The World of Eric Carle Takes Center Stage in Chicago

The Chicago Tribune recently posted a rave review of Mermaid Theatre Nova Scotia’s production of “A Brown Bear, A Moon and A Caterpillar: Treasured Stories by Eric Carle.” The show is playing at Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre through May 27th and is presented by the Chicago Children’s Theatre. The play brings some of Eric Carle’s iconic characters to life through puppetry. Eric Carle’s theatrical productions are performed around the world, recently completing a successful run in London’s West End and scheduled to travel to Singapore later this year. Mermaid Theatre has sold over 1.5 million tickets to Eric Carle live shows.

Learn more about “A Brown Bear, A Moon and A Caterpillar: Treasured Stories by Eric Carle.”

Read the full review from The Chicago Tribune.

Mountain Dew Introduces Exclusive Green Label Snapback Cap

The Joester Loria Group has partnered Mountain Dew with lifestyle brand Diamond Supply Co. and hip-hop artist Mac Miller to create a new Mountain Dew Green Label Exclusives limited edition cap.

The Mountain Dew limited edition snapback cap, designed by Mac Mill and Diamond Supply Co.’s creative team, will be sold exclusively on Karmaloop eStore site starting on May 28th. Check out the a Mountain Dew video featuring Mac Miller highlighting the partnership, by visiting Karmaloop.com and clicking on the product.

Read more about Mountain Dew’s latest brand extension on LicenseMag.com.

Annoying Orange’s Latest Brand Extension: Real Annoying Gummies and Fruit Snacks

The Joester Loria Group is continuing to add new product categories for The Annoying Orange and are very pleased to announce that the license for Annoying Orange fruit gummies and snacks has been granted to Sunrise Confections, a division of Mount Franklin Foods. The Annoying Orange Real Annoying Gummies and Fruit snacks made their debut last week at the NCA Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago.

The Annoying Orange Real Annoying Gummies and Fruit Snacks include five flavors: orange, punch, apple, lemon, and grape and are available in snack pouch and theater box sizes with packaging that features both everyday and seasonal designs.

This exciting news comes on the heels of Annoying Orange announcing its latest cast member, Toby Turner, who is set to join the television series that will premiere on Cartoon Network this June.

Thanks to Global License Magazine, The Licensing Book, and Cynopsis Kids for sharing Annoying Orange’s latest licensing announcement.

Social Media Marketing Showdown: Pepsi vs. Coke

Econsultancy recently launched a weekly series in which they will compare two household brands’ Twitter and social media marketing efforts. Last week, they put our client Pepsi up against their competitor Coke.

The article points out that both Pepsi and Coke are beginning to focus their overall marketing efforts on storytelling and content creation across all channels including social media. However, Pepsi was first to shift their focus to storytelling through social media channels with its Refresh Project in 2010. Pepsi is also focusing on video content and therefore utilizing Facebook and YouTube more than Twitter since it’s not as visual as other social media platforms.

The article describes Coke’s Twitter account as more of a customer service tool since they mainly respond to customers’ Tweets while Pepsi continues its storytelling on Twitter by sharing interesting brand content. Additionally, Pepsi’s Twitter content more clearly reflects its brand’s tone and voice. Econsultancy points out that Pepsi often shares non-branded content that Pepsi brand fans would be likely to enjoy.

The Econsultancy article is also accompanied by an interesting infographic that compares the brands side by side. Based on a number of factors, Econsultancy declared Pepsi the winner of the showdown. Check out the full article and the infographic about the brands.

New Client Alert: Kellogg

Kellogg Company, the world’s leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of snacks and frozen foods, has appointed The Joester Loria Group as the exclusive licensing agency for US and Canada.

The Joester Loria Group has been tapped by Kellogg to develop and execute a strategic licensing program for the world’s leading breakfast brands, in categories including housewares, home goods, apparel and select food brand extensions.

Joester Loria Group will represent a wide variety of Kellogg brands including Apple Jacks, Cheez-It, Eggo, Froot Loops, Honey Smacks, Keebler, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Special K, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Kellogg’s Raisin Bran and Rice Krispies, as well as its extensive archive of art and characters dating back to the 1920’s. The iconic characters include Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, the Keebler Elves and Snap, Crackle and Pop.

Thanks License! Global Magazine for sharing the news last week.

Annoying Orange Television Series Welcomes Toby Turner

The Annoying Orange web series is now set to premiere as a primetime television series on Cartoon Network this June.

Annoying Orange, the YouTube sensation created by Dane Boedigheimer, is one of the top 10 most watched YouTube channels with more than 2 million subscribers and over 1 billion views. Now, Annoying Orange is extending its media platform with a television series scheduled to debut on Cartoon Network in June 2012.

