Although there are anniversary celebrations for licensed brands every year, there seems to be an exorbitant number of brands hitting major milestones of late. And many seem to be happening next year – enough to prompt Licensing International to refer to 2023 as the “Year of the Anniversary” in a June 17th
article. According to the article, both Warner Bros. and Disney will be celebrating their 100th, with extensive licensing programs and highly-anticipated events to support them. The article also mentions Kellogg’s Fruit Loops’ Toucan Sam character (60th), Ferrero Candy’s SweeTarts (60th) and Nerds (40th) and Universal Brand Development’s Jurassic Park (30th), Scarface
(40th) and Big Lebowski (35th) while it celebrates ET’s 40th anniversary this year. After a little digging, I learned that LEGO is 90 years old this year, Harley Davidson will be 120 years old next year, the video game Frogger is 40 years old this year, while Tetris will turn 40th in 2024. Licensees who are already in agreements with these brands will need to decide if an anniversary licensing
program is a good fit for their products, and worth the investment. Retailers will also need to know that the anniversary licensing program has enough support from the brand owner and enough licensee partners on board to consider it. With all of this in mind, and given the short shelf life of licensed products tied to a milestone anniversary, how do brands ensure that their licensing program will be a hit with consumers? Here are four critical strategies to consider when developing its
design elements: Design elements for a licensed brand’s anniversary licensing program need to convey the commemorative moment in the brand’s history that they represent – an epic event that marks the milestone that the brand has achieved. And they should have a festive, celebratory visual appeal that glorifies the brand. If a unique logo has been developed for the brand’s anniversary licensing program, it should be the central focus or signature of each
design element. Centered, symmetrical and visually balanced compositions tend to work best. A milestone anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate the long, storied history of a strong brand. It’s a chance to dig deep into asset archives to uncover the visual cues that span the life of the brand and will resonate best with consumers. This is a time to carefully merge brand assets from different distinctive points in the brand’s history into single,
commemorative design elements. If it’s a character-based brand and that character has evolved over time, feature the different iterations of the character in a single design to pay homage to its evolution. It’s also an opportunity to leverage a nostalgic or vintage aesthetic to appeal to the brand’s oldest and most loyal enthusiasts. Keep in mind: the message is less about what the brand is today and more about its longevity and ability to stand the test of time. Although one might argue that every licensing program should leverage the brand’s most iconic assets and attributes, it’s even more critical to do so when designing for an anniversary licensing program. In fact, the most recognizable elements associated with the brand should become the common visual threads that tie everything together. Recognizable shapes used as holding devices for character artwork. Icons used to define the corners of a
composition. Familiar font families conveying the anniversary messaging. Incorporate the brand’s color palette, textures and patterns to connect with consumers on an emotional level. Keep in mind that anniversary licensing programs are transient by nature. They’re only truly relevant for a single year and will become irrelevant once that small window of time has passed. Don’t over-invest in too many design elements. For most licensed brands
celebrating an anniversary, a smaller scale program will suffice. Be smart about packaging executions as well. Consider printing the anniversary logo in a corner snipe or on a sticker rather than creating a dedicated anniversary packaging program that looks completely different than the licensed brand’s core packaging program. Otherwise, products that don’t sell during the anniversary year will be less likely to sell through after the hype dies down. Last year was Sonic The Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary. Sega chose to work with our team to develop the licensing program’s style guide. Check out the graphic compositions and patterns we developed against the “past, present, future” theme, leveraging Sonic’s 30th Anniversary logo and the tag line, “Unstoppable for Generations. Our image library helps magazine editors, publishers and TV & film companies find the images they need. Each image or video here is a gateway to our lightboxes where you can find many more images relating to the specified subject.Like what you see? Need something similar? Our picture researchers can find it for you. Email now to discover how we help people like you January 2023 anniversariesJanuary 7th: Marks 80 years since the death of Nikola Tesla the legendary scientist and inventor who pioneered the electrical revolution and established the first AC electrical currents.  January 8th: Signals 200 years since the birth of British biologist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace, whose work was essential to Darwin's revolutionary theory On the Origins of the Species. January 9th: Will be the 125th birthday of the British actor, singer and comedian Gracie Fields who became one of cinemas biggest stars in the 1930s. Apparently Fields was the highest paid film star in the world during 1937. January 14th: Honors 125 years since the death of Lewis Carrol the famous Victorian writer, illustrator, polymath, who created the classic story Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass. January 19th: Celebrates 80 years since the birth of Janis Joplin, an American singer-songwriter who inspired Rock and Roll music with her soulful voice and electric performances. January 20th: Will mark 1,000 years since the death of Wulfstan the Bishop of Worcester, he is often considered a saint in western Christianity and during his time stopped the slave trade from operating in Bristol. January 20th: Will also signal 30 years since the death of Audrey Hepburn, a cinema and fashion icon, who starred in Blake Edwards romantic classic Breakfast at Tiffany's. January 