tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16376811423575862052024-02-19T04:45:28.562-06:00Art and Product Licensing: Thoughts and Comments from Jim MarcotteJim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-50927384249701932402015-07-15T19:19:00.000-05:002015-07-15T19:26:49.835-05:00Atlanta and some Snippets<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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After 15 years of wandering her 7 million square feet of
showrooms, the Atlanta Mart has become kinda like that old friend who never
changes. That friend you aren’t sure you want to spend time with until they
show up, then you immediately drop back into the groove and pick up where you left
off last time. At least until you get tired and wish they would go home.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Every time we go hoping to find new and exciting trends,
enthusiastic partners and huge opportunities. It does happen - after some
markets we have worked and planned all the way home, flush with exciting new options
that spark creative fire. Others have been more toward the “meh” side of the
spectrum. Like this one. It was quiet this year, sometimes eerily so. On occasion
you could look down a hallway and there was nobody in sight. For a hundred
yards. Empty elevators and bathrooms, extra free lunches being tossed, and room
to move at cash and carry. Our clients were taking the “it’s slow but steady” reporting
path, but of course they have to keep the faith. I have been there enough times
that I’m not buying it. But that’s just me. Hopefully they had a big weekend.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Millions of square feet but not much in the way of new and noteworthy.
Loads of shiny stuff, metallics, bling accessories and of course lots of apparel
in the gift showrooms. Camo is mostly gone, chalkboard greatly reduced, but
words are still everywhere. Farm to table and country designs are staples. We did
see simple primary colors showing up on garden and outdoor products, that was interesting.
The handcrafted look is definitely taking front stage now. Real or ersatz cut
and paste, stitchery, block printing, found objects, raw wood and rustic signs –
the maker movement has come to production product. Hmm, how do you balance
that?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Snippets, however, were flying about as usual. Most are
from this market and a couple from conversations and meetings over the last few
weeks:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I keep telling him ‘I love it but I can’t make money off
it’”. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
– a company VP about a concept that keeps getting presented</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“There’s so much good art out there now that unless your
art is stupendous – it’s just more art.” – an agent</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s the if’s, that’s how Surtex sucks you in: if you
get one decent deal, or if something good happens, or if you won’t know for six
months, or if this year it will be better...a lot of if’s for that kind of
money.” –an artist who doesn’t do Surtex anymore</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Where there used to be 100 suppliers now there are 1000.
Literally. We’re working in a very different world.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- a salesman talking about placing products</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“They’re all so desperate to license something that they
don’t realize the value of just playing around with an idea until something
good pops up. It usually takes a few tries before it’s right for anybody.” – an agent talking about their artists</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“What’s coming next is the ‘scanning model’, where no one
gets paid until the product scans out at the retailer point of sale. Some companies,
like Cracker Barrel, are already doing it.” – a sales mgr</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“People who are fast on their feet and can do customized
development for the client, they will be OK. The rest, well….” – a rep talking
about licensed product</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“He represents a big customer so we have to work with
him, but no one can stand it because he has no enthusiasm for the business.” –
an art director about a sales rep</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“There’s a certain fatigue that comes with trying to push
that same rock up that same hill over the years.” – a successful licensed
artist </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We don’t look at portfolios anymore. They have to send
it to us, or have an online site we can look through, or we pass.” – the owner
of a stationery company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We have worked with this factory for years, and our lead
time was always 30 days. Then it went to 60 days, then it went to 90 days, and
now they tell me they need the new designs 120 days ahead of production. All in
two years. Sorry to rush it but we need these to them by August.” – gift
company owner re: additional product designs…mid-July…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s not about having the most SKUs, it’s about having
the most relevant SKUs.” – a sales manager re:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>recent restructuring</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We show them (a mass retailer) the art, but we don’t want
to show them unique formats because they are closely aligned with {a big China factory},
and they just knock everything off.” – from a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Resin products aren’t doing well so we are only
producing the top sellers, no extras or add-ons, while we move in other
directions.” </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
– a gift company owner</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“They insist tomorrow will be another day like today.
They don’t want to think about what these showrooms will look like five years
from now. It’s a problem.” – sales manager about the company owners</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“This place has turned into an accessories and fashion
market.” </div>
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– from a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“You generally have to kill someone to get on an elevator
– this morning I could walk right on. Where are they?” – a rep in a hallway</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“There is so much flat art out there, to get my attention
they need to think in product format.” – an art director</div>
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<br /></div>
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“Good things will come from any show. Just putting yourself
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and markets</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And my favorite:<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">"Mock this up. We have to present our ideas to
four people who cannot visualize anything unless it’s a mocked up product. And
they are in the gift business—go figure.” – an art director</span></span></span></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-33275360068223635302015-05-17T11:13:00.000-05:002015-05-17T11:13:46.764-05:00The Thrill Is Gone<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
First, my best wishes to BB King’s family. When I wrote
this he was battling serious health problems, and now he’s gone off to the Big
Jam. But can’t you hear him singing it?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Remember how thrilling the whole idea of a digital
revolution and social media used to be? One big party where everybody shared
fresh ideas, important life moments and the added bonus of marketing your work
for free. What could be better?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Well…once again, things ain’t what they use’ta be. The digital
revolution is over and digital won. Time to forget the revolution moniker, it’s
just how life is. A whole generation now in the workforce has not known it any
other way. A constant barrage of pitches (and new pitchmen), messages, ads,
IM’s, pokes, posts… to the point where everything gets tuned out. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Google
doesn’t just want to provide information anymore they want to own it all, and then
sell your personal info to top bidder while sucking billions from advertisers
just because they can. (Ads that they now know are ineffective, by the way…) </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Facebook
has become akin to an extortion racket: if you have a popular business site you
are no longer allowed to reach your thousands of followers unless you pay to
promote posts. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Linked In has deteriorated into phony profiles posting promos
and misguided people who repost anything and everything hoping to get some
exposure; meaningful discussions have all but disappeared. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cable companies have
moved from offering a fresh new viewing alternative, to doing their best to
give people no alternative except to pay grossly inflated prices. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Apple has
moved past innovation and amazing design into pushing for profits, profits,
profits (we miss you Steve). </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Verizon buried the desire to be the best under the
desire to make the most, and publicly state they don’t need customers who
complain about high prices. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The list goes on. The big digital companies are so
big, so pervasive in our plugged-in lives that you don’t hear about all the
other little start-ups who hope to take back a little market share—unless you
go looking for them. DuckDuck for search, or Ello for social, or a hundred
others who still have that revolutionary spirit.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And then there is art licensing. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Just as creatives need to look at licensing as one leg of
a many-legged platform for making a living, social media is just one leg in a
many-legged platform to introduce your work to a vast world. What was a golden
river of access and opportunity has turned into a tsunami of content, and being
discovered while bobbing around in the raging water is difficult. And here’s a
shocker for you – visibility on social media has little or nothing to do with
success in art licensing. Most of the people whose names are on those products
in the stores are seldom seen on art licensing forums, actually most are never
seen there at all. (The flip side is also true – the most visible are not the
most successful). </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Likes are vanity, sales are reality.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It has long been said that ideas are worthless but
execution is priceless. You need to act on your inspiration, put it into a
usable form and then find a way to bring it to market. Or as is often the case
now, find multiple ways to bring it to market. “I made this picture, I posted
it and now I want a licensing career” doesn’t cut it, never did. Even if you
did pay for a Make Art That Looks Like Everybody Else’s class. Bringing something
to market is hard work, starting with testing your concept in the real world,
then finding a market fit, identifying the players in that market and then
getting in front of them. And that’s just the first round. Then you review the
feedback, redo what isn’t working and repeat all the steps above. All while working
on improving your skills. <span style="font-size: small;">And the beautiful part is—that’s what still works. It actually helps you stand out from the crowd.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So this is what remains after the thrill is
gone. The hard part. The bump that bounces so many people off the licensing
path: test it first. What all those really successful people are busy doing,
over and over again. Get offline and head outside. Some of the biggest names in
the business are still doing art fairs, and we often run into them at various retail
shows. They are out talking with their customers, trying out new designs, doubling
down on the best sellers and shelving the rest. They have Etsy followers and
Zazzle sites that feed them info. Create it, test it, send it out, rinse and
repeat. It may not have immediate gratification like posting a pic on Facebook
and reading the accolades that follow (which is NOT qualified critique BTW),
but I can assure you if you do the hard work and then manage to get that
product into the market – the thrill is definitely not gone.</span></span></span></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-55890936932044583422015-04-27T20:22:00.000-05:002015-04-27T20:22:15.950-05:00Break It Down<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, you want to license your chicken designs, or woodland
creatures, a particular unique pattern or maybe your poem or clever saying. Good!
