Brand licensing expert, Jeff Lotman, chats with Tim Reid about how to create new entry points for new customers to discover your business, the under-utilised power of brand licensing, what types of businesses it’s best suited to, plus some great case studies of brand licensing at work. Oh, plus Jeff owns the iconic LA fashion label, Fred Segal (which dressed Elvis!, so we talk about that as well.
“It’s so subtle that customers don’t even notice the marketing that’s being done to them.”
That’s how today’s Global Icon’s founder Jeff Lotman describes brand licensing, or as he calls it … invisible marketing. And he’s amazed that more business owners of all sizes, don’t make use of it. It’s a spooky episode 509 of The (award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing podcast.
A little bit more about Global Icon’s Jeff Lotman
If I suggested you should consider brand licensing as a way to grow your business, you’d probably run a mile, thinking it meant slapping your logo on a second-rate product, or letting a third-party run amok with your precious brand. Well, today’s guest is here to debunk those limiting beliefs.
Jeff Lotman is an expert in brand licensing and the founder of Global Brands, which happens to be the world’s leading brand-focussed agency boasting over $5 Billion in retail sales. He’s also the author of a new book called Invisible Marketing : A hidden tool for connecting with consumers through licensing. With every business owner looking for an edge, Jeff believes this area of marketing remains largely unexplored. In fact he says, it’s almost invisible! So, through some real-life case studies, he reveals the power of licensing and how it can create new entry points for new customers to discover your business.
Oh, and if you think licensing is just for the top end of town, then think again, as Jeff cites some examples of smaller businesses winning with smart licensing.
As an aside, Jeff also owns one of LA’s most well-known fashion houses in Fred Segal, so we talk about how he’s growing that as well. We start off with Jeff explaining the concept of invisible marketing.
Timbo’s Top 3 Attention Grabbers from Timbo’s chat with Global Icon’s founder Jeff Lotman
- Think about how you could embrace licensing to grow your business, by asking the key question “What are my customers also using that I can put my brand on?”
- Use LinkedIN to find the right person within a business to speak to about licensing.
- Have a go! I love speaking with business owners who go out on a limb and get involved in totally unrelated businesses. Jeff’s purchase of the Fred Segal brand sounds both brave and inspired. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on what develops, and maybe we can get him back on the podcast in a years’ time.
Links & resources mentioned in episode 509
Global Icon’s official website
Buy Jeff’s book Invisible Marketing: A hidden tool for connecting with consumers through licensing
Join the Small Business Big Marketing Tribe on Facebook
Buy Timbo’s popular marketing book The Boomerang Effect
Other episodes that include interviews with entrepreneurs with brand licensing experience:
Shane Yeend owns the license to the Hollywood sign
Last week’s episode – How your business can benefit from having a pop-up store with pop-up store expert Michelle Young.
This week’s Monster Prize Draw winner
Thanks for tuning in. Now get out there and take action.
Grab My 10 Marketing
