Card-makers seek fresh licensed content

Licensed products remain an important part of the card category. “Licensing keeps the category fresh,” said Carlos LLanso, CEO of Legacy Publishing and president of the Greeting Card Association. “There’s only so much design work many manufacturers can do in house, so licensed artwork is key to keeping product interesting.” Legacy Publishing is introducing new cards featuring the art of the Hautman Brothers, who have won awards for their designs of ducks.

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Susan January, VP at Leanin’ Tree, said that as a smaller company, everything Leanin’ Tree publishes is licensed imagery, and the company refreshes with a few small collections of newly licensed artwork every January. “Most art trends have a three-to-five year life cycle at retail, so greeting card manufacturers are constantly looking for fresh and exciting new licensed art for their product line,” she said.



Character licenses remain some of the most popular licenses in the category. “Some of the most successful properties in our portfolio include Peanuts, Disney and Lucasfilm,” said Cindy Mahoney, VP of licensing at Hallmark. Mahoney said that Hallmark relies on a balance between evergreen properties whose equity emotionally aligns with the Hallmark brand, and topical licenses the company believes will be popular for a short period of time. “Our product plans contemplate the balance of both types of content to ensure the most productive and relevant assortment for our retail partners,” she said.



Hallmark and “Star Wars” have partnered for more than 20 years. “Although it’s evergreen, there are time periods when it’s extra timely and hot,” said Mahoney. “This quarter Hallmark is timing product to the highly-anticipated ‘Star Wars’ movie, and we’ll bring the force to the greeting card aisle in a variety of ways.”



Licensing also impacts audio, a growing aspect of the card department. “Our product has always focused on original artist vs. re-records, and relies on music that evokes shared moments and experiences between the card giver and the recipient,” said Mahoney. Hallmark’s new Sound Band Greetings feature a variety of licensed properties and music, such as “Frozen” and the song “Let It Go.” Each Sound Band Greetings card includes a detachable stretchy wristband that allows a child to play a favorite song or fun sound with the push of a button.



Mahoney said wrap is a key category segment for licensed products, as well. “We have exclusive ‘everyday’ rights for all of our properties under contract, including hot properties with theatrical releases this year like ‘Star Wars: Episode VII,’ ‘The Good Dinosaur’ and ‘The Peanuts Movie.’ Other key gift wrap licenses include Disney Princess, Justice League and Batman. When we apply Hallmark’s unique creative perspective with the power of the licensed content in a gift presentation solution, we see great results,” she said.