But before you head off down the yellow brick road, portfolio in hand, recognize
that what may seem like a single assumption on your part – that you can license
your (whatever) for (whatever) – is actually an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">entire set</i> of related hypothesis. Such as:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. <b><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The art/design is
good enough</span></i>.</b> Licensed art has to be “good enough” on any number of levels. It
is a given that the artist needs to be skilled. But wait, there’s more! Is the
concept fresh, is the subject matter acceptable to the consumer, is the design composition
handled well, are the colors and the technique reproducible on products, and so
on. When a client evaluates art for licensed product there are many factors
that come into play, and any one of them may torpedo a deal. Also note the
opposite of good enough isn’t necessarily “bad”, many times it just means not
usable.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. <i><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">There is more
value derived from using my art than that of my competitor</span></b></i>. If this is not
true, then why would they use your art? There will be a number of factors that
contribute to its “value” for the licensee: the style is currently popular, the
art is already finished, the designer is easy to work with, they have a history
with you or they just like you or your agent more than the next in line
(seriously), they believe you are capable of creatively expanding a line when
the other person is not… the list goes on. Note that some of these may be only perceptions
of the licensee, as opposed to reality, however they carry full weight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. <i><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">There is a need
for the category of product.</span></b></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Maybe you could design the best ever
figurines, calendars, posters, TV lamps, lunchboxes, CD cases, picture frames,
clocks or checks. But why would you? Your client is making a product to sell into
a fickle and changing marketplace, so strive to be in categories that are
healthy, not declining. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">. </b><b><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You can find
the right licensee</span>.</i> </b>First you have to determine what market channel this
product will sell into, and then you have to identify what licensees sell similar
products into that same channel. Then get it in front of the right person at
that company. Easy? Not always, but you need to do that work. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. <i><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">People will
have the required “Me Too” reaction</span>.</b></i> Every product has to connect with the
end user on some level or it won’t sell. Period. They have to need it, or want
it, or want to give it, or want to say it. More often than not your art will be the
face of the product, so people must connect with your art and/or your message. Hopefully
you have already proven they will – art fairs, Etsy, other licenses, your own
line of products – there are many ways to validate your “concept” that will
give you a leg up with a client. If nothing else you will quickly learn what
does and doesn’t work. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is by no means a complete list, and if it seems
complex, well, that’s the point. It can be. No decision is made in a vacuum,
and while you cannot address all the different factors it helps to first recognize
that they exist, and then start thinking about how they will influence whether
you get that license or not. Work on talking to yourself in complete sentences:
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“People like my poems” is nice. “People like my poems on
greeting cards because that helps them say things they otherwise cannot say,
and I have 24 of them arranged as a collection” is so much better. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“I want to license my woodland critters” is nice. “I want
to license my woodland critters as a repeating toss pattern on fabric for
quilting, and I have 3 distinctly different versions prepared” gets you much
further along.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The good news is, the more you practice looking
at the components of the big picture, the easier it becomes to see it.</span></span></span></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-51924153839301112022015-04-03T17:07:00.000-05:002015-04-03T17:07:05.758-05:00Dude, Like, How About My Stuff?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As someone who has been in the sales business for many
years, I was horrified to receive the following email solicitation recently
(from a company we all know and many work with):</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hello my name is
Xxxxxx. I'm with xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx. I'm here to see if you were ready to place
an order with us for this season. I noticed you have been purchashing the
coasters, the every day greeting ccards and the seasonal cards. Please check
out our website to see if there is anything else in there that might catch your
eyes.<br />
www.(abcdefgh).com Also be sure to check out the SALES we have going on for
this month. Don't miss out on some great items. IF you have your order ready
please call us at 800-999-9999 or try our fax at 800-999-9999<br />
I know you just placed an order with us a few months back and I thank you for
that. I just don't want you to miss out on our monthly sales.<br />
<br />
Thanks, hope you have a great rest of the week!!!<br />
<br />
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx<br />
Senior Exectutive Manager<br />
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx<br />
Phone 800-999-9999<br />
Fax 800-999-9999</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Seriously? I have left the misspellings, missing
punctuation, odd spacing and more intact – this is, other than the deleted info,
exactly how it was sent. Yes, we have a tax number, yes we could function as a
retailer, NO we don’t sell those products and NO we have never purchased
anything from this company. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We license TO them.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A few tips on writing your cover letter/intro email to
someone, such as an art director or agent, in our industry:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
1. While art licensing may be appear to be a bit more casual
than typical ivory tower business, it is still a business solicitation and you
need to be professional, both in tone and construction. Look up how a business
letter is crafted and do it correctly. Especially important if you are cold
mailing.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
2. Do your research, do your research, do your research.
It’s that important. You lose all credibility when you misspell a name,
assume they make items they don’t, or send them art that is not related to
their product categories and/or art styles.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
3. Be brief and to the point. Do NOT try to “sell” in the
cover letter. Identify yourself, note that you are an artist asking for
consideration, include maybe one or two sentences about you and your style and then
sign off; that’s about it. (Make sure your contact information is included). We
often get long, rambling intros included with submissions, and trust me on this
– they don’t help your case. Quite the opposite.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
4. The best approach is to send a link to designs that
can be viewed online. In that case it can also be advantageous to send ONE
small jpg as an attachment, however if you do send one make it your best shot,
think of it as a teaser. If you don’t have an online gallery, send ONLY A FEW
appropriately sized, carefully selected lo-res jpgs that show your style and
expertise. Do not send a giant PDF or a big portfolio unless you are invited to
do so. Be sure to have your name and phone or email on every image, they can
easily get separated from your message.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
5. Follow up in a couple weeks to see if they received
it, not to get an answer. If they like it and want to see more they will be contacting
you. If they haven’t had time to review, or don’t see a fit, you may, or may not,
hear back from them. When submitting, just remember they are under no
obligation to acknowledge receipt or give you an answer – some will and some
will not, and there’s no telling which it will be. It’s business, not personal,
so don’t take it the wrong way.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Good luck!</div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-85368015720709747132015-01-26T15:27:00.000-06:002015-01-27T16:45:28.871-06:00Snippets Atlanta 2015<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Well, we made it past the normal incubation period so
apparently managed to get through another Atlanta without catching colds or
flu. This year had us worried with all the hoopla about the expanding pandemic
and the ineffective vaccine. Gettin’ soft, I guess. Or just gettin’ old… nah,
couldn’t be that.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was a good show, not a record setter but now that we
have sent out a bunch of stuff to a bunch of people we are maintaining our
optimism. It seems a lot of the licensees are still reacting to the kick in the
teeth of the last few years and are concentrating on stabilizing their business
while they adapt to a changed market. Inventory control, cash management and
staff reductions are still at the forefront for many, and necessarily so. The
focus will have to turn back to growth at some point, and that will be good for
licensors because the only enduring way to grow a category is through new
product and new customers, which directly translates into more opportunity for
fresh ideas and good design. Of course not everybody will get there at the same
time, and then there’s always the retailer wildcard (since that’s ultimately
where all of the decisions come from) but I think it’s what companies will look
to next in the progression. Grow or die, you know.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So: Snippets. Lot’s of them. Last January’s unbridled
optimism seems to have given way to guarded optimism, as in “things are going well
but we’re not out of the woods”. Some people are happy, some not, but it seems
like most everybody is still in the game. And really, what more could you ask
for?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“People are more practical and less indulgent now and
that has definitely affected our market.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– a sales manager</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Artists need to realize that not every saying works as a
wall plaque. They need an audience.” –an agent</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Nobody should ever get into the apparel business because
of the huge inventory required.” – somebody in the apparel business</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“This is so funny but I don’t know what to
do with it.” – an art director</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“You can’t make anything for children under three
anymore, the entire category has basically been eliminated by safety concerns.”
-CEO of a gift company<span class="st"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“That’s often how it works – they tell you it’s great and
are thinking about developing a program. Then they disappear and stop answering
emails, and it’s generally because some new shiny object has popped up in front
of them.” – an agent</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We like it but don’t think it can work. Anytime you have
to explain a product past a half-dozen words it becomes difficult to market.” </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
-
gift company manager</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We are not putting anything new into production yet, we
would need more positive market information to justify the inventory risk.” – a
gift company division manager</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“Sometimes we reject portfolios because we
can’t see who the person is – the art may be cute but there’s no story to
follow.” – an agent</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s a very clever idea, would be a pure impulse buy.
This is a soar or crash item, I only wish we knew which one it will be.” – a
licensee in a product meeting</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">Ronnie: “So I noticed you don’t have any
women’s lines. Is that by design?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">Manufacturer: “No, it’s probably because
all our lines are picked by three men.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Every little variation or new product in the market is
not necessarily a trend.” – an agent</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“It’s an old look but not old enough to be
retro – so it’s just old.” –comment in a hallway about a new product line</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“It’s funny but year after year the big
lines are still the big lines.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">–an agent</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“She’s going to find out very quickly that
just because you send some art out, that doesn’t mean they will pay any attention
to it. There’s a lot more to it than that.” – an agent who just lost an artist</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“Tell them I already have their stuff.” –
a licensee blowing off a meeting with us</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“Management hates these, but women are lining
up and taking them off the displays as we set them, so I guess they’re wrong.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">– rep overheard in a showroom</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">‘If you have something good send it
anytime. We don’t do call-outs anymore, we just got too much junk.” - a
licensee</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“So here’s the problem: we have good buyer
data from our own DTC (direct to consumer) website, but if the reps don’t agree
with us, or don’t like it, it’s still not going to sell.” – owner of a gift
company</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“We meet with a lot of different artists,
and unfortunately not a lot of those artists think it through to the product.”
– creative director at a major gift company</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“When words are the main feature I think
people get tired of reading them. Patterns work better for us.” – in a meeting</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“It's not so much the molds and resin as it
is the detailed painting because labor costs have gone up so much in China. We
use a lot more printing now.” – gift company owner</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“I’m climbing this ladder to get there,
but I’m not sure where “there” is anymore.” – a widely licensed artist</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“The problem with introducing textiles is
they have to sell well right out of the chute because the MOQ’s (minimum order
quantity) are so high. Management wants items to be selling well in six months,
and to sell through in less than 12, so taking 15 to 18 months to build a
program is no longer an option.” – a sales manager at a gift company</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“I like the sayings but the art is not
where we will need it to be.” – an art director saying no</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st"> “Unfortunately they needed to draw a line
somewhere, and they did it by sales numbers so it becomes arbitrary what skus
stay and what skus are dropped.” – a company mgr explaining line cuts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“Garden flags are a dying business.” –
from a gift company</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“Our flag biz is up 39% over last year.” –
from a flag company</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“Product needs to be fun. If it’s fun they
will buy it.” – gift company owner</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“They’re all looking for something that
looks like something else successful.” – an artist</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“It<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>has been good, and that’s kind of a relief. I think we’ve got it this
show.” – president of a gift company</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“I look for products that I can sell for
19.99 or less, but they need to look like they cost a lot more than that.” – a
small retail shop owner </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“As a creative in this business I have to
be working all the time, and artists who don’t get that are done for.” – a
successful licensed artist</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“It takes a lot of energy to bring a
product line onto the market. You need to create a wave that picks up not only
your own people but the reps and retailers as well. If you can do that – and
then it actually sells too – well, then you’ve got something.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">– gift company
owner</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">And then my favorite:</span><span class="st"><br /> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="st">“No owls. We’re done with owls.” – in a
meeting<span style="font-size: small;"><br />"Any new owls? Owls always sell well if they're cute." - in the next meeting</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="st"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-17798067884524146342015-01-13T17:12:00.000-06:002015-01-13T17:12:24.155-06:00Atlanta – A Study in Contrasts…and Not<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Even when you’re from Minnesota (15 years ago and counting)
a temp of 10 degrees accompanied by a howling wind is freakin’ cold. Welcome to
Atlanta in January. Fortunately it didn’t last, a few days later it was up into
the 40’s, however we were quite happy to get back to Florida: 80 degrees and
humidity. Ahhhh.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The January 2015 Gift Market was good. Noticeably better
than 6 months ago. A lot like one year ago. Which concerns me a little bit,
because one year ago everybody was trumpeting to the heavens what a great
market it was, setting sales records and selling like crazy. <a href="http://twotownstudios.blogspot.com/2014/01/runnin-wild-in-atlanta.html" target="_blank">(See here)</a>. On our
end they were looking at new collections, expanding current ones and asking for
more. Then… nothing exceptional happened. The following July market was ho-hum
and just OK, traffic was down and in between those dates the expanding lines
didn’t expand. We sent out a ton of designs after Jan ’14, but then some of
those “sure-thing” projects became less sure (not that THAT is anything new…).
So, while it’s always great to experience an up market, we have worked a few
dozen of these and I am not remodeling the office just yet. Keep your fingers
crossed, do more good work and ask me in July how January went.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpsUYcDwHbsGb7FmS2gJC7wBhU70AdSc84pGvRBtaOWLj2wkxS56SMqJHD5DcU25EuQpfFyB38q7Ugo0MQtZwEbe0BoNuuILU1oUeK5OG_7fxzTMdICr1RQ0YX8W_-_6AcIZjj5OAaf8l/s1600/Bldg+3-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpsUYcDwHbsGb7FmS2gJC7wBhU70AdSc84pGvRBtaOWLj2wkxS56SMqJHD5DcU25EuQpfFyB38q7Ugo0MQtZwEbe0BoNuuILU1oUeK5OG_7fxzTMdICr1RQ0YX8W_-_6AcIZjj5OAaf8l/s1600/Bldg+3-2.png" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ATL Bldg 3 atrium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That being said, we did have a few observations. Traffic
was good but still not up to previous levels; elevators were sometimes jammed,
some ladies’ rooms had lines and occasionally people were sitting in the
hallways eating the free lunches. As opposed to all of them all the time, as is
the case in a really busy market. Everybody we talked to, bar none, said it was
a good market. Our clients are planning things, but in a more cautious way: they
(mostly) know what they want and aren’t asking for a lot of fluff to consider
later. Instead of “maybe” we heard a lot more “no”, which actually is a better
answer. A number of them have reduced their footprints in the rep showrooms,
streamlined their operations (and unfortunately staff) and tightened the purse
strings on product development. Apparently lessons were learned over the last
few years.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhJEoNuevCVoMtqNveEuFgjLENVnLcR9D-tthe7RwLU7M-8dbrS_ki2XVggrkw4I3XPsbxPgsAzJdjHZd1OvgjxK0LqrS-fJBUQWkQV87cSsL3CR40crsWDGSsbMQ6voy0LRv1PO8dbhH/s1600/Bldg+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhJEoNuevCVoMtqNveEuFgjLENVnLcR9D-tthe7RwLU7M-8dbrS_ki2XVggrkw4I3XPsbxPgsAzJdjHZd1OvgjxK0LqrS-fJBUQWkQV87cSsL3CR40crsWDGSsbMQ6voy0LRv1PO8dbhH/s1600/Bldg+3.png" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ATL Bldg 3 atrium</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There’s always a little bit of everything across the
showrooms, but as we walked we noticed a lack of man cave stuff, Duck Dynasty,
moustaches and non-traditional Christmas. There is definitely a nod toward rustic and
homespun, coarse fabrics, hand stitching and earth tones. There was also more
artist promotion and artist signings, which is good and we hope will continue.
What I wish wouldn’t continue is the “me too” products that show up in so many showrooms.
Everywhere you turn someone has their version of Kathy’s Primitives, or Kelly
Rae, or Glory Haus, or Natural Life, or Simply Southern, or anything that has
sold well. We spend a lot of time going “Hey – that looks like (fill
in the blank)” - but then it’s not. Just another reason to keep those fresh ideas
flowing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So there ya go—another successful ATL market, and in the
words of one of our clients:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I think we’ve got it this show.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sounds good, I'm in.</div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-37662803733564846102015-01-04T17:13:00.000-06:002015-01-04T17:13:59.344-06:00Exploring 2015<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same
place when they can fly anywhere on the earth, then I ask myself the same
question. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
– Harun Yahya</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So here we are - one day we woke up (in Dallas, TX, fyi) and
the calendar has turned over to 2015, and if you’re like me you wonder how the
hell that happened. Wow. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Our Word of the Year last year was “FOCUS”. And for the
most part we did, starting with a hard look at our basic business model and how
can we make it better. The answer? Change it. Do more of what works and stop
doing what doesn’t (anymore). Search for the best, match it up to the results
and set the rest aside along with old traditional method. We didn’t stop there,
nothing was off limits right down to how and where we work and live, and how
that affects (and effects) a creative life. More on that someday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And now we’re into a new year. The market for licensed
art has not diminished as much as people like to say it has, there’s plenty of opportunity.
The fundamentals are the same – you still need a creator who has mastered their
tools to create products that tell a story. But the percentages have changed -
what that story is, how it’s delivered and what will be paid for it is in
constant flux. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But here’s a secret: it has always been that way. We
focus in on our little microcosm of “art licensing” and compare today to how it
“used to be” a decade ago and of course it’s different; some things are more
difficult, some less. Easy digital submission means the bandwagon is getting
crowded, to the point where clients are tuning out all the noise (along with
some of the substance because when everyone has a megaphone no one gets heard).
Advances are gone, shelf time is minimal and trends are vague. Just as no one
can predict the future, in today’s hyper-active paranoid retail market no one
can predict licensing success either. But it takes more effort now to get less,
that much we DO know. Which is pretty much the same lament heard since the dawn
of commerce. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So this leads us to “what now?” I think in a rapidly
shifting market artists that want a licensing career need to become light on their
feet. Change the statement “I do this…” to “I tried this…”, and use the phrase “well,
that didn’t work” more often. The ability to take a step back, evaluate the
impact of your work on the market and then <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">allow
the results to impact your work</i> will be paramount. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This is an important facet of our Word for 2015:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
EXPLORE. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s more than just sales numbers however. It’s all the
other words we did not choose as well: interesting, exciting, intriguing,
exceptional. It’s moving off the path of what used to work and how we used to
do it, and heading down the road of what we LOVE to do--what’s interesting,
exciting, intriguing, exceptional… because when you do those things the story
shines through. And if the story doesn’t resonate with the market then we go looking
for a different story. Learn to move on - grinding yourself into dust by
continually executing on a plan that doesn’t work is such a waste of talent and
opportunity.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
EXPLORE.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s a big world. Passion is not supposed to be a prison.
It’s the fire that powers you and you get to steer it, not the other way
around. Just as creativity is not random, neither is your passion and you can re-direct
it to find a workable audience. Ignore any voice that says you can’t including
your own. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
EXPLORE</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In business, the chances of getting it exactly right the
first time are infinitesimal. There is a reason concepts like pivot, iteration
and minimum viable product are all the rage – because that’s how it works, that’s
how you get there. It’s a process. “Well, that didn’t work” is much more than
just an acknowledgment, it implies a course of action: Next!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
EXPLORE</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Because you love it. Open oysters looking for pearls, search
for the tenth Muse, throw things against the wall because it’s fun to throw
things against the wall. Work your idea machine. Businesses go through hundreds
of ideas to get to the right one, so it’s crazy to believe that it will be
different for you. Continual experimentation is the new normal. You want to
create something magical to rise above the clutter, and once you get there it’s
temporary, so keep that river flowing. The worst you can hear is no, so get out
there and EXPLORE!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Happy New Year!</div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-2182213888459098662014-09-26T19:01:00.000-05:002014-09-27T10:48:21.548-05:00We're Tee'd Off<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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We spent a couple days in Orlando attending the Surf Expo
and the Imprinted Sportswear Show which were co-located in the ORL Convention
Center last week. The hundreds of surfer dudes, awesome ski boats,
skateboarders and strolling bikini models quickly convinced us that our best
beach days are past but we still gathered priceless information on what we can
target, and perhaps even more info about what will never work for us. Both are
good to have. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Over the years it has seemed like every submission we
receive suggests that their art, among other things, would be good for apparel.
