How to get fans and licensees excited about your big brand anniversary
A brand anniversary can be a great opportunity for marketing and licensing. They are a great way to tell your brand’s story to those who already know you, and introduce yourself to those who don’t. They can also be a great way to rekindle a relationship with fans that might not have engaged with your brand for a while. They don’t come around every day, so it is important that you plan ahead and work out the best ways for your brand to make the most out of this special occasion.
One of those ways is a brand licensing initiative. Brand licensing is a partnership between a brand (called a licensor) and another external agency or brand (called a licensee). The Licensor grants permission for the licensee to use their IP. This usually comes in the form of set visual ‘assets’ that can then be applied to create commercial products. Licensor’s will have style guides that will outline what assets are available to use, and how licensees are allowed to use them creatively. Style guides act as a sales tool and creative inspiration as well as guidelines to ensure that the licensor’s brand retains its integrity as others use it. Known to drive growth, brand licensing often makes up a large portion of a brand’s revenue. Disney’s revenue for 2024 was $93.6 billion, and licensing made up 70% of this figure.
Licensing initiatives can be great for a wide range of brands, it’s not just about those with iconic characters. Successful anniversary-based licensing campaigns include The Wombles’ 50th anniversary as well as the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. However different these two events are, they were lucrative moments for both NASA and the creators of The Wombles due to some skilful brand licensing.
We have gathered our top tips for using brand licensing together with an anniversary below.
1. Start early.
First of all, as with any strategy, you will need to start early. Make sure you start the work at least two years ahead of the big date. You will need time to create a strong strategy, some great visual assets and style guides, and time to create a buzz before the actual year you are celebrating.
2. Make sure an anniversary celebration is right for your brand.
Not all audiences that are fans of a brand will be responsive to an anniversary celebration. As an example, LG, the electronics company, has been running since 1958. However, brand licensing their 75th anniversary likely wouldn’t be a wise investment for them. However, the 75th anniversary of Formula 1 would clearly resonate with their audience. So, how do you work out if brand licensing for your anniversary is right for your brand?
- Do you have a long heritage? Is this a 100th, 150th anniversary or more?
- Is your heritage part of what your audience loves about your brand?
- Do you have particular products, a range or characters that regularly become collectable, or is there a known market for them?
- Do you have brand assets, like characters or personalities, that have strong market appeal?
- Have you already had success in licensing your brand?
If you are answering yes to most of these questions, you are likely to have great success in licensing your brand, character or anniversary.
3. Create a licensing strategy unique to the anniversary.
The next step will be to make a clear plan for how you are going to license this moment for your brand. It will be different to your core licensing strategy.
What licensees can you see picking up on this opportunity? The types of products may well be quite different. There are classic items that are more often ‘collectables’. Toys and homewares, more so than fashion, for instance. So, consider that your usual licensees might not be as interested in anniversary assets, but this may open up opportunities with new licensees.
Will you be creating new assets, or do you have some strong core assets that would work well with a small update? (for example, new colour ways for existing patterns or new text for typographic assets). You could also include a new anniversary logo, or add a ‘flash’ to your current logo.
Where will these be sold, with which retailers, and are they predominantly online or physical? With each of these channels, there are storytelling opportunities that are great for anniversaries. Which leads us on to our last point:
4. Build your story.
The reason that anniversaries can be so profitable for brand licensing is because of that additional story that is woven into your brand. Audiences love that sense that they are becoming part of something bigger that has survived the test of time. It builds on a sense of romanticism of the past, respect for long-standing businesses and a love of nostalgia.
So make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to build out your anniversary story.
- Why is this one important?
- What new angles on your brand’s long history can you bring out for this anniversary?
- Are there things that have amazingly remained just the same since your brand’s beginnings?
- Or would you like to celebrate the changes that you have gone through over the years whilst still remaining popular with your audiences?
The important thing to remember is that you will need more than just a big number to make your anniversary resonate with your fans and licensees. As with all licensing, it is all about a strong story.
Do you have a big anniversary coming up? If you would like to talk more about ways you can make the most of it, get in touch with Michelle.