London, August 11, 2011 – Beanstalk, a leading brand licensing agency, today announced that its client, global style leader and fashion icon Paris Hilton, has appointed OEM & Design Company, the leading Asian eyewear manufacturer, to develop an exclusive line of optical frames, sunglasses and coloured contact lenses for the Asian market under the Paris Hilton Eyewear trademark. Working closely with Paris herself, OEM will develop a range of frames that take their styling cues from Paris’s original and aspirational style, and that will allow her admirers across Asia to buy into her glamorous lifestyle. Paris Hilton spoke from her home in L.A.: “Every girl knows that a great wardrobe of glasses is key to getting the right “look” each season. I am so excited about working with OEM, who have brilliantly interpreted my style into a range of must-have frames and cute coloured contact lenses for fashionable girls across Asia.”

Ciarán Coyle, Beanstalk’s Managing Director, International said, “OEM is one of Asia’s most well-respected eyewear players and has a solid history in developing glasses and contact lenses for global brands. They have illustrated a sound understanding of Paris’s unique design sense and we believe that their range of optical frames and sunglasses will be on every Asian fashionista’s wish-list next year.”

Paris Hilton Eyewear will be launched by Paris herself at the Shanghai Optical Fair in February 2012, and will be sold in department stores and specialty jewellery stores across the region, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Australasia. Brokered by Beanstalk’s team of licensing professionals, the extension of the Paris Hilton brand into eyewear further cements Paris Hilton as a global fashion brand.

David Lim of OEM, comments: “Paris Hilton is one of the world’s most admired fashion icons. Throughout Asia, young women aspire to her unique and exciting lifestyle and her strong sense of design. We are honoured to be working with Paris to bring her vision to life in a range of highly desirable frames, sunglasses and coloured contact lenses.”

About Paris Hilton Entertainment
Paris Hilton Entertainment was launched in 2006 to handle Paris Hilton’s extensive global merchandising business, including licensing, entertainment and endorsements. It also focuses on the development of Paris Hilton-branded fashion, beauty and lifestyle products, as well as her ventures in film, television and music. As the face of the company, Paris Hilton takes an active role by overseeing product development, design, marketing and promotions.

Under Paris’s name, there are now 17 product lines including fragrance, footwear, handbags and beauty products, and she has recently put her name to a MotoGp motorcycle racing team via Paris Hilton Racing. The first product, Paris Hilton’s fragrance line, has grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide and is now in its 14th scent. In addition, there are now Paris Hilton branded stores in more than 31 countries around the world. Paris is also executive producer on all her TV shows which include, “The Simple Life”, “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF”, and most recently “The World According to Paris.”

About Beanstalk
Beanstalk, a global brand licensing agency and consultancy, extends brands through the strategic and creative development of licensed products. The company works with blue-chip brands and other high-profile clients to leverage licensing as a strategic tool to enhance brand awareness, increase consumer touch-points, and generate revenue. Beanstalk also works with manufacturers to help identify and acquire compelling brands and properties to help them gain competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Beanstalk is the licensing agency of record for over 50 world-class brands. The agency has developed thousands of brand extensions in every major product category, resulting in nearly $2.3 billion in retail sales in 2010 alone. Headquartered in New York, Beanstalk’s global reach includes offices in London, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, and Hong Kong, and affiliates throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.beanstalk.com.

Beanstalk is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. Diversified Agency Services (NYSE: OMC). Omnicom (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company.

About OEM & Design Company
Formed in 1998, OEM & Design Company is an established manufacturer and distributor of optical frames and sunglasses with an extensive distribution network cross Asia which includes specialty, independent and department stores, as well as fashion boutiques.

With offices in China, Singapore and Hong Kong, OEM develops and distributes licensed product for brands including Lee Cooper, Lamborghini and Ford, and counts Marvel, Tommy Hilfiger, Converse and Ed Hardy amongst its client base.

