attendees of Natural Products Expo West Learn about brand licensing and hear directly from experts at Paramount, Newman's Own, and Unilever about how they use licensing strategies to increase sales and improve product credibility.
Panelists for this session include Fabiana Gil, Executive Vice President of Licensing and Business Development at Newman's Own; Priya Mukhedkar, Senior Vice President, Consumer Products, Global Toys and Consumables, Rapidly Changing Consumer Goods, Paramount, Global Quick Service Restaurants and Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, Ice Cream, Unilever , Lisa Voltzman. Professor Stu Seltzer, who has spent 20 years teaching students about intellectual property at New York University, will lead the panel.
License Global spoke with Seltzer ahead of the panel discussion about what attendees can take away from the session. Scheduled for Wednesday, March 13 at 9 a.m. at the Marriott's Platinum Ballroom 5.
License Global: What would you like people in the food and beverage industry who are not familiar with you or your work to know about you?
Seltzer: Seltzer Licensing Group is a 25-year-old brand licensing agency. We work with some of the biggest food companies in the industry and many exhibitors at Natural Products West, including Campbell's Soup and Unilever. In the past we have worked with Chef Boyardee, Sunny D and many others. Since the establishment of our agency, food has accounted for at least half of our business. It's always a focus for us and we always participate in food shows. In the industry, we are considered experts in the food licensing field.
Personally, I'm a professor at New York University and have been teaching brand licensing classes to undergraduates for the past 20 years. It covers fashion, sports, entertainment, corporate, and of course food licensing, and is a required class for certain majors, such as sports marketing and sports management. This fall, I taught an MBA class on brand licensing at Lehigh University. I love teaching, so I'm looking forward to this panel discussion.
Please tell us about the upcoming panel discussion. What can people expect?
We'll start with a 15-minute overview of licensing basics and some case studies, and then we'll convene a panel of experts.
This includes Lisa Voltzman, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, Unilever, Ice Cream, North America; Unilever includes Breyers, Good Humor, Popsicle, Klondike, Talenti, Magnum, and more. They are the world's number one ice cream company. She's going to be there to discuss some of the biggest licensing deals. They currently sell Hershey's, Mars, Snickers, Reese's, Disney's Frozen, Star Wars, Minions, Mrs. Fields, SpongeBob SquarePants, and others she can touch. Many of his works have been licensed. Meanwhile, they license their brands into energy drinks, sneakers, chocolate, and more. She will be able to talk about licensing in and out.
Next up is Priya Mukhedkar, Paramount's senior vice president of Consumer Products, Global Toys and Consumables, Rapidly Changing Consumer Goods, and Global Quick Service Restaurants. She oversees a category that includes food products for many brands, including “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Paw Patrol.” We got to know her through her and her many deals she did, including her deal with Popsicle. She previously worked at Lucasfilm, where she worked extensively in licensing for Disney for eight years. Before that, she was at General Mills. She has been with Paramount for eight years and has a wealth of knowledge regarding the food business and character licensing business.
The third panelist was Fabiana Gil, Executive Vice President of Licensing and Business Development at Newman's Own. Newman's Own is another big licensing brand. They make salad dressings, lemonade, pasta sauces, cookies, and pizza all under license. Fabiana Gil is no stranger to licensing, having worked at Disney for 18 years. She is someone we have done many transactions with over the years regarding Disney's Frozen and other Disney branded properties. She has worked in the food, health, beauty and licensing fields for 25 years and has worked all over the world, making her a great addition to the panel.
I think this would be a great seminar not only for those considering licensing their brand, but also for learning how to use licensing as a business model to increase sales. That's what's important for them to walk away. They learn about risks, learn about rewards, learn from experts, and see how trades work. We'll also take questions from the floor so that the audience can directly participate and see how these things relate to them, but we'll also have a list of interesting, probing questions for our panelists. did. Although the show itself doesn't start until 10am, this panel will be held at 9am, so it's a great way to start your morning before hitting the show floor.
Why is it important for the food and beverage industry to learn about licensed consumer products business, and how can it benefit you?
Licensing in the food and beverage industry is growing. Currently applied to almost all product categories. It's important for people in this field to know what's going on, see what their competitors are doing, and understand all the options out there. Of course, getting a license is an option, but another question that comes up often is why many companies choose not to get a license. This is a decision that could also come with risks if a competitor were to acquire the Star Wars license and steal market share. It is important to know what is happening in the market and how it will develop. Over the past few decades, the licensing business has grown and so has the food business. This panel discussion is a great learning experience and you will come away having learned a lot in one hour.
What are the important food and beverage industry trends that the licensed consumer products industry should be aware of?
Licenses are increasing in the food sector. People in the licensing industry, especially licensors, should attend this show. Brands are growing and looking to differentiate and brand themselves. It's amazing to see all the licensed products at the trade show. There is a lot of activity going on and for licensors looking to sell their brand to new prospective licensees, this is the show to attend.
While it's clear that food and beverage professionals and license managers should attend this seminar at Natural Products Expo West, who else at the show should be on this panel? Are you there?
In the past, many venture capitalists, financiers, and lawyers have attended the show in an attempt to acquire brands. Their goal is to acquire companies and accelerate their growth, which a typical private equity firm would sell after about five years. What I want to share here is that licensing can bring about that kind of growth, and that many in the financial world are experiencing it. we've seen it. They would buy a company and license many popular brands to it, giving it the exponential growth that private equity firms are looking for. This seminar may also be of interest to those in the financial industry.
Natural Products Expo West will be held from March 12th to 15th in Anaheim, California. Once registered, attendees can look forward to a panel discussion with Mr. Seltzer. Scheduled for Wednesday, March 13 at 9 a.m. at the Marriott's Platinum Ballroom 5.
