By TLL Staff
The Licensing Letter will be publishing an annual Global Guide to Licensing Agencies, and basic listings are being offered at no cost.
The Guide is designed to help licensors and licensees identify the most appropriate licensing agency for their needs, and when submitted by the agency, listings will include a contact email, phone number and/or website form.
The Guide will be distributed for free to all 46,000 of TLL’s opted-in subscribers, and will also be available for download at The Licensing Letter website.
TLL Editor in Chief Gary Symons says the idea came about because of the volume of calls received by the publication’s writers and editors from licensors or licensees who were having trouble reaching the right agency.
“Licensing is not a one-size-fits-all industry,” Symons said. “An agency that works primarily in food and beverage or in consumer packaged goods may not be the best fit for a hip hop group looking for apparel deals. In fact, some companies end up hiring more than one agency for different projects, depending on their nature.”
Symons says another issue is faced by companies that are expanding into new territories but don’t have the contacts or the experience with regional cultures and languages that allow them to effectively penetrate the local market. In some cases, being able to find the right agency or even sub-agency can be critical to the success of a regional launch.
“Our goal is to create the definitive resource for the licensing industry, helping licensors and licensees find the correct agency for their needs, while also helping agencies find the clientele that fits best in their area of specialty or regional expertise,” Symons explains.
The idea behind the guide is simple. Any agency can submit their details for publication in the Guide, and can also send in updates if details—such as a new staff member or email address—change over time. The TLL Guide to Licensing Agencies is open to agencies in any country other than Russia and Belarus due to current sanctions applied to those countries, but submissions must be in English.
Also, as noted above, all regular listings are free, but agencies will be able to purchase a Feature Listing, Advertising, or even Sponsored Articles in the Guide, to improve the effectiveness of their messaging. Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor of TLL’s Guide to Licensing Agencies can contact Ingrid Dilschneider by email at ingrid@thelicensingletter.com.
“The Guide is just one more service that we’re bringing to the global licensing industry,” Dilschneider says. “We already provide the world’s largest database of licensing contacts through our Licensing Sourcebook Online, and the largest database of licensing deals or available licenses though the Deal Sheet. However, our experience has shown us there is a clear need to provide much more detailed information about licensing agencies, many of whom have specialty knowledge or expertise that a potential client may not know about.
“Particularly for those new to the industry, finding the right agency partner can be very difficult. Hopefully our service will lead to more success stories in our industry.”
To enter your submission for a listing in the Global Guide to Licensing Agencies, simply FILL OUT THE FORM AT THIS LINK.