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Cinnabon (Focus Brands)
The Cinnabon brand continues to grow through partnerships with CPG, Foodservice, and eCommerce leaders to deliver new product experiences to consumers. The brand is now up to more than 45 partnerships and over 85 SKUs, giving fans a taste of the iconic brand in over 85,000 points of distribution across channels nationwide. There is not another licensed brand in the industry that can compare to the reach, channel penetration, and innovation that this brand has been able to achieve overall. In 2023, the licensing business continued to grow with nine new launches in both retail and foodservice, including Ghost x Cinnabon Protein Powder (Vegan + Whey), Taco Bell Cinnabon Delights Coffee, Four Conagra launches (Duncan Hines, Mrs. Butterworths, Orville Redenbacher, and Snack Pack), ZURU Mini Brands & Snackle, and 7Eleven – Cinnabon Donuts.
Coca-Cola – The Coca-Cola Company
In 2023, Coca-Cola Global Licensing broadened its worldwide scope by orchestrating innovative collaborations and extraordinary product launches synched to support new beverage releases, musical milestones, and high-profile sporting events. Forging strategic partnerships with leading trendsetters, Coca-Cola showcased distinct products, captivating consumers around the globe. Partners included AMBUSH, RealMe, BAPE, Highsnobiety, Brixton, Cooluli, Meile, Stoney Clover Lane, and Lucky. Impressions reached 1.5 billion for licensed merchandise supporting Coca-Cola brands, Sprite, Fanta, and Topo Chico.
A key success was AMBUSH, a Japanese premium streetwear brand founded by Yoon Ahn and her husband, rapper and artist Verbal, known for their distinctive styles that blur lines between high fashion and streetwear. AMBUSH created a limited-edition collection of apparel and accessories inspired by the future to support Coca-Cola Y3000 Zero Sugar, a new futuristic beverage created with human and artificial intelligence. The collection showcased Ahn’s imagination and sleek designs to offer a taste of fashion’s future. Extensive coverage of the launch included features in WWD, Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, NYLON, I-D Magazine, and Hypebae.
Entenmann’s – Bimbo Bakeries USA (Brand Central)
Bimbo Bakeries USA, owner of the beloved American bakery brand Entenmann’s, celebrated its 125th birthday this year! As part of the celebration, Bimbo’s exclusive licensing agency Brand Central secured several exciting new licensed products. In May, Sorrisa Group Inc. launched a line of ice cream sandwiches in six delicious flavors that were available exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide. The tsunami of buzz generated over 1.6 billion media impressions, and the products were featured on the Today Show! Over four million ice cream sandwiches were consumed in 2023, and that includes only eight months of sales in Walmart, our exclusive retailer. In July, Golden West Food Group launched Refrigerated Ready-to-Bake Cookie Dough at more than 2,000 stores nationwide in four nostalgic flavors. This program created over one billion media impressions for the brand. These new partnerships have significantly energized the brand and built relevance for the next generation of Entenmann’s fans.
M&M’S – Mars Wrigley (Brand Central)
Mars Wrigley’s M&M’S has continued to grow into a significant licensing program! The merchandise program includes on-trend home decor, cosmetics, and collectibles. The food and beverage program launched new SKUs in 2023. Mars has partnered with leading CPG companies and other licensees for products such as cookies, baked goods, and snacks. 2023 was a blockbuster year for the program with notable launches including M&M’S x Brownie Brittle, M&M’S Hot Chocolate Balls, M&M’S Edible Cookie Dough, M&M’S x CakeBites baked goods, M&M’S Ground Coffee.
PEEPS – Just Born Quality Confections (Brand Activation Consulting)
The Easter icon, supported by over 66 billion media impressions, PEEPS Brand 2023 licensed product sales grew by over 70%, resulting in the brand’s 9th straight year of growth. The licensing program focuses on PEEPS iconic Chicks and Bunnies with a wide breadth of product, including plush, novelties, apparel, accessories, HBA, pet, CPG, and gifting. PEEPS also attracts premium collaborations, including 2023 partnerships with Pepsi, Kellogg’s, Sally Hansen, Katy Perry, MGA’s L.O.L Surprise, and Zuru’s Five Surprise to name just a few. PEEPS licensed products are sold in over 110,000 retail doors from specialty to mass and often garner dedicated, non-food statements. As an example, in 2023, Walmart support continued to grow with more than 138 licensed products across 11 departments, an eight-foot section plus promotional space, and a marketing take-over of Walmart.com.
Stranger Things Scoops Ahoy – Netflix
Netflix brought back Scoops Ahoy, from Stranger Things Season 3, to turn fans’ taste buds upside down. From the flavor inspiration to marketing, we reimmersed fans into the world of Stranger Things during a non-content year.
We launched unique product formats and tailored marketing campaigns to bring Scoops Ahoy to life across the globe while reflecting the cultural nuances of each locale. In the U.S., seven ice cream pints inspired by fan-favorite characters/scenes were launched at 3,500 Walmart stores. Brazil’s Bacio di Latte introduced a new gelato flavor and five new menu items. An ice cream truck toured 10 U.K. locations. Italy’s La Romana range sold two tons of ice cream.
