Tag Archives: merchandising

by | Wednesday, January 29, 2025 · 7:53 am

“Wicked” Goes Big on Collaborations

Have you seen the movie “Wicked” yet? Not the Tony award-winning Broadway musical which has been on the stage since 2003. But the film adaptation of the play that was just released in November 2024.

If you have seen it, you are in good company as the film has already grossed more than $500 million in ticket sales, and became a social event in the process. And this is only to see “Wicked Part 1.” [The second part of the movie is due to be released in November, 2025.]

The launch and promotion of Wicked looks a lot like that of the Barbie movie last year. Barbie and pink were everywhere in 2023 (and earned $1.4 billion). This year, it’s the pink and green of Glinda and Elphaba we will be seeing everywhere.

As we know, it’s not just the movie itself that generates revenue; it’s also the collaborations between the movie and other brands. In the case of Wicked, there are Wicked-themed products and collections from more than 70+ brand partnerships ranging from Lexus to Conair to Gap.

Here is a sample of the collaborations:

  • Clothing from a variety of vendors.
  • Wicked Starbucks drinks.
  • Wicked beauty travel case ($128).
  • Wicked mystery color mac and cheese cup ($1-$12).
  • Crocs Wicked clog ($70)
  • Zac Posen pleated tulle dress ($595)
  • Faux leather jacket ($70)
  • Plus toys, makeup, jewelry, food, and more.

Unfortunately for one partner, Mattel, there was a packaging setback. The toy company had to pull its line of character Wicked-branded dolls after a misprint on the doll’s packaging inadvertently featured a link to a pornographic website named Wicked Pictures. [Theses dolls are now listed on eBay for far more than were paid at the store!]

Go ahead and sing along!

 Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: Who has seen the movie? The play? Did they purchase any merchandise with the Wicked theme?
  2. Show the movie clip for Wicked: https://youtu.be/6COmYeLsz4c?si=xwpgmnYY0YGL4u5g
  3. Show Wicked’s merchandise webstore (includes the play): https://wickedthemusicalstore.com/
  4. Have students search for Wicked-branded merchandise and collaborators.
  5. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a movie that could be licensed to collaborators.
  6. Develop a marketing campaign for the licensing opportunity.

Source: Lassner, E. (3 December 2024). ‘Wicked brand collabs continue flying off the shelves after movie’s record-breaking release. The Hollywood Reporter; Schwartzel, E. (15 November 2024). Inside Hollywood’s big ‘Wicked’ gamble. Wall Street Journal; Whitten, S. (11 November 2024). Mattel pulls thousands of ‘Wicked’ dolls off shelves after printing adult web address on packaging. CNBC.

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by | Wednesday, December 11, 2024 · 7:23 am

‘Tis the Season for Advent Calendars

I don’t know about you, but I have seen a LOT of Advent calendars this year. For years,  the only Advent calendars available were rather inexpensive and had a single piece of chocolate behind the door for each day of Advent. But now it seems as if every product category is offering some sort of Advent calendar.

You may now be asking “what is Advent?” Advent, from “adventus” in Latin, means “coming” and refers to the four weeks leading up to Christmas. It started as a religious period for both remembrance and anticipation. Now, as the times have changed, so too have Advent calendars changed.

While the calendars still mark the days of the season and countdown to Christmas, they have evolved from having a small piece of inexpensive candy each day to now having full-sized products and gifts.

Today, Advent calendars are sold with makeup, jewelry, toys, foods, spices, alcoholic drinks, and more, with prices ranging from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. [There are also more expensive and branded Advent calendars such as one from Swarovski with jewelry priced at $1,200 and Williams-Sonoma’s calendar of foods and goods is $300.]

One of the more popular calendars this year is from French jam company Bonne Maman with 25 days of differently flavored jams for $45. The calendar has become so popular that this year it opened for ordering in July (last year it opened in August). Since 2017, it has increased production of the calendar by 400%.

What Advent calendar would you like?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss the use of Advent calendars in marketing a product or company.
  2. Poll students: What types of Advent calendars have they received or seen?
  3. Google Advent calendars and view an assortment of products.
  4. View Wirecutter’s list of Advent calendars: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/our-favorite-advent-calendars/
  5. Divide students into teams.
  6. Have each team select a product that they believe could be promoted using Advent calendars.
  7. Develop a marketing plan for the calendar. Make sure to start with target market and include product description, price, distribution, and promotion.
  8. Since this is a time-sensitive product, build the timeline for development and promotion, through delivery.
  9. Teams could also prepare a mock-up calendar with artwork and daily gifts.

Source: Hennessy, M. (29 November 2024). How the Bonne Maman Advent calendar became a hot commodity. New York Times; Wirecutter. (24 October 2024). Our 20 favorite Advent calendars of 2024. Wirecutter.

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by | Wednesday, December 4, 2024 · 6:24 pm

Let’s Call It ‘Chaos Packaging’

Where does packaging fit in the marketing mix? Is it just a necessity to keep products from being damaged? Or does it impact the sales of a product?

It’s actually both, and a lot more. But for right now, consider how packaging can help differentiate products and gain consumers’ attention. Think about it. How does olive oil come packaged? Liquor? Sun screen? What about potato chips? They all seem similar due to common undifferentiated packaging.

All of these have a predetermined sort of package that consumers are used to seeing (and buying) on store shelves. But the ubiquitous packaging has the effect of making all the products look alike in the store. What would happen if we mixed it up and got creative with packages, bottles, and boxes?

Enter ‘chaos packaging’. Chaos packaging innovates to take a standard consumer product and put it into some sort of unique container that causes dissonance. In other words, it helps break through the clutter and noise.

Some recent examples of chaos packaging include:

  • Sunscreen in whipped-cream cans.
  • Gin in motor oil cans.
  • Tampons in ice-cream tubs.
  • Perfume in window cleaner-type spray bottles.
  • Olive oil in squeeze bottles.
  • Water in beer-style cans.
  • Coffee beans in VHS tape packages.

Consider that some product categories have only about a 3-second dwell time – meaning that consumers look at packages for 3-seconds before deciding what they need, grabbing it, and buying. Extending that precious look-time, or keeping the look longer, can make the difference between a product languishing on a shelf, or making it into a consumer’s shopping cart.

Take a look!

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: What products have unique packages? Does it matter?
  2. Discuss the importance and purpose of packaging in marketing products.
  3. Where does packaging fit in the marketing mix?
  4. Show video about chaos packaging: https://youtu.be/w9Sk16c2uXQ?si=UB9Qm9FV4A3q6-ui
  5. Divide students into teams. Have each team choose a product that comes in a standard type of package.
  6. Now, have the teams redesign the package to gain more awareness and attention.

Source: Alt, C. (27 October 2024). Tampons in an ice cream tub? Inside the ‘chaos packaging’ trend. The Times (London); Deighton, K. (21 October 2024). Ice-cream tubs of tampons and sunscreen from a whipped-cream can: Welcome to ‘chaos packaging’. Wall Street Journal.

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