Proudly Presented By
7-Eleven (The Brand Liaison)
The world’s largest retail chain stands as a powerhouse in licensing culture, redefining what a convenience-driven restaurant and food brand can achieve with culturally relevant “merch.” At the cross-section of sports, cars, skate, music, and fashion, 7-Eleven sets itself apart with a unique storytelling ability, translating brand recognition into high-performing licensed partnerships across apparel, golf, footwear, and toys, as well as foods and packaged goods. 7-Eleven licensing and collaborations include Nike, Crocs, BMW, Toyota, Pokemon, Hot Wheels, LEGO, Paramount, Universal, Jurassic World, Super Mario Bros, Breezy Golf, Pacman, Tetris, NFL Players, DGK Skateboards, Overtime, Rolling Loud, Blink 182, South x Southwest, and so many more. These strategic licensing initiatives extend the brand beyond traditional storefronts, creating new revenue streams and expanding market presence at both 7-Eleven stores and traditional retailers. For its collaborations, scalability, and sustained consumer impact, the 7-Eleven Brand exemplifies excellence in licensed restaurant and food branding.
Coca-Cola
Coca‑Cola Licensing delivered a breakthrough year, expanding its global influence through visionary collaborations that connected fashion, culture, music, and brand innovation. By aligning launches with key brand moments and cultural phenomena, the team elevated licensing into a powerful brand‑building engine. Through bold partnerships with world‑class innovators—including Converse, Anti‑Social Social Club, Carmed, Popmart, Snipes, and Uniqlo—Coca‑Cola introduced highly coveted, design‑driven collections that captivated consumers worldwide. These programs generated approximately 55 billion impressions, reinforcing Coca‑Cola as a global lifestyle icon. A standout moment was the limited-edition Diet Coke capsule at 1,994 Target stores, which sold out within weeks and ignited viral excitement. Momentum accelerated on TikTok across TJX, Marshall’s, and HomeGoods as fans hunted for the iconic Diet Coke Ghost figurine. These limited drops fueled a thriving resale market, with items fetching over $1,000, while extensive global press coverage cemented Coca-Cola’s leadership in branded experiences.
Dole (Beanstalk)
Dole, a global leader in fresh produce, has broadened its product range beyond fruits and vegetables to include dye-free hydration mixes; clean, vegan nutritional supplements; classroom-friendly, big nine allergen-free, and vegan fruit snacks; organic lollipops; plant-based pet treats; toys; and vintage ad-inspired apparel. Built on a legacy of quality, trust, and care, these new offerings bring the goodness of nature to life through meaningful partnerships that expand the brand’s reach and relevance. The program is guided by a timeless mission to make the world a healthier place and empower people to live more fulfilling lives.
Hershey (Brand Activation Consulting)
Hershey’s KISSES remains one of the most iconic brands in the U.S., defined by its signature shape, plume, and foil. In 2025, the brand drove strong growth across general merchandise and food, fueled by expanded distribution and inbound partnerships. KISSES delighted consumers during key occasions through partnerships with beloved family franchises, including Peanuts, Harry Potter, Pokémon, and The Grinch. These programs made a major retail impact and helped create new consumer traditions. Partners introduced innovative SKUs across seasonal gifting (Galerie), beauty (Centric Beauty), toys (A1), hydration (ZAK), apparel (Bentex), sleepwear (Komar), and plush and accessories (Dandee), extending year-round reach. KISSES also led Valentine’s Day in general merchandise, with strong performance across gifting, décor, beauty, plush, apparel, and novelty. Retail presence expanded with new SKUs at Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, CVS, and Walgreens.
