The YPNers Guide to a Lifetime in Licensing
It’s pretty common for people in our industry to say that they never planned on a career in licensing. Instead, so many of us stumbled on this incredible community by accident. That’s exactly what happened in my case.
When I graduated from ESCE International Business School and moved from France to Asia to work for the media company FRANCE24, I never imagined I would one day have a hand in all of the steps it takes to create a licensed consumer product program so diverse it encompasses everything from fashion accessories to toys to home décor.
In my time with FRANCE24, I was lucky enough to meet a lot of creative people and gain insight into the many different ways you can tell stories. Eventually, my efforts brought me to the content trade show MIPCOM in Cannes, France, where I connected with the founder of a leading animation studio in the region. I joined his team and started to develop the licensing program for a property he had recently acquired from a Korean illustrator. It was quickly becoming a broadcast and social media phenomenon around the world, and it was my responsibility to help tell the brand’s story on shelves.
It was a challenge that saw me manage more than 15 agents, two master toy licensees, and over 800 SKUs all while balancing the creator’s vision with various (and, thanks to the pandemic, constantly evolving) business challenges.
Recently, after spending two years fully immersed in the world of entertainment licensing, I met with one of the founders of Affective, an innovative licensing and merchandising agency in France. Affective is home to a fantastic collection of sports and heritage brands and I am thrilled to now help these brands develop new licensed products that meet their core values as well as customer demands, increasing brand awareness and generating added revenue.
One of the major challenges we are facing in the global licensing industry is the uncertainty in production costs, which creates price volatility and confusion for retail partners as well as, ultimately, for the end consumers. Another challenge is that, in order to remain relevant at retail, you need to constantly provide new and exciting experiences for consumers. In recent years, many retail buyers have become more inclined to take risks to offer those unique experiences and retain customers from spending only online. But in order to take these risks, there needs to be trust. Strong partnerships with retailers are crucial to navigating these ongoing obstacles.
Ultimately, in the same way that so many of us stumbled across the licensing industry by accident, you will likely find yourself taking on roles you never expected throughout your career. The key is to always focus on your love of brand storytelling, to maintain a customer-first focus, and to always appreciate the opportunity to work with such a wonderful (and international) community.
The most important advice I can give to the Young Professionals Network is to focus on education and forming connections now, at the beginning of your career. If you’re lucky enough to become the next rockstar of the global brand licensing industry, these are relationships you’ll rely on for years to come.