Which in reality means tee shirts (and sweats and caps). Unfortunately, people,
that falls into the "easier said than done" column:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The decorated tee business is weird. It’s a big industry
but the VAST majority of it is local, both in subject and production, and often
it all gets lumped into a category commonly called “resort”, where the tee
decorations can cover not only regional locales but schools, sports, outdoors
anything, hobbies, lifestyle subjects, humor, pets, brands and more. There are
thousands of what are called “apparel decorators” ranging from one man shops up
to big factories capable of pumping out thousands of shirts. Over the last
few years large POD websites utilizing direct-to-garment printing, along with
improved technology that’s easier to learn and use have brought stiff new
competition to the game while at the same time order sizes and market times have
been dropping. Sound familiar? Most decorators (who sell wholesale) sell
their tees to boutique level stores and that basic model has not changed for
years. They print up samples, take them to shows (or use catalogs) and only
produce what is ordered. By necessity. Decorated apparel is difficult because
of the inventory challenges – there are many sizes, colors, styles and fabrics
to deal with even for a tee shirt, and it is impossible to guess what will sell
and what won’t with enough accuracy to keep you in business - so they don’t.
It’s also hard for the retailers as they need to lay in an inventory with
significant space requirements, and if it does sell well the most popular
designs/sizes sell out first so they need to reorder frequently to fill in the
gaps. And then there’s that whole trend problem…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mass market tees are a bit different, they are almost
always brand based and often produced overseas in a large run from cheap stock
so they can be sold for ridiculously low prices. Tough business to get in or to
be in. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, what does this mean for a potential licensor?
Basically, it is difficult (at best) to make decent money licensing onto
decorated apparel unless you have a large platform and the potential for brand
status. There are still a few decorators out there who will license individual
designs and they are very picky about what they choose. We sat with one (a
client) at the show chatting about how the biz has deteriorated over the years
– like many licenses, it now pays a few hundred dollars instead of a few
thousand. But, they do keep selling and it all adds up, so not all is lost!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I quote: “Back in the 80’s and 90’s we couldn’t do
anything wrong, but now – now we’re just trying to figure out what’s next and
keep the doors open”. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Yeah, ain't it the truth.</div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-32549157979569450572014-08-27T20:26:00.000-05:002014-08-27T20:26:43.134-05:00Who’s Is That Behind the Curtain?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Periodically somebody in an art licensing forum will ask for
some “manufacturers” to post their opinion on some subject. Fair question, but
there is never a response for a couple reasons: there’s only a handful of
licensees paying any attention to the groups, and most of those that do will never
expose themselves because of the flood of inquiries that will follow. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d say most licensees are bewildered by all the
social hoopla surrounding art licensing because all they want is to source a
component of their product at a fair price without a lot of hassle. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The “Artist” licensing community is very different from
the “Art” licensing community. The first is an empowering peer group, unusually
supportive, generally helpful and a uniquely wonderful aspect of this business.
The second, well, actually the second isn’t a community at all, we just like to
think that it is. The vast majority of your licensee clients will not know each
other, in fact often don’t even know OF each other. A few exceptions do exist,
such as people who have moved between companies or participate in trade
organizations such as the GCA, but it’s a small number. Things are a tad different
when you head into brand territory, not because they are exchanging information
but because most brand activity is high profile and ultimately an effort to
drive sales, hence they maintain an acute awareness of their competitors. But
rest assured Disney is not giving licensing tips to Nickelodeon.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the Artist community the focus tends to be on the artist’s
vision and journey, but on the licensee side of the table it’s ultimately about
cost, efficiency and product performance on the market, and this is where the
wheels start to come off for some people. Don’t get caught up in assuming, and
then expecting, that your interests match up perfectly to those of your
licensees. While they may align well enough to make a saleable product (they
better) many artists are dismayed to discover that ultimately the client’s focus
is always on the outcome, which is to build, ship, and sell at a profit.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The “licensing out” business model can have many
variations but that one constant - that licensees on the “licensing in” side will
make decisions based on THEIR endgame – is always at the forefront. Opportunities
will not be doled out in equal pieces like cake at a party, there’s nothing
fair about how it works so don’t drink THAT Kool-Aid. No one has the “right” to
be successful licensing their work, you only have the right to try - and the
right to work smarter and harder to get more of that cake.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Mmmm - love me a big slice of angel food…</span></span></span></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-1030996056891161082014-08-11T18:31:00.001-05:002014-08-11T18:34:15.755-05:00The Great! Idea Company<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There has been a lot of talk about how the product
licensing market has changed for people on all sides of the equation. There has
been an ongoing flood of new art and artists, designers and concepts, coaches
and contests, all competing for attention in the market. At the same time to
further confound things an economic downturn created widespread risk aversion
among both licensees and retailers, and new retail buying models continue to
force both sku counts and prices downward. But not all models have changed
along with the times – in particular agency representation. Yet.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We are updating how we work to better serve our clients.<br />
<br />
Two
Town Studios (The Great! Idea Company) will now represent product concepts and
design-based collections without requiring that those intellectual property
owners enter into a full representation contract. We will be able to help our
clients cut through the clutter inherent in today’s busy market by providing
them with a steady supply of fresh, fully curated, product-worthy designs. For
artists and designers we can provide an exposure opportunity for those who have
a noteworthy concept they want to market but either don’t have, or don’t want, full
representation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will also continue to
represent a very select group of designers in the traditional manner as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If you are a licensee who is not currently on our email list
(hundreds are) please contact us to receive regular updates of new designs – we
would love to have you! If you are an artist, designer or product developer and
have a collection or concept that you would like us to review, please see the
submissions page <a href="http://twotownstudios.com/?page_id=277" target="_blank">(here)</a> or contact us with any questions. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Come along, it’s going to be an exciting ride!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Check out our new website at www.twotownstudios.com</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-82083606941683104132014-07-22T11:13:00.000-05:002014-07-22T11:51:13.579-05:00Snippets Spring 2014<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">To succeed, jump as quickly at
opportunities as you do at conclusions.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">-Benjamin
Franklin<br />
</span></span>
</span></i></div>
<br />
<br />
Everybody had an opinion. The biggest surprise to me, however,
was how markedly different many of the viewpoints are. No single comment necessarily
defines the direction of the business, and some directly conflict with each
other, of course even in the best of times there will be radically different
perspectives among people holding essentially identical positions in the
industry. But it’s clear things are happening out there. We are hearing about
product hits and company cutbacks in the same day. The need for new licensed
art and the decision to go in-house, both coming from companies that are direct
competitors. So the question is: What’s the take-away from all this?<br />
<br />
Let me know when you figure it out.<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We really don’t want to look through an artist’s entire
portfolio, we want them to send us some of their art made into our products.” –
a creative director</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“They have been making the same stuff for going on 15
years now and it’s starting to fade away.” - a sales manager about the company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Cheap sells. It has to be good but it can’t be
expensive.” – owner of a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“People don’t want icons now, no central themes, it’s
more of a simple look built from texture and color, maybe with some vintage
materials.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
- an art director</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s definitely not just us, there has been a softening
industry wide.” – a sales manager</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We have to be really, really sold on the concept. Have
to be, or we cannot make the investment.” – owner of a gift company </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Our showroom bill is 15 thousand, plus thousands more in
travel, hotels, shipping and personnel expenses – then we write only three
decent orders during the first three days we’re open? How is that worth it?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- a marketing director at the Dallas show</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I hate all this inspirational crap. You are going to get
your life’s meaning from a saying on a coaster? Get real.” – a manufacturer (who
sells some inspirational crap)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Why would I pay out
7 or 8 thousand dollars to meet with someone who wants to do a 3 dollar notecard
line with me?” - an artist explaining why she no longer does Surtex</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“The last 6 months have been terrible. I really don’t
know where the future of the gift industry is going to be, people are
offloading all their clutter because their kids don’t have any interest in it
either.” – a sales rep</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We loved it but apparently it’s too perfect, we think we
need to “rough” it up a bit to get it to sell”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>– a mfr about a (beautiful!) product line</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I can only take so much Christmas before I go cuckoo!”<br />
–
a retailer overheard in the hallway</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“The owners of the mom and pop gift stores are aging out
of the business, and when they can’t sell the stores they are closing them down.
We have lost 600 in the last 3 years – that’s 3 to 4 a week off the books.” –
owner of a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“This kind of stuff we can do in-house; we pay royalties
for unique work we don’t do in-house.” – an art director</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Tiny little attention spans – that’s the biggest problem
with our industry now. ” – an agent</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I get it, but the people we sell to, the shop owners,
they are mostly older women and they will NOT get it. So they won’t buy it.” <br />
–
a mfr about a social media based line </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I could be interested as long as it’s not being sold at
WalMart.” – a retailer to a rep in a showroom</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“She’s not here this time, she got a real job.” –
overheard in a showroom</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rep: “Can I show you the new (famous artist name) products?”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Retailer: “Uh, yeah… not really, we’re kinda over (famous
artist name)”. - overheard in a showroom</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We like the way her mind works.” – art director about a
favorite artist</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We had 400 skus to work with and corporate has chopped
that in half, so we have had to make some tough choices about what goes
forward.” – a sales manager about line reductions</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“No figures. People do not sell for us.” – a manufacturer
about a collection</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s OK. Traffic is a little light but maybe that will
pick up. Sales are up a little but there does not seem to be any buzz in the
market. It’s just… OK.” – a showroom rep in ATL</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Nothing is a real trend right now, so we have to do
everything to see what works.” – a gift manufacturer</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ronnie: “How’s the show going?”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rep: “Well, I wouldn’t call it an unmitigated disaster…”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ronnie: “So, it’s a mitigated one?”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rep: “Sure, let’s go with that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Yeah, everybody wants new – right up until they get it.”
