Gourmet Business December 2013

We were inspired to devote an issue to co-branding and licensing by our colleague Brian Igoe, who is a strong advocate for two brands join- ing forces to lend both their brand equities to a product or promotion. Brian contends that two complementary brands can create a marketing message that resonates stronger with a particular group of targeted customers than the buzz two individual brands can create on their own. During his career as a marketing execu- tive at Nike and Reebok, he utilized this technique with great success for his sports brands by sponsoring famous athletes. These athletes were, in effect, licensing their name to a particular line of sports apparel or footwear, but in doing so, they were able to use their name brand to appeal to a group of people that followed their sport. It yielded instant credibility for the brand, and subliminally influenced consumers to recognize and purchase the brand at point of sale.

The same strategy has been quite effective in housewares and tableware, too. When you think about it, there are many good products in any particular category that consumers have to choose from in the marketplace. What will ultimately prompt them to choose one from another? I sat in on a webinar this week hosted by the International Housewares Association (IHA), in which the presenter stressed that a recent survey suggests knowledgeable sales staff is what makes the difference. I certainly don’t disagree, but I also know that many of our industry’s products are sold in an environment in which there may be little customer assistance. The consumers are left to make decisions on their own, and in these instances, they will most likely rely on external clues to help them make a determination on quality or value. A licensed product displaying a popular brand in the marketplace or an endorsement from a reliable “celebrity” may influence the consumer to make certain assumptions about the attributes of the item that may give them the motivation to purchase the item.

In recent years, the rise in popularity of cable network cooking shows has helped many a chef achieve a level of celebrity never before possible. Many housewares companies have chosen to partner with chefs to bring attention and credibility to their product line. In this issue, we bring you up-to-date on a variety of interesting marriages between products and celebrity chefs.

I personally think it’s time for our industry to get more creative with co-branding and licensing. We need a new gimmick! To help attract a different kind of celebrity to the brands in our industry, we have recently launched our new consumer magazine Mu*lange (check it out at http://ezine. mulangemag.com), a publication where music and food live. We hope that we will encounter some interesting musical artists with a natural affinity for food and cooking who may be willing to lend their unique style and brand image to help promote complementary products in the gourmet space, and create excitement and interest for our industry.

It’s hard to believe that this is the last issue for the year. We are excited to share with you our new plans for 2014. We hope you join us in the new year to find out more.  In the meantime, I wish everyone a joyous holiday, strong sales and a happy new year.

David Spencer 

Publisher, Gourmet Business 

President, HousewaresDirect, Inc. 

dspencer@gourmetbusiness.com