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Dream Theatre scores Licensing Rights for football icon Maradona

Dream Theatre, India’s premier brand management and licensing representation company, has secured the rights for the Maradona Consumer Products programme from Podium Icons, a division of Podium Brands Group in the UK.

Podium Icons has exclusively acquired the master licensor rights from Sattvica SA, the Argentine company which owns the Maradona, name, image and likeness rights, and has a range of assets and IP with which to be the sole authorised representative of the Maradona IP and to develop the Diego Maradona brand. Podium Icons has placed the rights for bringing brand Maradona to India and South Asia with Dream Theatre.

Maradona is arguably the greatest footballer of all time and celebrated for his exceptional skill and talent. His famous performance in the 1986 FIFA World Cup and his where he led Argentina to victory, ha made him a legendary figure in the world of sports, including in India. His impact and influence on the game of football have earned him a dedicated fan base across our country.  In 2000, his sublime performances on the pitch were rewarded when he jointly won the Fifa Player of the Century award with Brazilian legend Pele. The Argentine won the internet poll with 53.6% to Pele’s 18.5%.

The partnership focuses on launching authentic merchandise across categories like apparel, sporting goods, bags, luggage, memorabilia etc.

29 Jul 1986: Diego Maradona of Argentina kisses the trophy after the World Cup final against West Germany at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Argentina won the match 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Mike King/Allsport

“We are very excited to represent Maradona in India and South Asia. Maradona’s personality and impact on the game is timeless and as football gains ground in India, fans old and new will have a chance to celebrate the sheer genius of Maradona with authentic merchandise across categories”, says Jiggy George, CEO and Founder of Dream Theatre.

Sanjay Wadhwani, CEO and Founder of Podium Brands, said: “Maradona was more than just the greatest footballer of all time, he transcended the sport and became an icon to millions. We are thrilled to be given the honour of building and leading Maradona Brand with the purpose of sharing his remarkable story and, in time, building a lasting legacy promoting social and charitable causes in his name.”

Maradona’s merchandise will launch early 2024 and will be available across retail chains, stores and e-commerce platforms.

 

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“We don’t want to be limited by the lineage of the brand” BCCL’s Sandeep Dahiya in conversation with Jiggy George

On Friday, 20th March, we were lucky to have the man in the hot seat behind extending evergreen brands like Femina, Filmfare & Miss India, brand licensing veteran Sandeep Dahiya, CEO – Times Lifestyle Enterprise Director & business head – Brand Extension, Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd. who was in conversation with Jiggy George, Country MD, Licensing International India and Founder & CEO, Dream Theatre Group

They had a free-wheeling chat on how to extend & monetise one’s company name, logo, trademarks  via brand licensing – a genre worth  $58 billion* globally.

Here are some of the key excerpts from the discussion:

  • Fundamentals of corporate and brand licensing are the same.
  • Awareness has reached a point where consumers are willing to pay a price to own a piece of the brand
  • Bennet Coleman Company Limited – is one of the largest media companies in India. Has one of the largest news daily, largest financial daily, largest network of movie channels, largest chain of radio stations, largest outdoor company – a few brands which have been around for 6-7 decades like Femina, Filmfare & Miss India
  • Brand extensions help unlock a lot of value for the company
  • Step 1 is to look at your brand portfolio and do a risk profiling
  • We decided to start with Femina – and do something around Fashion and Beauty. First partner was Shoppers Stop. 
  • They also looked at the services side and decided to launch Femina Flaunt late 2019.
  • Brand licensing done well. – Sandeep named Coca Cola, Kylie Jenner and Victoria Beckham
  • Objectives are different for different brands:
    1. How to stay relevant?
    2. How to jumpstart a new category? E.g. JVC, Discovery.
    3. Speed – finding someone else who can do it faster.

