Licensing '97 International: looking for that brand of gold.

For three sweltering summer days in June, licensors, licensees and everyone in between trekked across the baked wasteland surrounding New York's Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center to get to Licensing '97 International. This year's market, held June 10-12, was marked by what seemed to be a less flamboyant presence by entertainment companies. Though the total number of entertainment companies at the event held steady, some big companies from last year - Twentieth Century Fox, PolyGram - were nowhere to be seen. But the crowds still swarmed around the booths of Universal, MGM, Warner Bros. et al.

Interestingly, in addition to licensing specific shows or properties, many companies at the market were there to promote the company brand itself. Discovery Communications, for example, is looking to capitalize on its worldwide brand. "We think there's a way to bring that to life," said Robin Sayetta, vp of Licensing for Discovery Enterprises Worldwide. John Buffalo, senior manager of Corporate Communications, admitted that licensing is a new direction for Discovery, one that people don't expect from the company. He waved a hand at the mock-ups on the walls of the stand, noting that they represented the "feel" Discovery thinks its products might have. Filling in the details was Discovery's business at the market. "That's what all these meetings are for," Buffalo said.

A&E Television Networks was at the licensing show for the first time, looking to license The History Channel's brand name as well as its program content. Jonathan Paisner, manager of Consumer Product Development, came armed with products for both A&E and The History Channel. The company is looking to get into new areas like books and calendars; Paisner feels that the content would also translate well to video games and CD-ROMs.

Another company to jump on the brandwagon was MTV. "The MTV logo is also a priority for us," said VP of Consumer Products Lisa Silfen after describing some show-specific products. She explained that the company is doing a line of back-to-school products bearing the MTV logo; the products, with their subtle logo placement, are designed to appeal to young adults. Beavis & Butt-head was at the top of MTV's list of specific shows to promote. How do interactive T-shirts strike you? Touch different parts of the Beavis & Butt-head shirts, and the voices of the crude duo emanate. Products like these were timed to coincide with the release of Beavis & Butt-head Do America on video in the U.S. and in movie theaters internationally.

Last year's hot toy, the Tickle Me Elmo doll, is still selling "like hotcakes," according to J. Baxter Urist, senior vp of the International Television Group at Children's Television Workshop. The company will soon be expanding the Sesame Street line with Tickle Me Ernie, Tickle Me Grover and Tickle Me Cookie Monster dolls in six different languages. In addition to promoting these toys, CTW was at the market seeking licensees to support Big Bag, the company's first preschool show since Sesame Street.

Bohbot Entertainment was busy preparing for the launch of its animated children's series Extreme Dinosaurs, which was produced by Bohbot and DIC Entertainment and will be licensed by Bohbot. The series will be on the air for at least two years, said Elisa Feeney, senior vp of Domestic Consumer Products, and the licensed products will be in stores by the 1997 holiday season. A major advertising campaign will support the launch. However, Feeney believes that because of boys' interest in dinosaurs the toy line can stand on its own.

Over at DIC Entertainment, President of Worldwide Merchandising and Sales Joy Tashjian was working on several new properties, including Archie and Mummies Alive! DIC was just about to take Archie online. This will allow advertisers to advertise online, Tashjian explained, and it's another incentive for licensees. Mummies Alive! will be promoted with, among other things, a sweepstakes. Hasbro, which is producing the toy line for the show, will offer more than $500,000 in gifts. In kids' programming, ad dollars don't mean as much, Tashjian noted, so it's necessary to make a show "appointment television" for kids in order to get the ratings. Further advice from Tashjian: get the ratings first, then target fast food.

Susanne Lee, senior vp of Licensing and Merchandising at Saban Entertainment, noted that her company's strategy at the licensing show was one of selectivity. In the past, Saban brought every property it had to the market, she said, but this year the company decided instead to focus all of its marketing resources on the best properties. Accordingly, Saban was promoting Power Rangers, Captain Kangaroo, Saban's BeetleBorgs, Life With Louie and Home to Rent. The marketing strategy for Captain Kangaroo includes unique features such as a mall tour and a national syndicated news column.

While most companies at Licensing '97 International were occupied with new properties, MGM was working on a new licensing campaign for The Pink Panther. The classic character has enormous merchandising potential, said Doug Gleason, senior vp of Marketing for MGM Consumer Products. The company will re-release The Pink Panther movies and animated shorts on video; Gleason noted that the videos will include licensed product, inserts designed to cross-promote the property and encourage video stores to offer licensed merchandise with the videos.