In addition, multigenerational licenses can offer a
nostalgic appeal directly to childless adults who are
willing to buy higher priced figurines or playsets that
they can display within their home and give toy
makers an extra demographic to market toward. As
millennials in North America and Western Europe are
delaying having children, this childless demographic
will become an increasingly important area of tradi-
tional toy growth.
LOCAL LICENSES GROWING IMPORTANCE IN ASIA
PACIFIC
Within Asia Pacific, local licenses, such as Anpanman
in Japan or Turning Mecard in South Korea, are
becoming gradually more important and are adding
new opportunities for licensed toy growth. These
licenses distribute their media content and associated
toy products primarily in their country of origin and
normally contain some sort of cultural connection to
their home country, such as Chota Bheem in India
which is based on a famous Indian epic.
These local licenses offer an additional layer of toy
sales opportunity in the region on top of major global
licenses like Star Wars or Marvel. In addition, under
the right conditions local licenses can eventually gain
global influence, like Pokémon and Beyblade
achieved.
SMARTPHONES EXPAND ACCESS TO THESE
LICENSES
In each of the three core regions for licensed toys,
household access to smartphones will become
increasingly commonplace and further the impact of
local and multigenerational licenses. Nearly 80% of
households are expected to possess a smartphone in
Western Europe and North America by 2020, with
Asia Pacific seeing a 56% possession rate. And by
2020 the three regions are each expected to have an
average of three mobile internet subscriptions per
household.
Taken together this will increase child access to
media, allowing them to consume movies, television,
and mobile video games featuring their favourite
licensed characters at nearly any time of the day. This
increased exposure to licensed characters will lead to
deeper connections with licensed characters than
ever before, making the multigenerational licenses in
Western Europe and North America or local licenses
in Asia Pacific even more impactful and drive further
licensed toy demand.
Author: Matthew Hudak,
Euromonitor International
Award Winning
Manufacturer & Exporters of
Learning Games
Board Games
Craft Kits
Puzzles
Household brand-name in more than 20 countries since 1988!
www.creativeeducationalaids.com / [email protected]
Kids India Mag Issue III : April 2018 | Page 09