 

  • In the brand extensions model, we decided to do it ourself since we didn’t want to do co-branded. For the moment it will be a combination of COCO – Company Owned Company Operated and FOFO – Franchise Owned Franchise Operated which could lead to other models like Shared partnership.
  • Not everyone extends a brand into every market
  • If you are a media company licensees tend to expect you to bundle it into the deliverables and we do try to help if that’s our core competitive strength, but that shouldn’t be the reason for signing up
  • For Filmfare we are keen to sign up with the right hospitality players, Miss India is for a much younger audience
  • When you are planning a licensing foray you get inputs from the brand team but the ultimate blessings have to come from the management.
  • When you have 10 brands in the same category in the marketplace, they all need to have a unique aesthetic, and value proposition.
  • We don’t want to be limited by the lineage of the brand
  • What if we want to just launch a brand called Flaunt 3 years from now? Maybe it could be Unisex.
  • When we looked at the sales data from Shoppers Stop, a large number of sales were coming in from young millennials who had not read the magazine, but their first interaction was through fashion.
  • Femina Flaunt is currently available in 64 stores.
  • Licensing services are more difficult than licensing products since there are far more examples and case studies.
  • We’ve locked the brand in relevant categories in high Indian diaspora markets like Singapore, UAE, US, UK, Canada, Australia

 

The road ahead –

  • Femina Flaunt – 3-5 years 150-200 stores in the next year or so
  • Starting up in UAE
  • Fashion going online
  • Cafes in India and overseas

 

More about Sandeep:

With an experience of over 2 decades that spans across categories, Sandeep currently heads the brand extension business of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd (BCCL), one of India’s largest multimedia conglomerate. With some of the legacy brands such as Filmfare, Femina and Miss India in its portfolio, Sandeep’s mandate is to extend these brands into the consumer space, outside their existing core businesses.

Under his leadership, Femina has extended into the multiple consumer product categories over the last 5 years – apparel, eyewear, footwear, accessories, and fragrances. The brand is today available in more than 60 Shoppers Stop stores, across India and in over 600 eyewear stores. Within 48 months of launch, Femina FLAUNT range of products have already had a cumulative MRP sales of over Rs. 400 million. In late 2019, Femina forayed into beauty services with the launch of      Femina FLAUNT Studio Salon in Mumbai. Situated at Khar Linking Road and spread over 3000 sq feet, the studio salon is a ‘statement-making’, contemporary hotspot, serving global beauty services and trends in hair, make-up, nails & skin. Over the next 5 years, the company plans to launch a robust franchise program, to create a footprint of over 100 salons in the first 5 years

Prior to BCCL, Sandeep spent 8 years at Viacom18, heading their Consumer Products division to create sustainable licensing model around their brands & IPs such as MTV, Vh1, Spongebob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Southpark, amongst others.

Before Viacom18, he spent over 10 years as a consultant with Marketing & Communications agencies – working on hyperactive consumer-driven brands such as Seagram’s, Lakme, Pepsodent, indya.com, Carrier, Sony Entertainment Television, Louis Vuitton and South African Tourism, amongst others.

He firmly believes that the best business decisions are the ones that are driven partly by insights, and partly by instincts.

 

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Dream Theatre to represent Subway Surfers in India & South Asia


Brand and Licensing Management Company To Bring SUBSURF, Consumer and Lifestyle Brand Based on World’s Most Downloaded Endless Runner Game, To Market

Dream Theatre, India’s foremost Brand Management and Licensing representation company, has secured the official licensing and merchandising representation in India and South Asia for SYBO Games’ SUBSURF® consumer and lifestyle brand, based on Subway Surfers, the world’s most downloaded endless runner mobile game.

The first game to reach one billion downloads on Google Play, Subway Surfers crossed the 2.5 billion downloads worldwide mark earlier this year.  In India, the game itself has 262 million downloads to date, making the region the largest market for Subway Surfers in the world. More than just a game, Subway Surfer is a lifestyle and entertainment franchise, which includes Subway Surfers: The Animated Series, a short-form series that notched over 110 million views on YouTube since its June 2018 launch.

As representing agent, Dream Theatre will establish and grow the licensing business in India and South Asia. Jiggy George, Founder and CEO, Dream Theatre Pvt. Ltd. said, “Subway Surfers’ extraordinary and long standing popularity makes it a solid licensing proposition in India, the no. 1 growth market in the world. With the growth of licensing content from the digital world, we are very excited to work with the market leaders to establish and grow the licensing business for Subway Surfers in India. The licensing business will aim to leverage and echo the infectious energy of the brand in the products and services that we will bring to our fans in India.”

“Dream Theatre is an ideal partner to grow the SUBSURF licensing business in India and South Asia,” said Naz Amarchi-Cuevas, Chief Commercial Officer, SYBO Games.  “We’re confident that Dream Theatre understands the brand’s audience and values, and as such will deliver the spot-on consumer merchandise and experiences Subway Surfers fans desire.”

About Dream Theatre Pvt. Ltd.

