By Christie Nicholas

I recently spent $8 on two tiny bottles of “Barbie” tropical juice, when I had a perfectly good generic brand of juice sitting in my bag. Despite being a professional marketer I bought into the spin and handed over the money. Barbie took my child to her happy place and gave me the 7 minutes of uninterrupted shopping time a no-name product couldn’t deliver. I’d like to think it was worth it.
..Until I took the kids to the supermarket and realised when it was too late that I spent four times as much on Hello Kitty macaroni as what I normally would. Sucker.
..Then while gift shopping I was instructed to buy “anything with One Direction on it” because “everybody else has one”. So One Direction scented pen and diary it was – gift of choice elevated to “best gift eva” status despite paying double for Harry Styles’ smile of approval.
It’s not just me that’s been caught up on the licensing hype.  A good license can make most mums justify the extra spend for a myriad of reasons.
“A Dora fanatic lives with me so it’s Dora undies, singlets, dresses, shirts,” explains Natalie from the blog Mummy Smiles.  And from another Dora household we hear this, “I toilet trained my daughter by getting her Dora undies. She didn’t want to wee on Dora, so would go to the potty” says Anorina who blogs as SameliasMum.
It’s not just Harry, Barbie and Dora smuggling discretionary spend. Spiderman, Thomas and Elmo have been leading the way to the cash registers for years. Not to mention the invasion of Moshi Monsters and that Doctor Who?
“My toddler wouldn’t wear socks one winter because I couldn’t find Thomas socks here. UK MIL to the rescue. She posted him a pile of them!” Kim-Marie from the blog Kimbalikes reveals.

“I normally despise licensed merchandise but a friend’s birthday party was Disney Princess themed and everyone had to come dressed as their favourite Disney Character, I gave in so she could fit in and out of desperation purchased an overpriced Disney licensed Sleeping Beauty costume, which of course was ruined by the end of the party.” Jo, from website Little Melbourne

Why do customers invest in licensed product?

• To fit in
• Pester power
• For convenience
• To guarantee gift will be liked
• To guarantee product will be used

Why is a licensed product attractive?

• sales are driven from the strength of the property than from the item itself
• there are already existing consumers who are ready to cross purchase
• product innovation is not a pre-requisite or purchasing motivator
• there is a higher interest in what is otherwise stock lines
• creates product point of difference
• established brand awareness
• established brand loyalty
• less marketing required
• increased pester power

Why a license is not such a great idea

• if the license doesn’t do as well on tv/in cinema as expected, less sales
• if there is controversy associated with brand figure, it can impact sales
• problems with piracy
• larger investment
• can be seasonal

Can you slap a license on any product and get away with it?

The company who created Bratz-style “bralettes” (padded sexy bras) sold to girls as young as 6 which were distributed in a major chain might think that the answer is ‘Yes’.

But after the consumer outrage and backlash, it’s safe to say No – you can’t get away with everything, just because it associated with a best-selling brand.

If the brand is super hot, then that popularity can be leveraged and extended to a much wider array of products than what a more niche license can get away with.  And yes, it is still highly likely consumers will pay more for an item, even if it is double what a generic item would cost and the quality of the product is questionable.

“At the Disney live shows, the merchandise is so over priced and the quality, meh! But when you’re there with friends and their kids, I feel guilty when my son looks at me waiting for me to buy him merchandise.” Mum, Benedetta Martins explains.

A licensed product will sell if it genuinely provides the consumer with a tangible way to experience the glory of the brand.  No consumer is going to experience glory buying a six year old a padded bra, but if the product purchase makes someone feel like a superstar, super hero, part of the action, closer to celebrity status and/or a little bit more awesome you’re half way there.