Remember the first time you bought a t-shirt with a band's logo emblazoned across the chest? Or the logo of your favorite soft drink? How about a pair of designer jeans with the designer's name on the back pocket? A Spiderman lunchbox? Did you have a Star Wars figure in your collection? If you had any, or all of these or, in fact, any similar product that demonstrated your preference for a certain brand then -- even if you don't exactly know how the name or logo got on the object you bought -- you are aware of licensing even if the process of getting licensing products to market is a mystery.Now, if you are like I (or like I was until a few days ago) you really don't care. As long as you can buy that High School Musical lunchbox for a kid who loves the show, it doesn't matter to you exactly how how the product was tied into the High School Musical brand. But, I learned that the world of licensing is a fiercely competitive one, with almost every brand you can think of involved in licensing as a method of increasing brand recognition. I learned this last week at the Licensing International Expo that was held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center here in Las Vegas.
It's Been Happening Since Mickey Mouse Was Born: The Business of Licensing (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-sterling/its-been-happening-since_b_610149.html)