Dream Theatre leverages the power of licensing to CREATE, REPRESENT and DISTRIBUTE iconic brands in South Asia. These brands are focused on Entertainment, Sports and Lifestyle businesses. Dream Theatre represents The Smiley Company, Sanrio, Real Madrid, FIFA 2018, The Pokémon Company, Rovio amongst other brands for Licensing and Merchandising in India and South Asia. Dream Theatre represents ChuChu TV, the most popular kids network of channels on YouTube, globally for their licensing and merchandising portfolio. The company manages content syndication for key brands and creates and retails products via Dream Theatre group companies. For further information, please visit http://www.dreamtheatre.co.

 

About SYBO Games:

SYBO Games is a Danish mobile games developer founded in 2010, known for the massive mobile hit Subway Surfers (co-developed and published by Kiloo).  Five years after the launch of the mobile game, Subway Surfers topped 2017’s most downloaded mobile game in the world.  Subway Surfers has been downloaded more than 2.5 billion times since its launch. To find out more visit http://sybogames.com/.

https://www.facebook.com/SubwaySurfersSybo/

https://www.instagram.com/sybo_games/

https://twitter.com/sybogames

https://www.youtube.com/SyboGames

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Spotlight – FIFA Under 17 World Cup India

The excitement is palpable and football fever is in the air, what with the Football Under -17 World cup India being barely 2 weeks away. It is the first time that India is holding a FIFA event and that it is an Under -17 World Cup is doubly apt because India has the largest youth population in the world with 356 million 10-24-year-olds. 24 teams from across the world including host country India will vie for becoming the FIFA Under 17 World Champions and the excitement has been building up across quarters.  The run-up to the event saw the launch of Mission 11 Million, a government initiative that sought to engage 11 million kids across the country in football-related activities. 6 cities, Delhi, Margao, Kolkatta, Kochi, Navi Mumbai and Guwahati will have the pride and honor of hosting 32 matches. There have been events galore from school to state levels, there has been massive press coverage and there is an overall upliftment in the football infrastructure and facilities. Many a football superstar from a Luis Figo to a Toni Kroos took their first steps to international fame and fortune at a FIFA Under 17 stage and therefore holding this epic event in India has massive potential for what it could do the status of football in India.

 

As Dream Theatre, we are feeling the excitement at another level with the FIFA Under 17 World Cup. We support FIFA’s licensing programme in India and South Asia from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil onwards and are seeing a massive spurt in interest. The India licensing programme in 2014 saw activation across 3 main categories of apparel, bags, and watches. The programme was available across the top- 8-10 cities and had a strong retail presence across Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons and Central stores. While the football viewership was one of the largest across the world, what was amazing was that the licensed merchandise at retail found solid resonance and that for us was a sure shot indicator of the potential of football in a uni sports country that loves its cricket.  Cut to 2017 and the FIFA Under 17 cup will have its own dedicated licensed merchandise programme and fans will have chance to buy a plethora of merchandise: Apparel ( Rs. 499 onwards) Gifts and Novelties ( Metal posters, Plush, Ceramic Mugs, Bag tags, Magnets, Caps etc)  with prices are in the Rs. 150-500 range will be available across retail. The products will be on shelves in close to 150 stores of Shoppers Stop, Max Retail, Central,  Globus,  Sports Station and across a 1000+ apparel and sports stores in around 22 cities across India. Retailers too are massively “in” with a big focus on the U-17 merchandise and have a whole host of promotions and offers. The merchandise will also be available across top E-tailers like Amazon, Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra to ensure that football fans across the country can get their hands on to authentic merchandise. In yet another first for India, the merchandise will also be retailed at In-stadium kiosks in 6 cities where the matches are being held, allowing fans the chance to buy FIFA U-17 merchandise as they walk in to watch the matches.  The FIFA U-17 World Cup Sponsors have latched onto the licensed merchandise programmes well and are collaborating with licensees to use licensed merchandise for their marketing and outreach programmes making it a 360-degree engagement.

 

What we are therefore witnessing is sure, but solid steps that football is taking in India. As is the Licensing programs build around sports and especially soccer.  From players to fans and from the joy of witnessing a world class match in India to the growing stature of the business of licensing for football, we are feeling a buzz, a buzz that we are sure will only grow louder and stronger. Come join the excitement!

