I started my art career officially in '83 after I did the Ironman. My first real job was at Peter Green Design where I learned the basics of both design and business. (Thank you, Peter!) My first lesson was learning that the company OP or Ocean Pacific, which was one of the first surf clothing related companies, didn't really exist!That is to say that they had no factories or assembly lines making surfboards or clothes and that they were really nothing more than a logo and a marketing division.
OP would go to OEMs or the Original Equipment Manufacturers would go to OP and say, "Hey, let us put this logo on these sunglasses, teeshirts, surfboards or anything that fits the OP brand and sell it!" OP would then market the brand, or the OEMs would market the brand for them, and OP would get a portion of the profits. Disney does this too and now Amanda Beard wants to do it as well. [Link]
Amanda Beard has signed with a company called Stone America. They are a brand licensing firm that takes a name like Amanda Beard, Hang Ten, Laura Ashley and then they find the OEMs who want to put their names or brand names on their products. Since humans are social animals, a brand name creates a social recognition with the buyer and thus differentiates itself as part of a particular "tribe" or social network.
Amanda Beard plans on licensing her name to any and all parties interested in leveraging her name recognition into various collections of products. I wonder how Speedo feels about this?
With Playboy, Stone America, and other business endeavors Amanda has her foot in, I see a swimmer here who is more interested in her career post Olympics rather than her swimming career at present. Subsequently, I don't believe she has the focus to make the Olympic team. I am seeing shades of Ian Thorpe here!
3 comments:
There is more to licensing then to "put this logo on" some product.
And one certainly will not license a brand "to any and all parties interested".
If you want to grow and capitalize a brand, you better be careful about it and have a plan.
You wouldn't marry the first guy/woman, that comes around and asks, would you?
So true.
In fairness I was using hyperbole about OP because circa '83, they had a line of sunglasses, surfboards, a clothing line for men and women, a kids line of clothing, shoes, wetsuits, swim suits and such. They even bought out Jimmy'Z who was viewed as a competitor In other words, they over extended.
In the Amanda Beard's press release consumer electronics were mentioned and that to me was a stretch outside her brand.
But I must admit, I am biased due her business decision to pose in Playboy.
I think its a shame about Op. Too bad they had to sell out....
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