?SHORTLY LAUNCHMERCHANDISE FOR THREE ICONS?

In India, plans are on the anvil to shortly launch licensed merchandise relating to Popeye, Betty Boop and The Phantom. In a conversation, Cathleen Titus, Vice President, International Licensing, King Features, highlighted their India-related strategy.

Kindly highlight King Features’ licensing strategy internationally, and your plans for the Indian market?

We have more than 50 years of licensing-related experience and have hundreds of licensees in more than 30 countries. Our portfolio comprises of more than 50 brands including Betty Boop, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy, Flash Gordon and The Phantom.

In addition, we have tie ups with leading international brands for various categories. For instance, Lancome had a global campaign for Hypnose Star mascara featuring Betty Boop, while Popeye has partnered with Benetton, Zara and Dolce & Gabbana.

In India, we will shortly introduce three of our most popular characters, Popeye, Olive Oyl and Betty Boop, along with Bradford License India,
our local representative agency. As part of that strategy, we
have  tied up with W K Enterprises for Popeye,
Olive Oyl and Betty Boop, for youth apparel, and our merchandise would be available at the e-retailer, White Kalia
as well as at other leading online merchants.

W K Enterprises will also retail these licensed products through distributors.

 

Your merchandise products have been global bestsellers, but Indian consumers are not familiar with your product range. What will be your localisation strategy?

The three characters for which we plan to launch licensed products appeal not only to teenagers, but are also popular with adults aged between 18 and 25 years. For instance, Olive Oyl’s positioning of female empowerment and self confidence, are key elements
in her enduring legacy. Similarly, Oyl’s boyfriend, Popeye, is also popular.

Further, the style guides developed for these characters are varied and detailed, which enables us to enter into partnerships across categories. Globally, we have been associated with leading brands including Mango, H&M, Topshop and Nestle, and we are in discussion with leading brands here, too.

The Betty Boop series
has never been aired
in India. How will you
ensure its relevance to
local consumers?

It was a surprise for us that while this series has never been aired here, but Betty Boop has a large ‘fan’ following in India, and this character has distinguished herself with her feminine properties.

We have numerous partnerships related to this character in overseas markets, and are confident of replicating it in India, too.

 

Which categories look attractive for licensing in India?

We are searching for partners in diverse categories including apparel, footwear, home furnishing, stationery, fragrances, and beauty products.

Our target audience ranges from toddlers up to 35-year-olds, and from middle and higher income segments.

 

How do you view the broader licensing market in India? What are the challenges faced by international brands operating here?

Character-based licensing is well developed here, and a
large number of retailers are offering merchandise products from this category.

However, the main challenge for international brands including us relates to protecting our intellectual property, and we would like to work with partners who would help us achieve this objective, amongst other criteria.

 

Can you throw light on your ‘hero’ categories which have been popular, globally?

The Phantom has a wide following in Nordic countries and Australia, with comics published there for more than
60 years. In addition, this character has a large fan base
in India as well.

 

Stay on top – Get the daily news from Indian Retailer in your inbox