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Sports Trends in India

This week’s ET Brand Equity mapped the rising influence of Sports in India, the emergence of  domestic leagues across Kabbadi, Hockey, Football, Tennis, Wrestling, etc, the journey of Sports into mainstream Bollywood with certified hits like Mary Kom, Dangal, Chak De India, to the rising power of A list Sports celebrities. This massive  growth in sports in India has been fuelled by the prolific growth of sports content in cricket and other sports in the domestic scene and the growing eminence of  European football. From being only  cricket crazy, there is a move towards consuming other sports, of sports becoming sport-tainment. And while this transformation is underway, there is another quiet revolution ticking away, gathering force, in the Indian sports market – the rise of the sports licensing business.

Though globally sports licensing is massive, valued at a whopping $27.63 billion at retail in 2015 and is all set to reach $48.17 billion by 2024, India was valued at around 30 million $ at retail in 2015. But here is the interesting thing for the business in India – while cricket has the biggest draw, football is far ahead of the curve on the licensing front. The beautiful game has captured the imagination of the Gen next in India. India’s youth has found football to be the more aspirational sport to watch and are heavily engaged in European football leagues across EPL, La Liga and the Bundesliga. And this massive interest has fuelled the licensing business of Football in India. Real Madrid, FIFA World Cup, FC Barcelona already have sizeable licensing programs in India and there are many more European league clubs waiting to enter the market. Real Madrid, for example, has products across Apparel, both in kids and adults, Eyewear, Gifts and Novelties and Sporting Goods across key retailers, stand alone stores and e-commerce platforms and there is massive interest flowing in from other categories.  The business at retail for Real Madrid alone will be hitting INR 25-30 crores in the year.

Another shot in the arm for Football in India is the FIFA U-17 World cup being held in October 2017 across 6 Indian cities. This is the first time that India is hosting and playing in a FIFA event and will be vying for the coveted cup playing off the world’s top 23 teams. And off the field, fans will have a chance to buy a plethora of merchandise: Apparel (Rs. 499 onwards), Gifts and Novelties Metal posters, Plush, Ceramic Mugs, Bag tags, Magnets, Capsetc)  with prices are in the Rs. 150-500 range and more! The products will be available  in close to 150 stores of Shoppers Stop, Max Retail, Central,  Globus,  Sports Station and across a 1000+ apparel and sports stores in around 22 cities across India. What’s more, in a first for India, the merchandise will also be available at In-stadium kiosks in 6 cities where the matches are being held,  with fans being able to buy  authentic FIFA U-17 merchandise as they walk in to watch the matches.

Apart from the FIFA U-17 Cup, partners and retailers are already lining up for FIFA 2018 Russia World Cup. What was a 8-10 city retail footprint with Lifestyle, Pantaloons, and Central stores for FIFA 2014, has already grown to a 10+ key retailer tie-up with the product being available in 20-25 cities apart from E-commerce platforms. A 3 category product presence has already grown to  7-8 categories (apparel in kid and adults, accessories, gifts and novelties, footwear, rainwear, back to school, School Bags) with deals tied in and other categories still getting tied up. There is a clear 3-5 times increase in business in a period of just 4 years. From a sports licensing perspective, it is this sea change in interest across sections: consumers, partners, retailers for the World Cups which is truly phenomenal. The sports and the football fans sure have a lot to cheer about!

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Licensing Trends to watch out for in India

While the global licensing business is pegged at US$ 251.7 billion and India is one of the 3 emerging markets to watch along with Central America and China, what’s interesting is the route the growth story is taking in India.

Entertainment Licensing continues to lead the trend, globally, but what’s interesting is to see how the forces are shaping up here. Kids and Entertainment licensing is the bigger slice of the pie in India, but there is a sea change in the brands at play from as little as 5 years ago. From kids apparel, dominated by studio brands from the west, there is a proliferation of Indian and Japanese brands, mirroring the trend of viewership on tv. So today, along with Mickey and Ben 10 we have a Chota Bheem, Motu Patlu and Pokémon doing brisk business. The other interesting trajectory is the growth of entertainment/animation brands for adults in apparel and apparel accessories. We are finally seeing the coming of age of an older audience that is sporting character brands on apparel and that’s the maturing of the industry whereby everything animation, is not equal to children. This interest around adults and merchandize is being fuelled by a mix of factors – far cooler designs, nostalgia quotient, easier access via e-commerce and large format stores and social media driven aspiration with celebrities sporting their favorite toon apparel. From a future trend perspective within apparel, both for kids and adults, the next big thing is going to be fashion and lifestyle brands. As kids grow older, and we are seeing this across the world, lifestyle, fashion, music will start taking over from pure play character merchandising. The adult market is also seeing the emergence of lifestyle and fashion brands in yet another sign of a maturing market. The Smiley brand is one such example, which earlier in the year was named the Best Lifestyle brand at the LIMA Hong Kong Awards.

