PartyWorldwide.net spoke to Julie Dommett,head of marketing at Pioneer Europe, about the company’s approach to licensing and how the market is changing.
How important is licensing to the party trade in general?
“Licensing is hugely important to the party industry. Consumers, especially children, are always searching for products featuring their favourite characters, especially when it comes to birthday parties! We recognise this and aim to provide retailers with the best quality licensed products. That being said, non-licensed products are just as important within our trade, and we feel we have found a good balance between both and can keep retailers happy from both perspectives.”
How has that changed in recent years?
“The way children view content has changed dramatically over the past few years. With the rise of digital platforms, children are now able to watch branded content anytime, anywhere, which brands are taking full advantage of. Children are therefore interacting with brands on a regular basis, meaning they are connecting with characters on a deeper level than children of say, ten years ago. This fact means that the licensing industry continues to grow and expand, and we don’t see this changing in the party industry moving forward.”
How important is licensing to your business?
“Licensing is very important to us and signing the best licences at the right time can and has been very beneficial for our business. Having licensed merchandise in our portfolio often offers us the chance to interact with new customers which can increase our overall sales.”
Which characters/brands work particularly well for you within the party sector and why?
“Preschool brands are particularly strong within the party sector. Paw Patrol partyware has been a great seller for Pioneer Europe this year, as the brand works well for both girls and boys and has great TV content to support. We also recently launched the Pioneer Party premium partyware ranges featuring well known Disney classics including Bambi, The Little Mermaid and Mickey Mouse. With an increased focus on stylised artwork, these have proved very popular since launch earlier this year.”
Which new licences have been selling well recently and which do you expect to perform well in the future?
“Qualatex worked with Universal this year to develop the Jurassic World balloon collection, and the Jurassic World foil balloons have been a great seller for us since launch. The movie performed well at the global box office and demand for balloon and party products is set to continue.”
