Did licensing break Beanie Babies?

Those of you who know me or have been getting to know me through these posts know that I love showcasing the wins and losses when it comes to licensing. I love to do that by creating case studies of major brands that have both failed and succeeded in their licensing endeavors. Based on the visibility of top-level brands, you won’t be surprised that I love seeing them in action with celebrities and in film and TV. So I was all over the Apple TV movie, The Beanie Bubble, about the Beanie Baby phenomenon and its meteoric rise and subsequent belly flop into oblivion following such intense consumer addiction to these tiny products.

Though the movie doesn’t delve into licensing, the company itself has brilliantly licensed its products for such companies as Disney, Marvel and the NHL. For this reason, it’s a perfect illustration of why my book with co-author Cristina Longo, Strategic Brand Licensing, is as valid as ever. In my opinion, licensing is never NOT going to be vital to business. It’s what makes movies run. It’s what makes products get created and it’s what sells them.

I’m always happy to talk about the real-life examples, case studies, and methodologies we cover in this book, so if you have any questions or want me to speak to your organization, university or company, please get in touch.