Toby Turner has joined the cast as the human character, Nerville, a night shift maintenance manager at Daneboe’s market. Turner, known to YouTube subscribers as Tobuscus, is a YouTube star in his own right with more than 1.7 million followers.

The Joester Loria Group, Annoying Orange’s exclusive licensing agent, introduced Annoying Orange consumer product in Holiday 2011 and is readying a fresh squeezed collection of apparel, toys, electronics, publishing, accessories and, of course, delicious fruity gummies and confectionery for Holiday 2012 and beyond. Stay tuned for more news as the excitement builds around the Annoying Orange and the kitchen crew.

For more information about Toby Turner joining the Annoying Orange cast visit:
*Tubefilter
*Cynopsis Kids
*Cynopsis Digital
*Multichannel News
*B&C
*Animation Magazine

Pinkalicious Teams Up With Burger King For An Exciting New Promotion

Burger King launched its second Pinkalicious promotion in over 7000 locations on Monday, April 23. Customers will receive one of six Pinkalicious premiums including a Pinkalicious figurine with ring comb, a Pinkalicious Star Bright Wand, a Pinkalicious tiara, Pinkalicious journal, Pinkalicious friendship bracelets or Pinkalicious hair play barrettes, with any kids’ meal purchase.

Burger King will support the Pinkalicious promotion on BKCrown.com and include interactive Pinkalicious content featuring “pinkatastic” fun and games. Additionally, participating restaurants will promote the brand extension with a Pinkalicious BK CROWN™ box and a point-of-purchase display.

The Pinkalicious toys will be available at participating Burger King locations through June 3, 2012.

Check out aNb Media’s coverage of Pinkalicious’ latest licensing deal and to learn more about the Pinkalicious licensing program, please visit http://www.thinkpinkalicious.com/

Joester Loria Group’s View on Brand Extension

Branding Strategy Insider recently posted an interesting article explaining how brand extension can be considered both a friend and a foe. The article defines brand extension as expanding a property into new, adjacent categories with the ultimate goal of gaining the best financial return. The Joester Loria Group focuses on developing great brand extension for our clients and we understand the importance of closely aligning with the brand’s core values.

Branding Strategy Insider highlights My Dirty Jobs, a line of cleaning products inspired by Discovery Channel’s hit series. We are proud to have brokered this deal and delighted to see Brand Strategy Insider applaud the link between what the brand and the brand extension, saying “the fit between the well-known TV show and a line of cleaning products makes good sense.”

Read Branding Strategy Insider’s full article about brand extension.

Read the Joester Loria Group’s post about the My Dirty Jobs Line of licensed cleaning products.

Building A Brand Strategy with Pinterest

Pinterest, a rapidly growing social media application where users create virtual pinboards and communicate with others that share similar interests, recently claimed the title of the internet’s fastest growing social media website. Here at the Joester Loria Group, we view Pinterest as a valuable social media channel in building a brand.

Pinterest is an excellent example of how consumers interact with brands and branded product. For example, as the exclusive licensing agent for Pinkalicious, we have found countless themed parties centered around Pinkalicious products such as paper party supplies and dolls. Users share their ideas, photos, and comments about the products, allowing the site to act as a virtual focus group. Users also are given the experience of communicating directly with the brand.

Another Joester Loria Group client, Diet Pepsi, uses its Pinterest account to show product extension. Its boards display fan photos, recipes, and inspiration that is not directly linked to Diet Pepsi products but rather the lifestyle embodied by the Diet Pepsi brand. Pinterest allows users to connect with Diet Pepsi in a different way than traditional brand marketing.

We look forward to seeing Pinterest continue to grow and invite you to visit the following accounts:
http://pinterest.com/iampinkalicious/
http://pinterest.com/DietPepsiPins/
http://pinterest.com/worldericcarle/

Marketing Debate: Can Too Much Brand Awareness Be Damaging?

A recent USA Today article about brand awareness and trademarks raised some interesting questions about the effects of extremely high brand recognition. The article suggests that when a brand name is “genericized”, it can cause the brand to lose value. Examples include the iPad being synonymous with the tablet computer, Kleenex being used as the term for facial tissue and Band-Aid being used to refer to all bandages.

While high brand awareness is usually the goal of any marketing campaign, the article explains that it can also create issues when it comes to trademark law. The article gives the example of Bayer losing its trademark for aspirin in the 1920s and discusses what ubiquitous brands like Kleenex, Xerox and Band-Aid are doing to protect their brands’ trademarks.

However, some brands are shown to benefit from defining their industry. Two examples of brands that have benefited from their high brand awareness are Google and Apple.

At The Joester Loria Group, we recognize that brands have enormous value and that it is essential to diligently protect every brand’s integrity and equity.