The upcoming initiative of License India in a forum format, ‘Marketing Conclave: Licensing Can Help!’ scheduled to be held on Friday, May 6th, 2011 at Tivoli Daffodil Hotel at New Delhi, will see marketers from across the industries, to understand and comprehend ‘Licensing’

A strong suite of brands

Scott Bannell, VP of brand management and licensing at Stanley Black & Decker, said he is excited about the brand licensing opportunities that lie in wait as a result of the merger. “We’re working together right now to map out a plan that’ll take us through the next few years. We’re looking at both short- and long-term strategies, and even though we’ve really just begun, we’re all very excited about what’s to come,” he said.

“Stanley began to license products 13 years ago, and we’ve always had a really good brand to work with. Now, by way of the merger, we have three solid brands, as well as a stable of secondary brands, to work with,” he added. Although there are a significant number of licensing opportunities for brand extensions, the majority of the company’s licensing efforts are focused on three primary names: Stanley, Black & Decker, and Dewalt.

Bannell explained that each of the three primary brands has its own licensing manager. All of the groups’ efforts are coordinated, however, to ensure the brands’ products are not conflicting against one another in the market.

Electrolux’s Global Brand Licensing is an in house licensing agency within the Electrolux Group. Electrolux creates business opportunities by licensing the in house agency more than 50 brands. They develop and manage a range of licensing programs and brand extensions within different product categories.

Electrolux Global Brand Licensing in brief:

Brand licensing agency, Beanstalk, announced today that it has been selected as the brand licensing agency of record for McCormick & Company’s Old Bay® Seasoning Brand.

Beanstalk and Nancy Bailey & Associates will help Old Bay extend its unique blend of ingredients, iconic logo and packaging, recipes, and bright, bold artwork into multiple product categories, including fresh and frozen meals, sauces and marinades, as well as housewares, kitchen supplies and apparel. License products are targeted to launch in 2012 at mass retailers, grocery, drug, convenience and club stores.

Within a brand licensing agreement, some of the main business components of a brand licensing partnership:

• Brands and Trademarks (which trademarks are included)
• Product Categories for branding or brand extensions
• Term or length of the brand licensing agreement
• Contract Years (if the term is broken up by year)
• Sales Quota
• Minimum Guarantee
• Royalty Rate for the branded product
• Distribution Channels for the brand
• Territory for the branded products
• Marketing Commitment for the licensing partnership
• Marketing and On-Shelf Dates for the licensed products
• Sell-Off Period

The most important section depends greatly on the type of categories/products you are licensing your brand. Especially for the ‘main concerns of licensors.’ Some categories might pose a greater safety concern, while other categories might pose product quality or brand relevance concerns.
Agreements can become very specific depending on the needs of both parties. There are usually sections within the Agreement of that cover standard business legalese.

A brand licensor may grant permission to a licensee to distribute products under a brand licensing agreement. With such a license, the licensee may use the trademark without fear of a claim of trademark infringement by the licensor.

The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license (American English) or licence (British English) refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.

A license may be granted by a party (“licensor”) to another party (“licensee”) as an element of an agreement between those parties. A shorthand definition of a license is “an authorization (by the licensor) to use the licensed material (by the licensee).”

In particular a license may be issued by authorities, to allow an activity that would otherwise be forbidden. It may require paying a fee and/or proving a capability. The requirement may also serve to keep the authorities informed on a type of activity, and to give them the opportunity to set conditions and limitations.

Brand licensing agencies optimistic about the brand licensing industry in 2011.  Top licensors indicate optimism from top brand licensing agencies.  If recent sales figures are an indication, the retail sector is continually growing. According to the National Retail Federation, improvements in the U.S. economy bolstered February’s retail sales, with increases over January of 4.2 percent unadjusted year-over-year and 0.6 percent seasonally adjusted.

“February retail sales are in sync with evidence of the expanding economy,” says Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist for NRF.

For corporate brand licensing agents, an arm of the licensing business that tends to fare well at retail, this is nothing but encouraging news. Agencies are feeling bullish in 2011, and anticipating more opportunities for brand extension.

