This month we caught up with Richard Pink, Managing Director of Pink Key Consulting to pick his brains on best-practise when running a licensed promotion:

Top Ten Tips for running a licensed promotion

1) Value the positive brand exposure – not just the fees

2) Be prepared to ‘sell’ your brand using creative suggestions on types of promotional mechanics and marketing executions

3) Remember you are trying to partner with another brand – not selling your brand to a licensee

4) Try to look for partners who have complementary  commercial objectives and brand values

5) Meet early on to establish your mutual compatibility – don’t do it by email !

6) Get a contract in place early to establish each side’s responsibilities and get everyone focused

7) Be creative with your assets and try to link them as closely as you can with your partnering brand

Create a clear time line of deadlines of who needs to do what be when

9) Meet on a regular basis to ensure that any issues are dealt with efficiently

10) Enter your fantastic campaign for the Licensing Awards for ‘Best Marketing Communication Campaign ‘ !!

Savvy advertising agencies, promotional marketing executives and sales promotion agencies are harnessing the power of licensing well-known brands and characters for their promotional campaigns.

From washing powder to spectacles and health clubs to cereals, TV and book characters are being used by switched-on sales promotion executives to stimulate consumer demand and boost product sales.

Licensing has been referred to as the killer application in the promotional mix whether it’s used in advertising campaigns or in-store. There is no better way to connect with the consumer and attract attention to a particular product that to partner with a brand or character owner. Brands and characters have a special place in the hearts and minds of consumers. They are instantly recognisable and have enormous brand equity.

The number of sales promotion executives attending BLE has doubled in the last two years. Hundreds of promotional deals have been struck there over the past 10 years. There is no better place to find the right brand or character for your sales promotion or advertising campaign than at Brand Licensing Europe.