– an art director</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We tried some of her stuff and it didn’t sell well
enough to reorder, so anything new will really have to knock our socks off.” <br />
–
owner of a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It can’t be too complicated for the retailer to sell,
they don’t have the time or the personnel to explain things to their
customers.” – owner of a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And finally, what all of us in this business should be pondering pretty much
all of the time…<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"The<span style="line-height: 115%;"> question is: what are we going to put in the window next time that
will bring people in? THAT is what we are searching for.” <br />– a licensing
director</span></span></span></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-71088723525397489702014-07-15T16:35:00.000-05:002014-07-15T16:40:31.044-05:00Atlanta: Land of Opportunity, or What's Yours Is Mine...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Find a bunch of timeworn phrases on the internet, stencil
them onto all shapes and sizes of wall plaques (wood, metal, burlap, ceramic or
what have you), then maybe add a few chevrons and anchors here and there.
Multiply that by a few hundred companies, some indistinguishable from others,
and you’ve got the recent Atlanta gift market.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Seriously.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Obviously there might be a few additional items to be
found among the 7 million square feet of showrooms, but the place is overrun
with words on walls. It just can’t last, people, so if you are working on yet
another “words on walls” project you may want to ponder how yours will be noticeably
new and different, or even head in a different direction. IMHO.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We spent 3 long days covering A LOT of those 7M square feet.
The doom and gloom of Dallas (see the previous post) was not so evident in
Atlanta, perhaps because it’s a better show even on its down days, but traffic
was definitely slow. We found ourselves alone on elevators in the gift building
four different times, and that’s notable because it NEVER happens, normally you
can barely get on them at all (and these are big elevators). Easy parking in the ramps, empty corridors and escalators,
no lines in the ladies room, leftover free lunch in the showrooms and Market
Clubs – all are reliable signs that the retailers went missing. And as always, clients
were having varied results – some reported good business, some not so good, but
most landed on “it’s OK”. That was definitely the word of the week: Okay. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The move into
accessories by the gift companies has not only continued but expanded into
apparel products. Seems like everybody has sparkly stuff, and now some of them
are showing jackets and tops too. It also seems like celebrity licensing has lost its
luster - whereas the last few years had us tripping over appearance announcements
on easels and shaking our heads over weird product endorsement combos, this
year most of that was conspicuously absent. (And, as in Dallas, Duck Dynasty is
pretty much nowhere to be found). Perhaps we’ll be heading back to good design
and quality product ideas again? What a novel idea…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One disconcerting trend is the increased number of “me
too” collections found throughout the Mart. It has always been routine for
companies to produce a line similar to what is successful at other companies,
but we spotted many that were SO close we had to go examine them for artist
credit. (Which is not there of course…). Bad news for all concerned but there
just is not much remarkable among the new intros, so they are resorting to what
has been proven elsewhere. The good news for designers, as I have said before, is that there is a BIG deficit in the market – the opportunities for fresh, original
thinking partnered with market-wise execution are huge. Put your thinking caps
on.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">People
tend to try and judge a show as either good or bad, while in reality they are
ALL good to some degree. Stuff gets sold and shipped out to the stores, and we get
to talk with clients, see loads of new product and stimulate our idea machine
just by attending, so it’s always worthwhile. The market may have been a little
quiet for the showrooms, however we came back from this trip buzzing with
what-ifs, and now is the time to set those ideas down on paper and start work. January
will be here before we know it!</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-71442181541195277052014-06-24T21:43:00.000-05:002014-06-24T21:54:13.985-05:00Dallas, Tell Me It Ain't So!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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We have just returned from five days in the great nation
of Texas, and as much as I enjoy spending time there it is always nice to get
back to the jungles of Florida. We covered all the Dallas Market buildings top to bottom,
talked to a lot of people, and learned a few things:</div>
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<br /></div>
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- Crowded parking lots and long lines at the ladies rooms
do not automatically translate into good orders for the exhibitors. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
- Duck Dynasty, the hot license last year, is dead and
buried in the gift industry. Fine by me.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
- “Me too” design and product lines are everywhere, both
at the designer and the manufacturer levels.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
- The highly touted and exciting gift industry “recovery”
of the last year didn’t happen.</div>
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<br /></div>
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- The Dallas-Ft Worth Metroplex is continuing to grow at
an obscene rate and will one day cover the entire planet.</div>
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<br /></div>
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While the Dallas show is not nearly the size of Atlanta,
most of the big players have showrooms and the rest are represented somewhere
in the buildings, so it’s a good place to get an early read on the market. What we did not
expect was the language we kept hearing - evaluate, retrench, slow, reduce exposure, wait and
see, soft market - all those words that strike fear into the hearts of
designers and agents. Say what? Yes, there has been this elusive uneasiness
hanging in the background, it’s a bit quiet but weren’t we all convinced that
it had turned around? Of course, it wasn’t all bad news, we did get some
business done, saw some of our new product and now have a better focus for the upcoming
Atlanta market – but it will be very interesting to see what the consensus is
going to be there. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Hmmm... </div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-47258597858417009202014-06-04T20:46:00.000-05:002014-06-04T20:46:32.256-05:00Days of Wine and Roses<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Someone said to me once, about being rejected, “It’s a
lot easier for you guys because you are agents and you really don’t care.” Aw,
come on, I’m not THAT mean! While it’s true we have grown some pretty thick
skin over the years, we really do care about the art, the concepts and the designers,
however to thrive we have learned to put those "no's" behind us and to keep on movin’. It’s
a great business to be in but that comment got me thinking about all those
other “things” that pop up… the things that are not all wine and roses, like…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(cue the blurry dream sequence)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Trying to explain to our licensee that yes, we had
submitted that same design to their competitor, but no, we did NOT give them
permission to manufacture something with it…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Reviewing a portfolio that is filled with perfectly
presented but awful designs and knowing that 1) they worked their tail off
creating it, and 2) then paid somebody to teach them how to present it…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Going back to the artist with yet another change request,
or worse, going back to the client with a refusal to change it – all the while knowing
that either one is going to kill the project…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Learning that your favorite product director has left a
company and is now replaced by one from another company – one who would never
give you the time of day…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Having to tell an artist that the client has changed
their mind and now they are not going forward, even after the many requested changes….</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Explaining that we really do need more new concepts from you even
though (actually because) we have not been able to license the ones we already
have…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Not having a ready explanation for why, since the other
five submissions to this client did not go anywhere, you should submit something new the sixth time…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Not being able to explain why the best license we ever
signed for you only paid royalties for one quarter…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Having to end a designer/agency relationship when you
really like them as a person but the professional part of the relationship is just
not working out…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Seeing the full header on a big client’s Design Call
email because they forgot to BCC everyone, and counting 67 competitors… and
worse yet, knowing that they send those emails out in batches so there are actually
many more…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Looking at the trade show invoice and wondering how 35.00
a square foot is now 50.00 a square foot, and also wondering if you actually
get any ROI from it…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Looking at every design you see through Licensing Goggles
– which can really take some of the fun out of art fairs, galleries, others
people’s walls and shopping...</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
These are just a few of the situations that tend to make us squirm - but I’m not
whining here, just giving you a peek over the neighbor’s fence at the
dandelions. Every biz has it’s up and down moments, however, when all is said
product licensing is a career with lots of rewarding moments - regardless of which side of
the fence you are on.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Just don't ask me to make two of these calls in a row! </div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-10869113910194022942014-04-07T17:08:00.000-05:002014-04-07T22:55:15.106-05:00Fire Yourself!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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There’s an interesting story about the early days of
Intel back when they were primarily a memory chip manufacturer. They were
starting to get hammered by the cheaper Asian chips and the CEO sat down with
the Chairman to discuss what to do. They discussed what would happen if they were
fired – what actions would the new incoming CEO take? They would probably get
out of the chip market was the conclusion, and so they made some adjustments, switching
priorities to growing their microprocessor business and the rest is history.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s a worthwhile exercise for anyone in business, from
the individual working alone to someone running an established company – if you
were let go, what would a newcomer, a turn-around exec with a mandate to clean
house do with (to?) your business?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take
a long hard look through the eyes of a newcomer at what you are doing: What is
going right? What is going wrong? What are they going to axe? Or keep?<br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div>
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Are you…</div>
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Still showing those old collections or products mostly
because you worked so hard on them? (Clean house.) <br />
Still devoting time to a client who hasn’t paid you any decent royalties since
2011? (Back burner.) <br />
Still submitting to the cattle calls of big manufacturers without any results? (Let
someone else do it.)</div>
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Still adding “me too” designs based on what you see in
the stores? (You’re too late.) <br />
Still holding back that new work because it is not quite perfect? (Get it out
there.)</div>
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<br />
Imagine explaining to this new person WHY you do what you do (note that was not
“what” you do). If the explanation starts with “Because I…” instead of “Because
they…” maybe it’s time to evaluate whether your focus is on your customers. Every
business needs a well defined and clear mission that can not only be understood
but also explained or you will eventually lose your way. We all tend to muddle that
up after a time and need to go back and look for the clarity. It may not be exactly
the same as when you started - markets, strategies and even your goals may change
- but you need to find it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Try it - sit down with a pen and paper and fire yourself! </div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-38624164886239651602014-03-08T21:49:00.000-06:002014-03-12T07:35:22.755-05:00You May Be Right… They May Be Crazy…<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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(Ya gotta sing it like Billy Joel)</div>
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So… this time you actually DO know what’s perfect for the
client and their market. You have that great product or collection, it hits all the right notes,
has their name written all over it. You did everything right but the deal still
fizzled due to circumstances WAY out of your control. It happens, more often
than you think, and there is little or nothing to be done about it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here are a few snafus that have tripped us up recently:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>In a big company</i> division rivalries are killing some of
our products as they fight over which categories belong to which division;</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>We design a line</i> for a key retail account, we like it, the
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that we need to dumb it down;</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>We have a unique category-killer concept</i>, great feedback,
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management leaves and everything goes on extended hold;</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>An experienced art director is hired</i> at one of our better
clients and comes in with her own set of favorite artists, and now submission
requests (and our submissions) disappear into a black hole;</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>We are doing some work with an old client</i>, get some items
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<br /></div>
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Happily we have a lot more going on at any given time,
but this is where the danger lies for the “one idea” person – even when your
concept may work on its own merits a roadblock can boomerang out of nowhere and
then – poof ! the deal's gone. Now what do you do? Hitch up your dungarees and trot out
the next idea, the next client, the next…<br />
<br />
Don't have the next one? Might want to work on that before you need it! </div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-1017900224069609362014-02-19T21:18:00.000-06:002014-03-09T19:15:53.842-05:00Put Up Yer Dukes, Infringer<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There
was a long discussion on Linked in recently about registering groups of
copyrighted images, and eventually copyright in general, and as is usual with
these discussions a whole lot of conjecture, opinion and misinformation mixes in
with the facts and sorting one from the other can be difficult. The first thing
we want to do is get the nomenclature correct:</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1.
