Manufacturers and marketers of consumer electronics accessories are taking on a broadening array of licenses in an effort to squeeze into specific distribution channels with brands and gear that are increasingly central to consumers’ lifestyles.

It’s apparent that products such as headphones, earbuds, cellphone cases and other accessories have morphed into fashion statements. That was in full evidence at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show, where one could see such things as Pantone’s color schemes adopted for headphones and ear buds, the Skechers brand applied to headphones that incorporated Skechers’ memory foam, Isaac Mizrahi’s apparel designs transferred to cellphone covers, chargers and other accessories, and the U.S. Army brand moving into wireless gaming headphones.

“For many consumers not looking to spend hundreds of dollars on top-of-the line headphones, buying a product from a brand they know and trust, and one that relates closely to an active lifestyle, makes sense,” says Skechers’ Steven Mandel. When consumers are seeking lower priced ear buds or headphones for use in the gym, “there is a natural gravitation to toward brand names that are known, understood and trusted.”

Licensees taking on these properties (often several at a time) are driven by a variety of strategic imperatives. But they mostly come back to the same objective: Mining a slice of this lifestyle market that will gain them distribution in a channel in which they otherwise might have trouble even getting an appointment with a buyer. For example, when ESI launched Gold’s Gym headphones, ear bud and other items, it gained ready-made placement at Gold’s Gym locations. And for Sakar, which is launching Margaritaville and Landshark waterproof Bluetooth-equipped speakers in the form of string lights, Frisbees, lanterns, coolers and ice buckets, the target also will be surf shops where its products aren’t typically carried, but which do sell products under Jimmy Buffet’s brands, says Sakar’s Liza Abrams.

Similarly, MiWorld Accessories is aiming its Isaac Mizrahi products at department stores that carry the designer’s fashion lines.

As always, retailers are also looking to differentiate themselves. “The retailers are asking for something different and they are also driving” demand for licensed brands, says Beanstalk’s Linda Morgenstern, whose firm represents Energizer and Travelocity for CE accessories. “These are all, for the most part, made in a lot of the same factories in China or elsewhere, so it is question of how do you differentiate these products; one of the ways you do that is with a licensed brand. Not all of these will get shelf space, but at least a brand might get you a line review” with a retailer.

It’s a strategic imperative that requires a disciplined approach. “What we are trying to do is fill different pockets of opportunity and there definitely are enough different demographics to allow the various brands to play of the same shelf,” says Sakar’s Abrams. But at the same time, Sakar is more cautious with its CE accessories targeting adults. While it may have licenses for 40 entertainment brands for children, it has 2-3 for adults.

“It is not like entertainment brands, where in many cases you have to get in out of product quickly,” says Abrams. “Many of the adult brands have been around a long time and we are looking to be long-term partners.”

As noted earlier, consumer attraction to the brands also is being driven by lifestyle positioning. With smartphones being central to many consumers lives, adding a cellphone cover, headphones or charger with a certain design or brand is a fashion statement, says MiWorld Accessories’ Judah Uziel. Indeed, Sakar’s Elle Magazine brand products play into the fashion aspect with product names like “All About the Ears” headphones and designs that have cosmetic mirrors and lipstick containers doubling as power banks for charging cellphones.

“The smartphone has become a fashion accessory much like the handbag, where brands are very important, so it only stands to reason that applying a fashion label to (consumer electronics) accessories will add personalization that signals a consumer’s tastes or interests,” says Uziel.

In the case of the Elle, the decision to expand broadly into consumer electronics – it has been licensed for cellphone cases in Europe – was an extension of efforts in the Far East to position Elle as lifestyle brand with millennials and Gen Z consumers via such ventures as cafés and hair salons, says Eva Platini-Hernandez, who heads Americas licensing for Lagardere-Active.

“Many consumers now have grown up with social media and technology is part of their daily routine,” says Platini-Hernandez. “The goal is to be present with the consumer throughout their day and the way you do that now is through products and services” such as consumer electronics accessories.

For licensors, the introduction of the brand in a high-profile category like consumer electronics may also pique consumer interest in their core products.

“It’s not only that a customer who loves our footwear will be more inclined to buy headphones, but it’s also that a customer who has a positive experience with Skechers headphones may be more likely to buy more of our footwear,” says Mandel.

Contacts:

Beanstalk, Linda Morgenstern, VP Brand Management,

CJ Global, Coby Cohen, CEO, 646-415-9056, coby@shopcjglobal.com

ESI Cases and Accessories, Mark Weinberger, EVP, 973-586-0055, markw@esicellular.com

Lagardere/Hearst, Eva Platini-Hernandez, Head of Licensing Americas, 212-649-7252, eva.platini@lagardere-active.com

MiWorld Accessories, Judah Uziel, VP, 212-889-1012 x221, Judah@mwa-nyc

Sakar International, Liza Abrams, SVP Global Licensing and Marketing, 732-248-1090 x337, labrams@sakar.com

Skechers, Steven Mandel, VP Global Brand Licensing, 310-406-0115, smandel@skechers.com