The second big trend is India is the emergence of Sports Licensing and soccer has taken the lead here over cricket. With next Gen India embracing soccer as the game of choice thanks to shorter formats, faster pace and the cool quotient of football stars, European soccer league clubs are seeing India as a growth market for the licensing business. For the fans, licensed merchandise is a way of connecting with the players and games beyond just watching it. FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, FIFA World Cups have had great success in India and there are at least half a dozen European Football clubs evaluating India as the market to be in. With the advent of India Soccer League and the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup that will roll out in October 2017, the domestic circuit events will further spur the football licensing story in India. Another spike will come with the FIFA 2018 Russia World cup which is seeing a 3-5 fold increase in the FIFA licensing business since its last outing in 2014 with 10+ categories and retail footprint spreading to top 20-25 towns, outside of e-commerce availability.

And the third big trend is the emergence of Direct To Retail deals in the licensing business. Private brands are waking up to the massive potential of licensing. All top retailers in India have DTR propositions and single brand retailers are seeking out opportunities to partner with character and lifestyle brands. The current Jack n Jones Pokémon collection is a hot selling proposition and one of the many more that will be hitting shelves soon. Similarly, more and more online platforms are using licensing to create stand out propositions across apparel, accessories, gifts, and novelties in a heavily cluttered market.

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Licensing and Merchandising at Dream Theatre

Dream Theatre Collage

A lot of you may be confused if we say that we at Dream Theatre are in the business of licensing and merchandising. What if we ask you- Have you heard of Angry Birds, Real Madrid football club, Pokemon, Smiley and it’s likely that you say ” Of course!”

If you see any products of these brands at retail- blame us for it! This is the business of licensing and merchandising.

What exactly is Licensing and what is merchandising and WHAT is THE BIG DEAL?

Licensing is akin to a rent agreement. The owner of the property (From licensing parlance, we call the owner a Licensor) leases the property to a Licensee for a designated time and for a fee. So, if you take the example of blockbuster brand like Angry Birds; Angry Birds is the property. The owner of the property: Rovio is the Licensor and the licensee can be a company that operates in a host of businesses e.g. footwear, apparel, stationery, back to school supplies etc.

So to begin with, we at Dream Theatre manages “PROPERTIES”. This may include properties in the Entertainment domain like Angry birds, Pokémon or the Sports domain like FIFA World Cup or Soccer Clubs like Real Madrid FC  or then fashion brands like  The Smiley Company or Paul Frank

Now, what does Dream Theatre have to do with this? . We are the Agents. We represent the interests of the owner i.e. the Licensor. As agents, our role is not just to connect two parties together

We work with the Licensor in building the strategy for the brand, we identify the key licensees, work to ensure the integrity of the brand is maintained; we help in marketing and retail development, and then collect royalties.  Dream Theatre is the AGENTs for several such brands across the Indian subcontinent.

We marry the licensors brand value with manufacturers / retailers who have the ability to create fantastic product and who have distribution.  So as Agents, we sign contracts with companies or retailers called LICENSEES. This is typically an agreement signed for a fixed period of time for a certain category of products where the LICENSEE can sell legitimate LICENSED Products (read here not FAKE or Look alike) of a certain Brand or Property.

This could have various forms: We could for example license the property to a T-shirt, toys, or home furnishing. “Product Licensing” deals. We could also lease the popularity of these characters to FMCG brands to run promotions. This is called a “Promotional Licensing” deal  (e.g. a construct like buying an xyz chocolate and you get a free toy with )

Its our mandate and priority at Dream Theatre to ensure that standardized, high quality products are produced for the brands we represent. We have a large talented creative team that supports the licensee and ensures stringent quality control. We do a thorough ‘BRAND ASSURANCE” or a creative quality check to ensure that the designs logos etc. are all in keeping with the Brand mandate or guide for a certain property and there is control in pricing.

So the consumer benefits from a good quality genuine product is akin to watching a cheap pirated print of your favorite movie v/s a genuine print at a slightly higher price.