“Copyright” is a legal concept that grants the creator(s) of an original work exclusive
rights to it’s use for a specified period of time. Copyright can be shared,
assigned, divided and sold (and it may be owned by your employer if you have
one). In countries that apply the Berne Convention standards the creation of the
copyright is automatic upon placing your idea into a fixed form, i.e. on paper,
sculpt, canvas, jpg, video, etc.</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">2.
“Registration” of your copyright provides public evidence that you own the
copyright and gives you certain rights in a court of law to (attempt to) obtain
damages and recoup legal fees if someone infringes upon your copyright.</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">PLEASE
don’t say that you are going to “copyright” your work with the US Copyright
Office (it is not a verb), the copyright already exists and you are going to “register”
that copyright. Using the correct terminology will help to understand the
concepts. So here’s the problem – the government grants the registration but
makes no judgment about the originality of the work, nor will they defend the
validity of the registration or the rights of the copyright holder. The scrap
of paper they give you is only as good as YOUR ability to defend it.</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">So,
outside of the fact that some licensing agreements will require it, why
register your copyrights?</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It
has been said that the only reason to register your copyrights is so you can be
awarded legal fees when you need to enforce your copyright. Simplistic but not
entirely off base either. A valid copyright registration not only looks nice on
your wall but it is a tool, a club that can sometimes be used to bring an
infringer into compliance due to the threat of damages and fees being
levied against them in court. And it works great as a club until they pull a
gun on you (or more accurately a fat bank account) and decide to fight.</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">If we are going to bandy about terms like copyright, register, copy, infringement
and lawsuit, then let's be realistic about the arena you are playing in:
the U.S. legal system, where anybody can sue anyone for anything and defending Intellectual
Property (IP) can be particularly messy. Infringers can challenge the
originality of your work or the validity of the registration, or both. They can
claim Fair Use or first to publish and make you prove otherwise. Licensees can claim ownership of a copyright or claim an artist’s style as trade dress (trust me on
this one). Welcome to IP litigation.</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">If
you're caught lifting somebody's wallet it’s pretty clear that
you did it. But when someone claims that your design kinda looks like the green one
they created sixty days before you registered the copyright on the purple one, and
you licensed it to their competitor causing them irreparable harm in a
certain market segment and they sue, and you disagree - it’s gonna get really expensive. The average cost of a
copyright action (for royalties under 1 million) is over
200,000 dollars BEFORE it reaches trial and almost 400,000 if it goes to trial.
For royalty amounts over 1M it is over 500,000 and just under 1M if it goes to
trial, and it climbs from there (from the American Intellectual
Property Law Association). The costs are staggering and IP litigators do not
usually work on a contingent fee arrangement because 1) there are often no insurance
companies to settle with and 2) the outcome is NEVER assured in an IP case. So
that means hourly attorney rates in the 200 to 500 dollar range, research and
discovery costs, doc prep, expert witnesses, court costs and more, all of it
coming due on monthly bills. For the next year or two.</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">So
here’s what I think:</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">- Register
your copyrights, it’s cheap. And do it early.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">- Keep a record of everything you send out – what to who and when.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">- Never assume. In
our experience (and we get knocked off regularly) most domestic corporate infringements
occur at a low level and many are mistakes, so before leveling accusations
start from a position of compromise - try to turn the infringer into a customer
and execute a contract with back royalties.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">-
ALWAYS act on infringers, starting with “friendly” contact and escalating as
necessary. If you can’t get to agreement, consider working with an attorney to
put together a minimal cost cease and desist letter.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">- The
majority of art licensing infringements will not merit the cost of litigation since you are likely dealing with royalties in the hundreds or a few thousand range. Make a business decision, not an emotional one, about whether you should pursue
legal action. Get used to the idea that sometimes you will just have to walk
away. Yes, it sucks.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">- Think
very carefully before crowdshaming, it can work but it can also leave you open
to serious liability, and you cannot shame a real crook because they just don’t
care (or overseas factories when you can’t figure out who they are).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">- Be
unique, because being the first to market with a signature look is the cheapest
protection you can get.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">Please note: I am not
an attorney nor do I play one on TV. The plan here is to explain some concepts
in real life terms, NOT to give legal advice or to argue the finer points with some PO’d attorney who is now fuming after reading this… even
though that may be kinda fun.</span></span></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-17939381434120823352014-01-27T23:14:00.000-06:002014-01-27T23:26:24.996-06:00Snippets - Talking It Up In Atlanta<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And so I sez to the guy I sez…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Were they talkative or what! Did I happen to mention in the
last post that Atlanta was a good market…? Maybe once or twice? Happy people tend to be more
forthcoming, so I guess they were pretty darn happy at the Mart judging by the
number of worthy snippets. They had me scribbling like crazy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Fashion accessories are doing great – without all these
handbags and jewelry who knows if this building would still be here? This
(gift) industry needed a good push and that’s what provided it.” <br />
– the President of
a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“All this stuff
with words – how many things can you have in your house that are either barking
orders at you or telling you to be fulfilled?” – an agent</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“This is really nice but I’ll have to ask the reps if it
will sell.” <br />
– a manufacturer in a meeting</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Some concepts just need to die a natural death – I have
boxes full.” – a well known artist</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We are definitely in plaque and mug overload now, there
are just way too many to choose from.” – a retailer </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I used to do a ton of them but I haven’t painted a
snowman in five years.” – a well known artist</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We’re trying to downsize the number of artists we work
with, there are a billion of them now. We would much rather sit down and
develop a line as opposed to picking up a piece of it here and there” – an art
director</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“To me it’s like a giant garage sale, pretty soon it
looks like all the same crap everywhere.” – an art director about walking the Mart</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“My puzzle royalties are down so that must mean other
products are selling – puzzles always do better when the economy is bad.” <br />
– a
successful licensed artist</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We’re doing a lot of net and Amazon sales now, and internet
skus have to build for months before you have anything so those production schedules
are completely different than our regular retail one. It’s a crazy model but
we’re really having fun with it.” <br />
– from a garden company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“My God, those are so ugly! You have to wonder who is
buying that.” – overheard in the Mart hallway</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We’re trying to get away from words.” <br />
– a product
director (and a very telling statement…)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Success in this business can be very hard emotionally
because one day you are the flavor of the week and the next day they have moved
on.” – a successful artist</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Your world changed so of course our world changed along
with it.” – a gift company owner to a retailer</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It used to be a great category but China destroyed it.”
<br />
- a manufacturer</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Here’s the problem – too much content in a catalog is
worthless. You get their attention for one line and a picture, maybe 3 or 4
seconds max. If it takes more than that it won’t work.” <br />
– a retailer about a
sku-heavy line</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Our first day open was the best single day we have ever
had.” <br />
– a rep on the phone in the hallway</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Every artist who wants to stay in this business has to
look at things differently now – because it IS different.” – an agent</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Trend is hard. It’s great when you hit one but you
cannot get stuck with one single item in inventory because you will never, ever
sell it afterwards.” – a manufacturer</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Artists don’t realize that what works in New York may
not work at all in California, and they need to pay attention to that.” <br />
– a
gift manufacturer</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I love the idea but I don’t like the art.” – an art
director in a meeting</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s a nice holiday (design) except for the lime green,
we can’t sell any holiday with lime green on it.” – a retailer</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s more about the reps than the retailers. If you can
get one person in the agency to like it, they will tell some others and eventually
rep management decides to push it, then other reps notice or hear about it from
their retailers who want it, so they all push it and then it really takes off.”