“None of us liked the economic downturn, but I want to go on record and say that I celebrated it because it brought us back to strategy,” says Angela Farrugia, group managing director for The Licensing Company, whose corporate brands such as Jeep/Chrysler, Jim Beam and Welch’s generate upwards of $70 million each at retail. “I’ve seen branding and licensing go a little bit mad. People do deals–and they think they’ve made a partnership–and they literally logo slap that product. The economic downturn forced (licensees) not to do that anymore. (Consumers) demand value. They have a choice.”

(via licensemag.com)

The Armor All/STP Products Company Signs Three New Licensing Agreements to Broaden Offerings Available Under the ARMOR ALL Brand

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 4, 2008) — The Armor All/STP Products Company has signed exclusive licensing agreements for the introduction of Armor All branded car vacuums, modular floor tiles, and a line of auto body and fiberglass repair products. The licensing agreements were developed and negotiated by Los Angeles-based new business development consultancy Brand Sense Partners, LLC (BSP), and will broaden car care solutions available to consumers under the ARMOR ALL brand.

“The addition of these new Armor All branded lines to the already wide-ranging family of automotive care products available under the ARMOR ALL brand supports Armor All’s position as the leading brand in car care for both the inside and outside of the vehicle,” said Steve Silberblatt, vice president of new business development & licensing for Armor All’s parent, The Clorox Company. “Auto enthusiasts will now have access to an even wider range of ARMOR ALL branded products to keep their cars, and the spaces in which their cars are garaged, clean, protected and looking like new.”

Cleva North America, a leading worldwide manufacturer of wet dry vacuum cleaners, accessories and outdoor power equipment, will introduce the Armor All™ branded Utility Vac, a 2.5 gallon wet/dry vacuum with a six-amp, two-peak motor and features on-board accessory storage, a blower function and an automatic shut-off to prevent overflow. Specifically designed for automotive care, the vacuum comes complete with a detail accessory kit including a six-foot hose, reusable cloth filter and foam sleeve, round dusting brush, crevice tool, deluxe car nozzle and a storage pouch. Cleva’s Armor All branded Utility Vac has a MSRP of $39.99 and will be available at retail beginning in the fall of 2008.

New commercial-grade Armor All™ branded interlocking Floor Tiles by Forma Floor, manufacturer of professional grade flooring tiles for the racing industry, will also be offered by Forma Floor. They are constructed of a unique, high-impact polypropylene material that is extremely resistant to UV light, oil, chemicals, bacteria, weather and stains. Available in a variety of colors, the flooring tiles feature easy-snap assembly that will offer consumers an alternative to the lengthy and often laborious installation process required for garage flooring products currently found in the marketplace. The flooring tiles will be launched at retail during the spring of 2009.

In addition, a complete line of high-performance refinishing products, including auto body and fiberglass repair products has been licensed to bear the ARMOR ALL Brand and was developed by Pro Form Products Ltd., a leader in the auto body specialty market. In a category with a limited number of suppliers, the agreement with Pro Form will provide retailers the ability to offer consumers a superior option in the paint, body and equipment aisle with a highly recognized brand. The refinishing products will be available at retail during the spring of 2009.

“These licensing agreements present an ideal opportunity for the Armor All brand heritage of quality and innovation to expand by combining the value and expertise of these companies and the value of the ARMOR ALL brand to create products that serve a larger portion of consumers’ auto care needs,” said Ramez Toubassy, president of Brand Sense Partners. “With existing brand extensions that include car cleaning tools and wiper blades, the addition of these new product categories creates a broader solution for consumers available under the trusted ARMOR ALL brand that is clearly worth more than the sum of its parts.”

The new Armor All branded products will be available at mass retailers, auto channels, home improvement stores and online.

-Brand Licensing

TLC is a new breed of licensing company, constantly evolving and nimble enough to provide an individualised service and personal relationships, but large enough to create and sustain global impact.

In the past 12 months we’ve generated in excess of £1 billion in retail sales for our client’s brands.

With offices in four of the world’s top consumer markets, we are at the heart of what’s happening.

Whatever your interest is in brand extension we can help. Whether part of our ‘full service’ provision or through our consultancy services, we can tailor our services to your requirements.

We are a talented group of people, with the spirit and experience to nurture and develop opportunities for brands worldwide.