Mikes Hot Honey (Brandgenuity)
Mike’s Hot Honey®, America’s number one original hot honey brand, delivered a breakout licensing year in 2025, expanding to 15 best-in-class partners and bringing its signature sweet-heat flavor to fans nationwide. Marquee collaborations included Utz (salty snacks), Smithfield (bacon), Tillamook Country Smoker (beef sticks, jerky), AriZona (iced tea), Conagra (frozen meals), Hood (Heluva Good! dip), Bush’s Beans, Blue Diamond (almonds), Century Snacks (candy), Saputo (goat cheese), Rich (frozen seafood), Burt’s Bees (HBA), and more, each delivering bold innovation rooted in the top-trending flavor of Mike’s Hot Honey. Products launched across major retailers including Walmart, Target, Kroger, Albertsons/Safeway, Publix, Ahold, Costco, BJ’s, and Sam’s Club, supported by robust 360-degree marketing that included social, PR, content, events, sampling, and retailer activations. Brandgenuity powered the program’s success by securing strong partners and managing the development of the program.
PEEPS (Brand Activation Consulting)
We’re submitting again—because, when you have the strongest program in the market, persistence is part of the strategy. The PEEPS® licensing program achieves more in a nine-week season than most programs generate all year. As the number one non-chocolate candy brand, with more than two billion units sold annually, PEEPS® is a pop culture powerhouse, generating 90 billion organic media impressions in 2025. The program features the iconic PEEPS® Chicks and Bunnies across plush, novelty toy, apparel, HBA, pet, and CPG, supported by high-profile collaborations with Alex + Ani, Mattel, MGA, and Sanrio. In 2025, general merchandise grew 56% year-over-year, anchored by PEEPS® plush, which drove 12% of total plush category growth in April alone. PEEPS® maintains significant presence across 110,000 retail doors, highlighted by 40 feet of GM licensed product at Walmart, with expanded distribution into Mexico.
Starburst (Brand Central)
Starburst delivered an exceptional year, with licensing momentum across food, beverage, and merchandise. The merchandise program added key partners, including Snuggie and ODD SOX, and expanded to over 65 SKUs, reinforcing Starburst’s leadership in chewy confection and its ability to scale high-impact retail licensing. Through its long-standing partnership with Jel Sert, Starburst remains a top five gelatin and drink stick brand, with drink sticks growing +16% in grocery and +8% in value last year. Starburst also fueled retail innovation—the Frankford Conversation Hearts program helped revitalize the category by pairing a heritage format with a youthful, flavor-forward brand, delivering 52% year-over-year Valentine’s Day 2025 retail sales and an average 87% sell-through across mass, drug, and grocery. In just its second year, the Sparkling Ice x Starburst collaboration proved Starburst’s flavor equity travels, and succeeds, across categories.
Tapatio Hot Sauce (Brand Central)
In 2025, Tapatio drove breakout licensing growth by expanding from hot sauce into a pantry and meal platform that also fueled core product velocity. Innovation came from extending Tapatio’s signature flavor across the aisle with Concord Foods in salsa, sriracha, and chili crisp, plus new condiment offerings, including ketchup and mustard with Morehouse Foods, complementing an established lineup of cooking sauces, mac and cheese, and top-performing ramen. The program also built on long-standing CPG partnerships, including Frito-Lay for Tapatio Doritos and Conagra for Tapatio x BIGS sunflower seeds, while expanding the Nestlé frozen meal program into additional retailers. Marketplace reception was strong, with the licensed assortment expanding at Walmart and nearly doubling in national grocery accounts. Overall, the 2025 program included 22 licensees, validating demand and reinforcing Tapatio as a nationally recognized grocery staple.
Violet Crumble (Asembl Brands)
Through a creative and disciplined licensing program, Violet Crumble expanded well beyond confectionery into beverages, ice cream, protein powders, wellness, bakery, pantry, snacks, and personal care. Anchored by its iconic brand DNA, “It’s The Way It Shatters That Matters,” each extension balanced nostalgia with modern relevance, unlocking new usage occasions and attracting younger consumers. Partnering with 10 licensees, the program delivered authentic, high-impact products across diverse categories. In the past 12 months, brand awareness increased 7% to reach 92% nationally, and core products achieved distribution across more than 8,500 outlets, including Coles, Woolworths, IGA, 7‑Eleven, and HOYTS cinemas. International demand has followed, with brand expansion into North America and Asia. This program exemplifies how innovative licensing can drive commercial success, cultural relevance, and global brand growth.