<br />
– a gift manufacturer about marketing a new line</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And finally, something we all need to keep in mind….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“This
is hysterical but it’s going to be one of those products where, to make it
work, we need to figure out who we are selling it to and why they are buying
it.” <br />– owner of a gift company about a humor collection</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-73864581975783275082014-01-14T16:11:00.000-06:002014-01-14T22:40:38.217-06:00Runnin' Wild in Atlanta<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Five days in the Atlanta market and I can tell you this –
if I see another wall sign/plaque/wall-anything/ with block/<span style="font-size: small;"></span>script/hand-drawn
letters using the same shopworn messages that can be found on a hundred others
it will be way too soon. And chalkboard design - it is so pervasive now that
they have all morphed into the same look and feel so you absolutely cannot tell
one company’s from another. Usually that means bye-bye trend.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But enough of that. Great show even if the traffic was a
little off. The place was reeking with positivity. Overflowing with
opportunity. Or if Bush 43 was still around, maybe he’d say it had
oppor-tivity-posi-tunity.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
We decided the Word of the Week was “positive”. Everybody
we met with (and in 5 days of running we met with a lot) was up, they were
happy with the way the market was going, the customers were buying and they
wanted to talk product. There was a lot more of “I think we have something
here, expand this, add X more designs and send it to me” rather than the “well,
send it over and we’ll look at it” that used to be the norm. Of course you
never really know until it hits the paperwork (and maybe not even then) but the
message was much more encouraging. We talked with the owner of one of the bigger
rep agencies and she was quite happy with sales at the show because on Thursday
they had their biggest single show day ever with orders topping seven figures. Ya
gotta love that!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of our end-of-day meetings with a gift company was particularly
interesting – we were sitting around chatting with the owners and a couple of
their long term retailers when they asked if the retailers could sit in on our
meeting. We were absolutely on board – what an opportunity to get immediate
feedback from the people who make the final decisions. It turned into a great
session, two hours of presentation, analysis, questions and answers while we
all swilled wine and gobbled handfuls of Chex mix. You can't pay for that kind of education. If I had my druthers it
would be an annual event (well, as long as it’s the last meeting of the day).<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">What’s
Next? is always the question in this business, but it seems to have taken on a
new urgency as of late. If you take away most of what dominates in the market
today – signs with words, chalkboard, Duck Dynasty, various redneck approaches,
camo, woodland creatures – there’s not much of anything left. It’s a great big
hole that everybody would like to fill - a genuine huge opportunity for creatives
if they can find something fresh and new for the market. What it will be is
anybody’s guess at this point, but if you think you know, please call me ASAP, let’s talk…</span></span></span></div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-59869083399720298762014-01-01T22:55:00.000-06:002014-01-01T23:05:00.406-06:00You Are Not Going to Make It in Art Licensing<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If you follow any of the social groups organized around
art licensing for very long you will notice a pattern that emerges: new artists
regularly log on full of hope and excitement, ready to chronicle the launch of their
career in this newly discovered field of art licensing. Questions are asked and
answered, loads of information assimilated, art is sent out and some attend or
exhibit at a show or two. Occasionally there is an announcement of a first
license but often not, and eventually after a frustrating year or two of
banging on the doors the majority fade away.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Licensing your art is hard.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It takes a while to reach this conclusion, but once you finally
get there it’s a shorter leap to another one that can give clarity to your endeavors:
financially successful licensed artists are the exception, not the rule. And by
definition, most people cannot be the exception. You are likely to look back at
your path into licensing and think “this has been a huge amount of work to get to
this point and it’s not getting any easier, I still have to do all the same
things to succeed.” And there you will have it, that reality juncture where you
need to decide if you want to keep doing these “same things” for years to come
- because that is how the business works - or, do you decide that you have fought
the brave fight but it’s time to bid adieu and ride off in search of greener
pastures? Problem is - both decisions are valid. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Art licensing today is an industry in search of a
workable model. The scramble is on - agents and artists who used to make their money
by licensing art are now finding ways to collect from (mostly newbie) artists in
ways that run the gamut from coaching to holding contests. Some agencies are
accumulating artists, hoping that more people earning less money can make up
for the reduced sku counts and short market runs. Branding agencies are taking
on artists and art agencies are promoting brands, and both are consulting for
manufacturers who are buying art worldwide and licensing art only when they
have to. It’s a wild time in the biz.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You Are Not Going to Make It in Art Licensing.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Does that make you angry? The world has always told you
to follow your passion, and you’ve decided licensing your art is your passion
and now some bald-headed jerk is telling you it won’t work? </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
First, passion is overrated. Actually, it’s probably more
accurate to say its relation to your career is widely misunderstood. Ours was the
first generation to believe that what you enjoy doing was the most important factor
in choosing a career. “Do what you love and the money will follow” seems like
great advice - right up until you have to go get a job so you can eat. Cal
Newton, in his book <u>So Good They Can’t Ignore You</u> (yes, the Steve Martin
quote) talks about the difference between the “craftsman mindset”, where you focus
on what value you bring to your job, and the “passion mindset” where you focus
on what your job does for you. It’s interesting to note that those craftsmen types
are much happier, more successful, and eventually, as they build valuable
skills, actually end up being more passionate about their careers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to their research, the real passion
comes AFTER you have put in the hard work to become excellent at doing
something valuable, not before. It’s also important to note that most new businesses
fail, not due to a lack of passion but instead a lack of customers. Reality is mostly
unimpressed by how passionate you are.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The point is: It’s a mistake to think passion can
substitute for competence.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Over ninety-eight percent of the books submitted to
publishers are rejected. Three out of four Broadway productions never make a
profit and close. Ninety-seven percent of patents filed never make enough money
to cover the cost of filing. You know all those creators were passionate about their projects. We have no way to know how many millions
(seriously, millions) of designs are created around the world for licensing but
it’s a safe bet that the submission rejection rate is similar to the above.
There are thousands of artists in this country alone, millions worldwide, all
looking for someone to give them a break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what does it take to get that break in art licensing? Try these:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You have to BE somebody, as in star power or have a well established
platform; or</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You have to be BETTER than everybody else; or</div>
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You have to be DIFFERENT than everybody else. </div>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Artists trying to break into licensing tend to work
on learning more, and hopefully some on getting better, but I think mostly they
need to work on being different. </span></span>A friend said a while
back when discussing a business setback “I’m not a look-back kind of guy”, and
for me that sums up how to approach monetizing our work. Licensed product is a
thriving, dynamic industry driven by millions of customers paying out billions of
dollars for items they want to own, so there is no shortage of opportunity for
innovative design. There are plenty of people in art licensing who are still fighting
a rear-guard action, trying to squeeze the last nickel out of how this used to
work. You can try that too, but of course remember it no longer works for them.
Or you can look forward and get excited about what will be. Study how start-ups
work, learn about marketing in a digital age, read books on innovation, sign up
for smart business newsletters and apply that information to your career, follow
and read Seth Godin, James Altucher, David Aaker, Steve Blank, Danielle
LaPorte, Stephen Key and a hundred others who can feed your mind and fire your
soul. Tune out the elegiac laments and flood the market with your ideas, get
them in front of people, test and measure, and when they don’t work move on to new
ones. When they DO work move quickly to place them across the market, try
various iterations and refreshes until they don’t work anymore – for surely that
day will come – then be ready to move forward with a fresh idea. Become a dynamo and give off
sparks.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Go back and read that headline again. Does it still make
you angry?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Good. What are you going to do about it?</div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-91449949154960214292013-12-20T14:08:00.000-06:002013-12-20T14:08:11.166-06:00Lessons from the Woods<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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Which of these scenarios sounds more appealing to you:</div>
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<br /></div>
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A close knit but wacky family living in the woods who love nature and hunting and share their goofy hijinks with the world;</div>
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Or…</div>
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An intolerant, bigoted group of extremely wealthy people who have amassed many thousands of acres which they use as a private game farm where they can enthusiastically slaughter animals because God gave them the right to do so?</div>
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<br /></div>
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It doesn’t take long to figure out which of those images an entertainment company would prefer (and I can only hope most people would too… which is of course what worries them). </div>
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The current hoopla over the suspension of Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson mostly stems from the fact that Duck Dynasty, as most people know it, doesn’t really exist. It’s a manufactured product. And the company that owns that product has taken action against an employee who acted contrary to the interests of the product owners by making public statements that they believe will tarnish the image.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Oj5qnc_eyOyJyhRbaHL9WpBH9zcAxjNNnoyTbpHlDX3-2LDKac7-FgwaM3XkL3CkLLwJDhhNRJg9m-rQ30OCgGLV7-d3306Ors_CW6qkKabagxFT_zuQvuB3dH0X5TyFrFsRUv2QGDmH/s1600/Ducks+B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gua="true" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Oj5qnc_eyOyJyhRbaHL9WpBH9zcAxjNNnoyTbpHlDX3-2LDKac7-FgwaM3XkL3CkLLwJDhhNRJg9m-rQ30OCgGLV7-d3306Ors_CW6qkKabagxFT_zuQvuB3dH0X5TyFrFsRUv2QGDmH/s200/Ducks+B4.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys prior to the show</td></tr>
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<br />
When art meets commerce the rules change. And when you are compensated for the use of your art you take on certain responsibilities in exchange for that compensation. It isn’t about what’s fair, nor is it an infringement of anyone’s rights because you can always refuse to participate (as in “no, you can’t replace my turtle with a walrus”) – but if you decide to take the money you need to acknowledge what comes along with it. </div>
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As the saying goes "The devil always arrives carrying cash".<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
<br />Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-49136138566415285002013-12-17T14:05:00.001-06:002013-12-17T14:05:39.192-06:00TV Time<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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We always have pads of paper and pen sitting on the
coffee table (and every counter, nightstand, desk and more) and they get a lot of use in our house. One thing I can never
resist is writing down memorable lines from whatever we happen to be watching
on the tube (that's the beauty of On Demand, you can rerun it a few times). Here, in no particular order, are a few that have some relationship
to our creative world…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It turns into ‘just say your lines and then get off the
stage’. It’s kinda sad.” – Dustin Hoffman on the reality of art as a business</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I didn’t have what they needed today, but I’m not done
by any means.” – a rejected contestant on <u>The Voice</u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“If you’re looking where everybody else is looking then
you’re looking in the wrong place.” – Mark Cuban on <u>Shark Tank</u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">“She wants to know all the