The process of Licensing is complicated only to the extent that all parties concerned are legally and financially bound by a mutually agreed upon legal terms. The rest of the process is wonderful as our creative team churns out some super designs on a varied range of products using the DNA and attributes of the brand characters.

 

We are the Theatre to your dreams and aspirations of “owning a piece “ of your favorite brand. The sky is the limit to create more fun with popular entertainment sports and fashion brands…at Dream Theatre Pvt. Ltd. …we are truly Dreaming for a Living!

For more questions and interest log on to www.dreamtheatre.co or write to us at jimmygeorge@dream-theatre.co.in

 

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Business of Sports in India

jibi-george-dream-theatre-pvt-ltd

Jibi George

Our COO Jibi George is a HUGE sports enthusiast. So, when we wanted to feature an article about the business of sports licensing, he was more than happy to share his views on the same. Read on and find out what he has to say about the growth of this fascinating business opportunity which is gathering momentum by the day.

 

1 – India is a one sport nation: cricket. Why then is there not been a potent licensing program around cricket and what is your view on sports licensing in India?

– India until the early 2000s was a single sport following nation, Cricket connected with all forms and the advent of C&S, & brilliant commercialization by the cricket authorities got more masses to the viewing stable With C&S penetration other sports including football, tennis amongst others got prominence. Football caught the eye of the young ones with an unparalleled and the aspiration quotient. Football is a shorter format, fast paced, intense athleticism kind of sport. Consequently the EPL caught the imagination of the kids and left a lasting impression. “Sports Viewing is huge, sports licensing is nascent & virtually untapped” Licensed product is negligible compared to the parallel product that is available The sheer size of sports licensing business &opportunity primarily cricket can be gauged by the amount of parallel products of IPL team jerseys, Indian cricket jerseys & fashion tops that sell on the streets. The fact that a customer’s on the street aren’t ready to buy it at a price is testimony to the fact that Cricket as an enterprise has not managed to build in aspiration – its followed in numbers (TV viewing) but not bought as a product in numbers (Authentic Merchandise) Football on the other hand is niche, but has a strong brand recall in terms of clubs, as a sport, hero -worship for their skills and the viewer aspires to follow their fashion sensibilities & the aura as well. This aspect is almost absent with other sports & merchandise in India, except may be a few cases of individual brilliance like a RF or a Nadal in tennis. The sport appeals per se and the stars have a huge charm and aspiration for them to be aped on attire, grooming and lifestyle as a whole. Surprisingly the amount of unauthorized jerseys and club merchandise sold unofficially is huge & a constant in the 30-40 cities in India.

 

2 – Why has Dream Theatre chosen football and what has been brands and licensing program?

– We looked at the landscape of licensing with the above insights in mind and quickly resolved that football was the one we need to latch on to early, we have a few companies that are following us on this trend now.   FIFA was the marquee acquisition and we were privileged to work on the 2014 WC in RIO, it opened our eyes to the potential on merchandise that is football.   We had a limited program for the RIO world cup, but what it delivered on demand was unprecedented & gave us wings to look at other avenues, we quickly moved onto working with the Adidas group on Real Madrid FC & now been associated for the last 4 years with the club to develop the range of merchandise with local partners.   We have had success on counts of soft line and now we are venturing into a few tie-ins that will bring the brand into a much broader limelight.

 

3 – FIFA U-17 world cup happens in India. What is Dream Theatre’s Strategy?

– Firstly, it’s a privilege to work on a program that is going to impact our country in more ways than one. The GOI is backing it to the hilt & the sports ministry has been supportive of all the endeavors.   We are nominated by FIFA to build a first of its kind local merchandise program for a sports event of this scale. We at Dream Theatre are launching a range of products including Apparel, Gifts and Novelties, Sporting goods and accessories for Mass distribution, online ecommerce players &in- stadium for the 25 days event in 6 cities.   We are building uniformity from a look and feel and ensuring that the fans can connect with the event on a national level.

 

4 – You believe that FIFA U-17 will be case study- pls do qualify the reason for the same

– We believe it will be a case study in L&M programs in India as it has never been attempted with the last bunch of world events that has happened in the country. No other program where India has been the host country has seen and planned a licensed product roll out across mass distribution, organized retail & In-stadium for fan engagement.

 

5 – Do you believe this will benefit programs like the ISL?

