HALLMARK INTERNATIONAL: Licensing Out & Franchised Brand Extensions

PROBLEM:

  • Hallmark wanted to move away from a reactive business model when licensing out their creative assets to international customers

  • International licensing out and franchise opportunities were one dimensional and not as scalable as they could be with a more strategic approach

  • There was a lack of differentiation between what Hallmark offered with their designs and content, and what other competitive content providers were offering

SOLUTION:

  • Researched international product and design trends in specific regions to inform strategy

  • Researched lifestyle trends over various life-stages in specific regions to inform strategy

  • Built licensing out and franchise packages that were based in emotion, meaning, and storytelling — rather than just based in design

  • Developed an essence and brand positioning for each product category

  • Developed points of view that transcended individual product categories to create offerings that were more attractive and scalable

  • Developed a migration map and a strategy that was based on consumer life stages to help position Hallmark as a premier international lifetime brand — starting in Asia and extending to the Middle East and South America.

  • Instilled both emotional and cultural relevance in the packaged solutions and brand positioning for multiple product categories across multiple geographic regions

  • Trained international licensing out agents and the Hallmark International leaders in the principles and methods that would make Hallmark's solutions more attractive to international buyers

RESULT:

  • Leveraged Hallmark's intellectual property on a global scale

  • Hallmark's licensing agents found that solutions packaged in emotion, meaning, and storytelling were scalable and were easier to sell

  • International merchants and buyers became excited about solutions grounded in story and meaning

  • International merchants and buyers felt it was easier to see how they could apply, merchandise, and sell the licensed content packages

  • Hallmark began extending their offerings — from licensing out packages — to international licensed franchise and store concepts

  • Worked on projects for licensing partners from both Asia and Saudi Arabia

  • Developed International franchise store concepts upon request of interested buyers from both Asia and Saudi Arabia