secrets in the How To Be Successful handbook, but sadly that book does not
exist.” – Adam Levine on <u>The Voice</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“They are not right. They are exactly as I wanted them,
but they’re not… it.” – Peggy on <u>Mad Men </u>about some design ideas</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“The old business models are irrelevant. You need to find
your place in this new market.” – a record producer on the series <u>Nashville</u>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s not OK to just assume that everybody knows the
right thing to do, because they don’t.” – from a <u>CBS Good Morning</u> story
on internet plagiarism</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“She is fitting into a pair of shoes that people have
seen worn before.” – Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20) on <u>The Voice</u> about lack of
originality</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Fashion will always be about balancing art and
commerce.” <br />– Michael Kors on <u>Project Runway</u></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“If ten people insist you’re a horse, it’s time to buy a saddle.”</div>
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– Jack Rosenblum</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“No deal is always better than a bad deal.” – Mark Cuban
on <u>Shark Tank</u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I had no way of knowing that there was madness in what I
was doing.” – Sidney Poitier on becoming an actor without any experience</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Luck is only important as far as getting the chance to
sell yourself at the right moment. After that, you've got to have talent and
know how to use it.” – what Frank Sinatra said about luck</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“You’ve got to look at how our business is now – you need
to get visibility to make it and that’s really hard to come by.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- from <u>The Voice</u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Whenever you feel you are pushing it (the design) into a place it
doesn’t want to be, then pull back.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-Tim
Gund on pushing the envelope (<u>Project Runway</u>)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“There are two kinds of products – those that are
revolutionary, and those that are like other things out there." - Lori Greiner
on <u>Shark Tank</u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I didn’t make the rules, I just know them.” – a music
producer on <u>Chasing Nashville</u> about the importance of image </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Everybody who walks into the Shark Tank is fully
committed – but that’s not enough by itself.” – Mark Cuban</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Creative is not a science. It’s about design AND telling
stories.” </div>
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– from <u>The Pitch </u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Now, who said there's never anything good on television?</div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-37559081099399157742013-11-20T21:43:00.000-06:002013-11-20T21:43:12.526-06:00Hey, Remember Me?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There
have been some (shocking but actually not surprising) statistics floating
around the net lately, reportedly from the National Sales Executive Association,
that illustrate how important follow-up skills are to sales success:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">48% of
sales people never follow up with a prospect<br />
25% of sales people make a second contact and stop<br />
12% of sales people only make three contacts and stop<br />
Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts<br />
However…<br />
2% of sales are made on the first contact<br />
3% of sales are made on the second contact<br />
5% of sales are made on the third contact<br />
10% of sales are made on the fourth contact<br />
80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These
statistics don’t mesh very well with the fantasy of being discovered, an overnight
success, or taking the industry by storm, because that’s exactly what those are
– fantasies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why do we
care? Because success in art licensing requires selling, and successful selling
requires action – targeted, repeated action that not only delivers your designs
to the right people over and over again, but also allows you the opportunity to
gather information at the same time. (Think: keep asking questions…). Many
artists become frozen in place trying to learn everything about the industry,
and while learning as much as possible can be part of a great plan it works best
when coupled with activity. We are in a learn-on-the-fly business in no small
part because what you are learning will change as the business evolves - there
are few hard and fast rules left anymore for those making a living as a
creative.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Another way to look at this is through the lens of relationship selling,
or RS. One of my favorite commandments of RS is “the product is not the product”,
meaning the relationship has to build first and THAT is the product you are
working on. People buy from people they like and trust, and a sale is usually the
outcome of building a relationship over time – hence the many contacts and the
necessity of following up. Your clients have many suppliers to choose from and
many variations of a theme will often work for them – but there is only one production
slot. Artists say they don’t compete with each other because the art is all
unique, but that can be a mistake because you ARE competing for every
opportunity to place a design. You want to be the person they think of when
they need to fill that spot, and one good way to stay top of mind is to keep working
your follow up.</span></span></span><br />
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-13849523405483131732013-10-25T16:16:00.000-05:002013-10-25T16:16:22.140-05:00It's Not Only What Will It Be, But Where Did It Come From?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There has been some recent hoopla on the net regarding
an artist who went public about several of her designs being copied (and it
seems like they were) by a well known gift supplier. Any number of bloggers
have posted their admiration and support for her bravery, and some big
retailers actually cut ties with the gift supplier because of it. But there is a fly in the
ointment – an art critic matched up the designs to several photographs widely available
on the net, and they do match. Perfectly. And now people are researching her
past work and matching some of that up to other photos…oops…</span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I
am both amused and dismayed that so many artists who quickly ripped into the manufacturer
have gone silent now that it has been revealed that the artist’s (un) original
designs were traced, apparently without permission or attribution, from other
people's photographs. The infringing manufacturer's position is indefensible,
no question there - but so is that of an artist tracing copyrighted work and
calling it their own. Nobody should get a pass here. And what of those other
licensees with legitimate licensing agreements that are now looking at their
product lines as potential infringements (against various photographers) and are waiting
for the other shoe to drop? If it does those costs could be catastrophic. <br />
<br />
There is no future in maintaining a "poor artists against the mean
manufacturers" attitude, it will very quickly poison your relationships
and ultimately your career. Here at Two Town we truly like the vast majority of
the companies and people we work with and can count many good friends among
them, and it seems I find myself advocating <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>consideration of the licensee side of things
far too often because many artists automatically jump to the “manufacturers are
bad” side of things. Yes, infringements do occur but the truth is you are way
more likely to be ripped off by another artist than by a potential licensee. <br />
<br />
There is a lesson to be learned here, and it's an unpalatable one - in this biz
of art and product licensing sometimes it IS all about the money, and that fact will
pop up on either side of the equation. It can lead to hard knocks for sure, but
you can usually duck them if you stay original, do your research, write good
contracts and use your smarts.</span>Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1637681142357586205.post-86328094451942210512013-09-09T22:26:00.000-05:002013-09-10T14:18:53.505-05:00Snippets - Dallas Meets Atlanta<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One of the great things about the gift markets is that
you can interact with a wider variety of people than you will see at Surtex or
Licensing. The mix of owners, reps, art and licensing directors, sales managers,
retailers and our fellow artists and agents makes for some wonderfully diverse
viewpoints. It also made Dallas and Atlanta ripe territory for snippet picking as
you will see. It seems that while most people feel business is improving, the
sting of the last few years has not gone away and “proceed with caution” is still
the word of the day:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s a lot of time and work to intro a new product, plus
someone has to keep following it all the way through to the launch.”<br />
– owner
of a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“The market is telling us something different than what
we had expected on this line and you have got to listen to your market.” –
about making some responsive line changes</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Do you want to make a statement or do you want to make a
deal?” – an agent about difficult artists</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“The shelf life of a piece of art is so much shorter.
Where we used to get 4 or 5 years out of a good seller, now after one year we
are looking to cycle it out of the line because sales have already dropped.” –
owner of a home décor company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Have you seen the crazies on there lately? I keep adding
to the list of artists I’m never going to work with.” - an art director talking
about Linked In</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“The problem is they’re not asking anybody who has a
qualified opinion – it’s like asking your mother over and over again “Am I
pretty?” – an agent about artists evaluating other artists’ work on social
media</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We have learned that our salespeople are not
enthusiastic about being the first to market – they’d rather see it somewhere
else first.” – an art director about fresh new concepts</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“There are so many ideas coming at us now, especially with
Pinterest and all that, that we couldn’t possibly do all the good ones.” -
owner of a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I don’t know why they don’t have more artists mingle
with the sales reps because it energizes the reps so much to meet them.” - a
sales VP</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Our focus is on branded lines now, we really don’t do
anything with individual designs anymore.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
- licensing exec at a big gift company explaining their
new focus</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We would blow off this show if being here wasn’t a
requirement to keep our (prime) location for the January show.” – an exhibitor
in the Atlanta temps about the summer show</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I don’t care about recognition or awards or any of that
stuff. I design for a particular market and what I care about is whether they
buy it.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- a well known licensed artist</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We don’t just want it to sell in, it needs to sell
through. Selling through is what validates a product.” – sales mgr at a large
gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We had it priced at 11.00 wholesale but the packaging
wouldn’t hang on the hook, it needed to be stronger. The redo pushed the price
up to 14.00, so now it’s almost 30.00 retail and that was too much.” – about problems
marketing a product</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I am so tired of seeing all these products made with
horrible art and hackneyed phrases they pulled off the internet.”<br />
– a licensing
agent </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Here’s the problem: everybody and their brother has a
product in this category, so it’s incredibly competitive and the margins are
really thin. There is just no room to pay royalties anymore.”<br />
– licensee
explaining why they buy some shelf goods for their line</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“She doesn’t seem to have anything new – what, is she on
hiatus?” – art director’s remark (that you never want to hear!) about a
portfolio</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I get really tired of this “we’re all sisters in this
business of art licensing” thing. I am not giving you my client name just
because we both have a uterus.” – a successful licensed artist</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I hate to say it, but in this business you are only as
good as your last product.” – owner of a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s not just ceramics - everything is more expensive.
We are using a lot more wood, paper and printing instead of sculpts because of
the price.” – owner of a gift company</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s Trade Show 101 – lot’s of light and color.” – a
gift show exhibitor about their bright and colorful display </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And my favorites: </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"Every time a new or relatively unknown artist talks to me about
developing their "brand", marketing their "brand", and how
they're such a unique "brand", I just want to set myself on
fire." – an art director </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I'm taking a few moments to recover from the wind burn I
just got from [a gift company] whipping thru my portfolio.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
– an artist at the Atlanta
Mart </div>
</div>
Jim Marcottehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023296085335282304noreply@blogger.com9