– Yes, it will become the format & template for franchise clubs to follow, the same will have to be backed up by branding and city engagement to build resonance like the EPL, LA Liga clubs   BTW: the LA aiga (Spanish football association) has an office in India since the last year to build on the football association for fans with Spanish clubs beyond Real Madrid & Barcelona.

 

6 – The World cup happens summer next year in Russia- will the same U-17 licensee/retailer  rollout into next years event?

– We have built synergies with existing partners of the 2018 program for U-17 merchandise   The 2018 program will be huge and wide from a portfolio of products and categories   We looking to roll out: 180 plus designs in fashion apparel for the fans outside of Apparel, the roll out of products will be across   Bags & fashion accessories Footballs and Sporting goods Back to school supplies Caps & Socks Rainwear & Footwear

 

7 – Every possible retailer/brands will be sporting country colors to leverage the worlds biggest  porting event. How will the FIFA program be unique?

– The WC logo and the unit for the event is unique and marketed across multiple formats and touch points. First the visibility starts with the WC qualifiers and packaging of the same is around the WC logo and the derivatives across all mediums one can envisage. This program is built with news and action on the field for a period of 18 month until the WC games kick in June 2018.   So when the association in the fans mind is much stronger and aspirational with the WC logo and the FIFA branding, the product becomes the definitive fan merchandise and assumes pole position in the minds of consumers. The same is also tracked via price points and unique propositions on FIFA marketing & global sponsor marketing initiatives for the products to be elevated another level in terms of positioning.

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To Beard or not to beard

This started as a casual conversation over lunchtime yesterday and has extended far beyond. Yamini our resident quizzer asked Paavan our rookie sales guy, as to why he decided to sport facial hair and does he actually think it offers gravitas to close a juicy sales deal to get the cash register ringing? 
 
Now being one of the Frenchie-sporting kind, I jumped to his defense. “It provides a sense of security” is what I think I said. My feeble defense was met with a hearty laugh from the ladies in the room. Soumik our resident marketing whiz chimed in with a stat saying Gillette’s top line has taken a hit in recent times due to the bearded trend. 
 
The discussion didn’t end there. Paavan continued to be ragged by his team mates well into the evening hours and also prompted an impromptu poll on our internal WhatsApp group – should Paavan shave or not? The guys were overwhelmingly in favour of him keeping it while the ladies advised him to get rid of it. To be fully transparent a total of 5 odd people voted on the topic…but nonetheless, these were valuable votes
 
So, when in doubt, turn to Google. 
 
Braun, a company that usually makes the tools to take facial hair OFF men, recently completed a survey to find out why more men are opting to keep their facial hair. Results show that 53% of men actually feel more attractive to women when they have a beard. In other words, 53% of men feel SEXIER with their beard!
 
 
According to the survey, 41% of men admit that they feel more confident when they have a beard. And that makes sense because, in today’s society, a man just might need something a little extra to get a much-needed edge over others.
 
But as popular as beards are, this can be a problem for some men. Because when the clean-shaven men were questioned 77% admitted that they just couldn’t grow a beard properly.
 
But we are digressing. 
 
Does a beard increase Paavan’s or any client facing sales executive’s chance of closing a sale?
 
Mihir Deo – Founder, Elucify in response to a similar question on Quora says “ I’ve got a beard myself. To be honest, I’ve kept it for the last 2 years because being a young entrepreneur, I want to be seen as older and more mature. …. 
 
SO for the moment at least it seems like Paavan doesn’t have much to worry about. Just focus on closing the sale!
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Candy Crush coming soon to a TV screen near you!

Contestants can win up to $100,000 on the mobile game adaptation hosted by Mario Lopez

A game show adaptation of Candy Crush, the smash hit mobile game, is coming to CBS this summer and we can’t wait for it to come to India!

Candy Crush TV Show
Candy Crush TV Show stills

Hosted by Mario Lopez, the hour-long show will feature four teams competing against each other in a massive arena. In an attempt to win up to $100,000, contestants will swing, slide, and swipe to match candies and defeat obstacles, which includes scaling a giant virtual game board.

On average, the King mobile game and its sister title, Candy Crush Soda Saga, are played 18 billion rounds per month worldwide. The series is produced by Pulse Creative in association with Lionsgate, King Ltd., and CBS Television Studios.

Candy Crush premieres Sunday, July 9 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

Courtesy http://ew.com/tv/2017/05/09/candy-crush-game-show-first-look/