August 23, 2021 - During a year of epic change and uncertainty, Beanstalk signed new prominent clients, brokered new innovative partnerships and successfully maintained its strong culture of collaboration and client service. In 2020, on behalf of its clients, Beanstalk generated $8.1 billion in retail sales globally, driven by industry-leading licensing programs with on-trend products that met consumer demand.

New Client Wins Deepen and Expand Expertise

Beanstalk welcomed several exciting food and restaurant clients including the Kellogg’s portfolio of breakfast and snack brands, Dole, Perkins and Huddle House Restaurants. These clients have identified licensing as a key pillar as in integral part of their overall marketing strategies to help expand their brands’ presence in the marketplace and provide consumers with products that feed from key trends that are showing up in consumer’s kitchens today. Over the past several years, health and wellness has become a major priority for consumers, with an increased focus on better-for-you foods to support a healthier lifestyle. At the same time, consumers still seek that occasional indulgent treat or comfort food. Beanstalk’s newest food and restaurant clients are well-positioned to support these trends.

For Kellogg’s, Beanstalk is developing licensing strategies to extend into new food and beverage categories that further the company’s vision of creating better days and a place at the table for everyone. Beanstalk will develop licensing programs for Kellogg’s portfolio of brands including Kellogg's®, Pringles®, Special K®, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg’s Froot Loops®, Rice Krispies®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, MorningStar Farms®, Bear Naked®, among others, by extending into categories and products that give families new occasions to enjoy their favorite breakfast and snack brands.

The premium, farm-fresh brand, Dole, has enhanced consumers’ lives with delicious high-quality fruits and vegetables for decades and strives to continue to do so through licensed product extensions that will be found in new aisles of the grocery store. Through its partnership with Beanstalk, Dole will extend its iconic brand into food categories that further empower consumers to practice healthy living through products in categories such as plant-based novelties and desserts, herbs, salad dressings, sauces and marinades, baked goods, and snacks, among others.

Just as consumers seek healthier food and beverage options, consumers are also treating themselves with comfort foods and treats. Comfort and familiarity are what family dining restaurants, Perkins Restaurant & Bakery and Huddle House have provided their customers through their tried-and-true menu items for decades. Now, with Beanstalk, they’re extending their beloved menu items into new food offerings to bring the dine-in restaurant experience and favorite comfort dishes home. The homestyle menus’ core offerings and signature flavors will be extended into categories including frozen and fresh breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees as well as baked goods and desserts, dairy products and coffee.

“The trend of food and beverage licensing continues to grow at a very rapid pace. We’re seeing more food, beverage and restaurant brands turn to licensing as a tool to broaden their reach and consumer touchpoints. We’re both honored and excited to be working with some of the biggest brands in the food and restaurant space to strategically develop their licensing programs and expand their brands into new distribution channels as well as other aisles of the grocery store,” commented Frances Alvarez, VP of Brand Management at Beanstalk.

As consumers continue to demand responsible business practices of brands, with Millennials and Gen Z leading the way, brands such as Shell are responding with a commitment to powering progress together by providing more and cleaner energy solutions. “The world needs more energy and energy that is cleaner. Beanstalk has begun to implement a global licensing strategy that helps achieve Shell’s purpose, and supports the progress Shell is making in the world by developing products that reinforce the iconic value of the brand,” says Ian Joynson, VP of Brand Management at Beanstalk. The worldwide licensing initiative will further reflect and reinforce Shell’s commitment to becoming a net-zero energy company and will help amplify the brand’s cleaner positioning through extension into strategic products and services in the areas of energy, safety, automotive care, accessories and maintenance, and STEM learning.

Consumer demand for video game merchandise and lifestyle products has grown alongside the immense growth of the gaming industry through the pandemic. French video game company, Ubisoft, has assigned Tinderbox – the digital division of Beanstalk, to represent their top-selling gaming franchises, Just Dance and Far Cry® across Europe. Tinderbox will support both brands by expanding the European consumer products footprint into new categories and channels, pursuing opportunities across fashion, collectibles, home, gifting and novelty, consumer electronics and more.

Trend-Forward Partnerships and Collaborations

Beanstalk works with its clients to reach new and existing consumers through innovative licensing strategies and extensions. “The key to a successful licensing program is to not only address consumers’ demand for a brand, but also engage with them in ways that are relevant to their lifestyle,” says Caren Chacko, SVP of Brand Management at Beanstalk.

