Looney Tunes Increasingly Active In Food Aisles Across EMEA Warner Bros. Consumer Products - August 2013

 
Now the region’s biggest licensed character food and beverage programme with over 2 billion products sold to date

Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA (WBCP EMEA) is on location at Licensing Expo 2013 with the Looney Tunes, the beloved animated character brand that encourages an active lifestyle, and is cooking up a storm in food aisles across Europe. In just five years, the Looney Tunes licensed food and beverage programme has become a multi billion-unit sales phenomenon. Two billion licensed products have been sold with more than 250 different product SKUs out in the marketplace, each helping to encourage a better-for-you lifestyle among children and parents.

Major European retailers and consumer packaged partners, many of whom are on their second and third deal term, including Système U in France, Ülker in Turkey, Aldi in Germany, and Coop in Italy, have recognised that the active lifestyle message promoted by the iconic Looney Tunes characters is a key ingredient in the success of their product and private label ranges. Nestlé Waters alone has sold 1.52 billion 100% recyclable bottles of Looney Tunes Active mineral water – enough water to fill 150 Olympic-sized swimming pools! Add the partnership programmes with multiple sport federations and leagues into the mix and you have the EMEA region’s biggest and widest-ranging character licensed food and beverage programme.

The market success of the Looney Tunes food licensing programme in developed, as well as emerging markets, can be attributed to the rare combination of universal character awareness, the ability of the Looney Tunes brand to appeal to boys and girls along with their parents, and the relevance of the “get active” message which resonates globally. The Looney Tunes characters are active by nature and therefore perfect ambassadors to encourage kids and families to adopt better-for-you lifestyle habits without lecturing to them.

“What started as a relatively modest initiative has turned into a huge success story and the Looney Tunes are now at the top of their game, spreading the ‘get active’ message in food aisles all over EMEA. We are very proud that our brands are playing a role in contributing to the promotion of a more active lifestyle for kids and families. The increasing interest we are receiving from food partners and grocery retailers is a sign that our brands are perfect for the direct-to-retail environment and traditional licensing partnerships alike, and will have an even bigger role to play in the coming years,” said Bruno Schwobthaler, Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development, Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA.