By: Becky Ebenkamp The evolution of Charles Shultz's artwork will be the design directive for the "Peanuts" 60th anniversary celebration throughout 2010, which will involve new licensing partners, sweepstakes, cross-promotions and a revised retail strategy that include exclusive deals with CVS and Hallmark. "Peanuts" has more than 150 licensees.
Creative elements of the ?Peanuts Then & Now? program stress how differently Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, Charlie and their pals were drawn over different decades since their Oct. 2, 1950, comic strip launch in seven U.S. newspapers. United Media is the property?s licensing and syndication arm.
Until now, vintage "Peanuts" artwork have been limited to department and specialty stores, but the promo will allow the classic cartoons -- Snoopy with a smaller snout and bigger ears, Linus with bushy bangs and a protruding forehead -- to be available in other channels of distribution for a limited time.
CVS will get a jump in fall of 2009 and become the exclusive retail partner for the 60th celebration through the holiday season. From October to December, store endcap displays will be reserved for a plush continuity program that will feature five decades of Snoopy designs and a commemorative holiday plush pup along with other "Peanuts" product. The promo will be marketed for six weeks via CVS store circulars and signage.
When 2010 hits, Hallmark and "Peanuts" will unite for a yearlong promotion for exclusive 60th anniversary products; Hallmark will give plush, giftware, keepsakes, ornaments and other Peanuts products front-of-store placement throughout the year.
Other programs that are still in the works include a Web-based sweepstakes to locate the perfect "Peanuts" character lookalike, promos at Major League Baseball parks, a charity tie with the Boys and Girls Clubs and a partnership with West Coast restaurants Cocos and Carrows targeting kids, parents and grandparents.
The classic property trend that could be seen up and down aisles at this June?s International Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. The splashy studio booths promoting scads of exotic new properties with one-in-a-million shots of capturing the country?s imagination and carrying a season?s sales of clothes, toys and other key product categories of years past were swapped for modest-sized ones in order to manage expectations and remind potential partners of consistent performers like "Peanuts," the comfort food of the licensing realm.
?The story is less about what?s new this year,? said United Media?s SVP/domestic licensing Joshua Kislevitz about the air of risk-aversity that the iffy economy has created. ?Partners are looking for a security blanket -- no pun intended.?
United Media also brokered a deal with New Balance for a co-branded kids footwear collection featuring the strip?s characters on the sneaker brand?s heritage running style, the 574. Set to launch in October, the line will be available in infant through grade school sizes and retail for between $38 and $60. The shoes and packaging will feature stories such as "It?s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas." It?s the first of three New Balance/Peanuts deals that United will launch over the next year.
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Nielsen Business Media
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