7 MARCH
LICENSED TO PLAY | HOW BRAND PURPOSE IS THE PLAYBOOK OF MATTEL
From Hot Wheels to Barbie, Mattel is home to a wide roster of truly iconic brands – brands that supersede just one category, from toys to clothes, attractions to publishing, Mattel has written the playbook of a full franchise portfolio. Driven by the four principles of brand purpose, design-led innovation, cultural relevance, and executional excellence, the Mattel playbook is the heat behind the fire that sparked its turnaround and the blueprint that’s reenergising its entire brand portfolio.
The Mattel approach is more than a promise, it’s brand purpose that influences everything from messaging and design to execution. In an exclusive Q&A session Ruth Henriquez, Mattel’s Head of Consumer Products EMEA, explains how her team engage consumers and open up the dialogue with new partners to tell the right story - putting the right people for the right roles throughout the team and empowering them to go do great work.
Speaker:
Ruth Henriquez, Head of Consumer Products, Mattel EMEA, UK
BUILDING BRANDS THROUGH ANIMATION, PUBLISHING AND TOY
Children's content, despite multiple digital evolutions, bases its foundation on video content, publishing, and toy. These three assets allow a brand for children a solid and long-lasting life cycle. In this panel we will go deeper into the interplay between these worlds, and how they have become increasingly synergetic and complementary with each other, with a look at the evolution of the individual areas of publishing, animation and toys.
Speakers:
Jiella Esmat, Chief Revenue Officer, Amuse Animation, UK
Sara Visentin, Head of Brand & Content Acquisition, FABA, Italy
Chanda A. Bell, Co-CEO and Chief Storyteller, The Lumistella Company
Moderated by:
Ben Roberts, Content Director EMEA, License Global, UK
CASE HISTORY. ZAG, MUCH MORE THAN A POWERFUL CONTENT HOUSE
With an unprecedented launch last January, Zag is the first entertainment company to create an in-house Toy Division to complement the development of franchises that have determined the group's worldwide success, as Miraculous - Tales of Lady Bug and Cat Noir. Zag Play does not only bring new products to life and on the shelves, but also gives new stimuli for the development of increasingly engaging content for children. In this panel, a discussion on the group's strategies and new scenarios and on how their evolution also falls within the more complex dynamics of the industry, between Toy and Entertainment.
Speakers:
Helena Perheentupa, SVP, ZagPlay, ZAG, Germany
Maria Doolan, SVP of TV Content, The World of Zag, Spain
LICENSING AND SUSTAINABILITY.A NEW APPROACH FOR FASHION AND TOY
Panel organized in partnership with Products of Change
Products of Change returns to Bologna to bring to industry’s attention the issues of sustainability and how they are increasingly central to every production cycle. In this session, the topic of sustainability and consumer goods will be addressed with a focus on toys and fashion, with two key protagonists of these categories.
Speakers:
Helena Mansell-Stopher, CEO, Products of Change, UK
Jutta C. Breyer, Managing Director, License Factory, Germany
Jakob Max Hamann, Product Sustainability Manager, LEGO Group, Denmark
Case study. Preview of MAVKA. THE FOREST SONG
Mavka. The Forest Song animated movie will be released internationally starting Spring 2023. The premieres will be in Europe, the USA, Canada, and MENA.
The story is based on a famous Ukrainian fairy drama of Lesya Ukrainka. This is the reason why children and families have been waiting for this animated feature film for 5 years since the announcement of the very first teaser. Thanks to the huge consumers’ demand, dozens of licensed partnerships were implemented even before the movie première. This presentation shows an extraordinary case history with challenges, achievements, and prospects.
Speaker:
Tetiana Ruban, CEO, The Nerd Agency, Ukraine
FROM BOOKS TO A GLOBAL OMNICHANNEL EXPERIENCE. MOOMINS BEST PRACTICE
A brand born from the books and stories by Tove Jansson in 1945 and which has set the standard in the publishing, entertainment, licensing and other industries. A reference in the development of sophisticated and avant-garde lifestyle products, one of the first brands to open branded flagship stores in the world, in Covent Garden, London, up to the most recent retail launch in Tokyo. Its stories always up-to-date and its audiovisual production always in full swing. This and much more is about Moomins, one of the best practices of the synthesis between publishing and licensing.
Speaker:
Roleff Kråkström, Managing Director, Moomin Characters Ltd, Finland
CHANGES IN FAMILY CONSUMPTION, AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE LICENSING INDUSTRY
Kids and teens in today’s world are constantly connected, financially empowered, and socially conscious. They are becoming increasingly influential within the household, and the speed of change is significant. As a result, the licensing industry needs to transform quickly in several ways if it is to keep up with to the changing attitudes, behaviors, and consumption patterns of this generation of kids, teens, parents, and families.
Speaker:
Ivan Colecchia, SVP International Development, The Insights Family, Italy