24th: Celebrates 80 years since the Birth of Sharon Tate, known for her performance on TV and in films during the 60s. Tate is forever remembered for her tragic passing at the hands of the Manson Murderers. February 2023 anniversariesFebruary 16th: Represents 100 years since Howard Carter opened the door to Tutankhamun's tomb and first gazed up the wonders held within its golden walls. This discovery led to a flood of popularity and is considered as one of the greatest archeological finds to date. February 19th: Will be the 550th birthday of Nicolaus Copernicus the Polish mathematician and astronomer who changed our understanding of the universe with his monumental discovery that the Sun not the Earth was at the center of our solar system. March 2023 anniversariesMarch 16th: Marks 125 years since the death of the Victorian illustrator Aubrey Beardsley, who mastered his individual form of line drawing and worked alongside decadent writers like Oscar Wilde at the turn of the century. April 2023 anniversariesApril 8th: Honors 50 years since the death of Pablo Picasso one of the most prolific artists to have ever lived, as it is generally claimed Picasso made nearly 50,000 works of art in his lifetime, he is a father of modern art and in Spanish modern culture. April 18th: Celebrates 30 years since the death of the English sculptor and printmaker Dame Elizabeth Frink, who tried to capture three essentials in her work- "The nature of Man, the horseness of horses and the divine in human form". April 20th: Will mark 130 years since the birth of Catalonian painter and sculptor Joan Miro who intended to venture into the subconscious surreal world of the imagination. April 21th: Signals 20 years since the death of Nina Simone, a musician like no other who combined numerous styles and genres including Classical music and Jazz. May 2023 anniversariesMay 27th: Celebrates 100 years since the birth of Henry Kissinger, an American diplomat and US secretary of state under the Nixon administration. Controversially being awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1973 for negotiating a ceasefire in Vietnam. June 2023 anniversariesJune 7th: Marks 175 years since the birth of Paul Gauguin, a controversial French post-impressionist painter who is famous for his depictions of life in Tahiti. June 16th: Celebrates 300 years since the birth of Adam Smith, an economist and Philosopher who is known as "The Father of Capitalism", as his ideals laid the foundations for classical free market economic theory. 19 June: We celebrate 400 years since the birth of the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher and writer Blaise Pascal. July 2023 anniversariesJuly 16th: Will also celebrate the 300th birthday of Joshua Reynolds, who was the leading Portrait painter in Britain. Reynolds is also well known for becoming the first president of the Royal Academy. July 30th: Represents 125 years since the birth of Henry Moore, an artist well known and admired for his semi-abstract monuments and his sculptural drawings. Many of his works are suggestive of the female form and took inspiration from the art created by ancient civilizations in South America. August 2023 anniversariesAugust 17th: Marks 100 years since the birth of acclaimed Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez. Cruz-Diez was a member of the Op Art movement whose work focuses on the kinetic energy of colour. He believed Op Art was ''a movement that continuously depicts the instabilities of reality''. © Estate of Carlos Cruz-Diez. All rights reserved 2022 / Bridgeman Images August 30th: Marks 20 years since the death of Charles Bronson, an American actor who was born into poverty, fought in WW2, to then become one of Hollywood's most iconic figures, starring in classics such as Once Upon a Time in the West and The Great Escape. September 2023 anniversariesSeptember 2nd: Honors 50 years since the death of J. R. R. Tolkien, the writer who is well known for writing The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit, which mastered a whole new genre of fantasy writing, creating a world rich with its own history, wizards and hobbits. September 23th: Honors 50 years since the death of Chilian poet-diplomat Pablo Neruda who has inspired millions through his lyrics and dedication to his nation. Neruda won the Nobel prize for literature 1971 representing the wide love and respect for his work. "There were grief and the ruins, and you were the miracle." October 2023 anniversariesOctober 16th: Marks 100 years since the founding of the Disney Brothers Studio, set up by Walt Disney and his brother Fred. This animation studio later grew into what is today Disney- one of the biggest studios and entertainment companies in the world. October 29th: Signals 100 years since the End of the Ottoman Empire after World War I - making way for the birth of Modern Turkey. The Ottoman Empire spanned over 600 years across Eastern Europe and the Middle East. November 2023 anniversariesNovember 22nd: Will mark 60 years since the death of John. F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States who served during the height of the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 led to landmark changes towards American equality with the passing of the Civil Rights Act which outlawed discrimination. December 2023 anniversaries2nd of December marks 100 years since the birth of the great opera singer Maria Callas December 5th: Honors 10 years since the death of Nelson Mandela the first president of South Africa, and the first Black head of state who was elected in a fully representative democratic election. Mandela is often called Madiba- "The Father of the Nation", and advocated for peace and equality throughout his entire life. December 27th: Signals 100 years since the death of Gustave Eiffel, the innovative engineer and manufacturer who designed and built the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in New York. December 31st: Celebrates 75 years since the birth of "The Queen of Disco" Donna Summer, who reached international acclaim with her new style and sound, having massive breakthroughs with her classics Love to Love you Baby and I Feel Love. May we help you?Are you looking for images from art, culture and history? Bridgeman Images offers high resolution images for licensing. Feel free to contact us to find out more or to take advantage of our free image research. |