The gaming industry has experienced enormous growth throughout the past year and with new console launches, new gaming properties and the proliferation of e-sports. The Xbox brand led the gaming boom with the launch of the Xbox Series X and S in 2020, selling out in less than 24 hours. Xbox also gave gamers the opportunity to flaunt their love of gaming by collaborating with leading streetwear brands King Ice and Sprayground. The Xbox x King Ice collaboration was born from the intersection of streetwear and gaming. King Ice, a designer streetwear jewelry company founded in Los Angeles, celebrated the Xbox gaming community with a collection of Xbox branded pendants, rings and bracelets. Snoop Dogg shined a light on the collaboration by wearing the collection frequently and releasing a video of himself wearing the jewelry, garnering 1.9 million views! Innovative accessory, backpack, and influential streetwear brand, Sprayground, partnered with Xbox to create two limited-edition co-branded backpacks, both selling out within hours. Dreamtex, a leading home textiles manufacturer, added Xbox to its roster of licenses and launched innovative bedding designs with glow-in-the-dark technology that became best-sellers within the category. In a new first for the brand, Xbox partnered with Finsbury Food Group, a leading U.K.-based specialty bakery manufacturer, to develop The Xbox Celebration Cake, which was supported by a successful PR campaign that reached not only the gaming community, but also more than two million consumers across trade and national media in the U.K. The cake is available across Asda, Tesco and Morrisons and has remained the top performing brand/licensed celebration cake in the market since its launch. It has been lauded as Finsbury Foods’ biggest-selling cake in their recent earnings report.

Xbox is not the only gaming brand to extend into the food and beverage space. G Fuel, an e-sports energy drink specialist, developed a Crash Bandicoot inspired Wumpa fruit-flavored energy drink that launched across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific on ecommerce channels in 2020 and at physical retail in 2021.

In line with the growth of gaming, the recent comeback of vinyl, and the growing need for diverse content, the Tell Me Why vinyl release featured the soundtrack of the game and was launched in collaboration with iam8bit, DONTNOD Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios Publishing. DONTNOD's work in exploring trans identity in mainstream gaming earned Tell Me Why a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Video Game" as well as "Games for Impact" at The Game Awards and "Best Microsoft Xbox Game" at the Best of Gamescom Awards. iam8bit also matched donations made through purchases in support of Trans Lifeline and The Trevor Project during Pride Month. “The momentum behind consumer products for gaming brands continues to go from strength to strength. Our clients’ brands are now truly established as evergreen brands at retail, with huge success across fashion, collectibles, consumer packaged goods, and more,” remarked Dave Tovey, Head of Tinderbox -- Beanstalk’s digital division.

World-renowned institutions, colleges, museums, are increasingly leveraging the licensing model to engage with consumers by extending into apparel, accessories, home and other categories that reflect their lifestyle and connection, pride and admiration for the brand.

In early 2021, The Ohio State University partnered with HanesBrands to launch The Ohio State University-branded apparel at mass and mid-tier retail as well as throughout campus retail channels. Now HanesBrands, alongside The Ohio State University’s official sideline licensee Nike, will serve as the lead apparel licensees in Ohio State’s comprehensive licensing program that includes many fashion and performance brands to outfit Buckeye Nation. The partnership will not only deliver top quality apparel but also unique retail experiences including on-campus concept shops.

A client of Beanstalk for 17 years, the U.S. Army has developed an extensive licensing program that continues to grow each year. The U.S. Army licensing program aims to develop and distribute quality consumer products that build positive brand awareness and engage with consumers in new and exciting ways by collaborating with renowned brands. In summer 2021, the U.S. Army licensed the global leader in innovative casual footwear, Crocs, to launch U.S. Army Jibbitz™ charms.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the most inspirational museum in the world with more than two million objects spanning 5,000 years of art, history, and culture; it’s a treasure trove for licensees to explore. As consumers yearn for cultural experiences, while also seeking to beautify their living spaces, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has assembled a group of world-class, premium home décor licensees that draw inspiration from the museum’s exquisite collections – from European masterpiece paintings to architectural flourishes in ancient Egyptian temples. Thoughtfully designed for discerning consumers around the world, these beautiful products captivate the imagination and inspire storytelling of cultures, creativity, and our collective humanity. Partnering with legendary brands -- Scalamandré for decorative fabrics and wallcoverings, Ann Gish for bedding, and Abner Henry for furniture -- Met branded products beautify our homes and uplift our spirits.

Diageo has long leveraged the power of licensing to extend the key equities of its brand portfolio and continues to grow its licensing programs, in partnership with Beanstalk, across new brands, new categories and new territories.

Crown Royal, the world’s best-selling Canadian whisky brand, has launched a premium whisky barrel wood smoking product line developed by premium-grade wood products maker, Walters Falls Wood Products. The new line of premium barbecue smoking products includes chips, chunks, pellets and grilling planks made from genuine retired Crown Royal whisky barrels. The distinctive flavor profile of Crown Royal whisky – oak, vanilla, spice and brown sugar – comes through in the wood and char to bring unique flavor to smoked meats, vegetables, and other foods. Notably, the smoking planks are staves cut in half that are hand-picked for size and quality.

As the ultimate adult indulgence, Baileys has successfully leveraged its indulgent flavor profile in licensed products ranging from coffee creamers to chocolates to ice cream and all treats in between. Most recently, in the US and Canada, Great Spirits Baking Company launched Baileys-flavored vanilla donuts. This vanilla donut is a new flavor for a Baileys baked good – extending the brand into another adult treating moment.

Over the past year, the Baileys licensing program has expanded to Latin America through the launch of new partnerships across the continent. With the aim of gaining a younger audience and increasing saliency, the Baileys licensing program in Mexico captures key categories and relevant consumption occasions that invite this new cohort to indulge with Baileys treats. Grupo Herdez, part of Helados Nestle, launched Baileys ice cream in Mexico supported by TV and social media campaigns that embrace the diversity of the target consumer, garnering over 3.1 million impressions. Auténtico Corajillo, a manufacturer of corajillo products that mix coffee and liquor originated by Spanish soldiers to withstand the challenges of war in the Caribbean islands, partnered with Diageo to develop the Baileys Shakeado Corajillo. The product hits various key trends including at-home cocktail making, treating and indulgence and features a sustainable aspect with a bio-degradable shaker. The Shakeado Corajillo line first launched online and in bars and restaurants and due to its success has gained placement at brick-and-mortar retail in Mexico. For consumers who want to enjoy their Baileys without the liquor, Nestle Coffeemate launched a line of coffee creamers which exceeded all sales expectations. In addition to extending the Baileys brand into products, Beanstalk also worked with Diageo to obtain the license for the Churrería El Moro brand to develop a locally inspired limited-edition churro-flavored Baileys liqueur.

As consumers continue to take on home improvement projects, the Stanley Black and Decker family of brands and their licensing programs provide consumers the necessary tools to complete any job, large or small. In a first for Stanley Black and Decker, the Craftsman brand has partnered with AcuRite, a leading manufacturer of weather products and devices, to launch a line of Craftsman-branded weather monitoring devices, from thermometers to weather forecasters and weather stations. As weather patterns have grown increasingly unpredictable, the proud Craftsman doer will be able to focus on the project at hand instead of focusing on the weather forecast.

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Despite all the challenges of the past year, Beanstalk never strayed from its C.H.O.IC.E. agency values – commitment, humility, one team, innovation, community and empowerment -- and continued to gain new clients and develop licensing programs that prepare their clients’ brands for the future ahead. In addition, as a response to racial injustice, Beanstalk established an agency-wide practice of "Antiracism, Allyship and Action” with key initiatives to educate, discuss and empower the diversity of the agency and its work as well as continue to advocate for marginalized groups.

“Our global team collaboration and commitment to client service grew even stronger irrespective of our distance and unanticipated challenges,” said Allison Ames, President & CEO. “While the pandemic has had a devastating impact on millions of lives and industries around the world, it also sparked an outpouring of creativity and innovation to respond to the whirlwind of changes that engulfed the world. It jolted us out of our comfort zones and demonstrated to businesses and brands that the way things were done in the past certainly does not mean that’s the way things always have to be done in the future.”

What’s next for Beanstalk? Ames says, “2022 marks Beanstalk’s 30th year in business and we look forward to celebrating this milestone with everyone in the licensing community!”