I wrote a piece for Licensing International’s Executive Voices on something I think about every day: what makes a brand partnership actually last in location-based entertainment.
The short version: the IP is not decoration. It’s the reason the guest showed up, which means it has to be the reason for every decision in the room. Operators who decorate with the IP instead of designing from it end up with logos on the walls and nothing in the hearts.
There’s a moment in the piece I never get tired of describing. A grandmother in front of Rudolph carved in ice, not looking at the sculpture but watching her granddaughter look at it. Sixty years of Christmas mornings, standing in the cold together. You can’t build that. But you can protect it.
Read the full article on Licensing International →
I’ll be going deeper on all of this at the IAAPA webinar on October 13.