Global Media Franchises.....Art Of Survival
Top global Media Franchises are as old as 1924 (Winnie The Pooh with gross margins of $75 billion) & 1928(Mickey Mouse totalling $70 billion), and still going strong. The latest is Marvel (2008 with accumulated revenues of $29 billion) and Cars (2006 grossing $22 billion). What took multiple decades to achieve earlier, has now been possible in less than 2 decades for these 2 innovators.
However, the top media franchise across all countries is Japanese ...Pokeman netting $ 92 billion & set up 25 years ago.
Of 45 years vintage is another Japanese brand as the runner up ...Hello, Kitty with $ 80 billion realizations.What ticks in this industry is difficult to fathom, as there are only 10 brands with a clear universal recall, while the remaining 15 in top 25 are not so prominent. Let's take a look.
High brand recall is visible in media franchises like POKEMON, MICKEY MOUSE
STAR WARS DISNEY, HARRY POTTER, SPIDERMAN, BATMAN, BARBIE, LORD OF RINGS & JAMES BOND. They range from gross revenues of $92 billion at the top to $20 billion for 007. And yet there are 15 other brands lesser-known universally, but grossing $82 billion at the top, to $ 17 billion at number 25. These are HELLO KITTY, WINNIE THE POOH, ANPANMAN, MARIO, JUMP COMICS, MARVEL, GUDAM, DRAGONBALL, FIST OF NORTH STAR, CARS, TOY STORY, ONE PIECE, YU GI OH, PEANUTS & TRANSFORMERS. What is their trade secret ??
Close analyses reveal that their sustained success is not a miracle, but combines 3 stellar qualities...these not so high recall brands, have invigorated themselves by reinventing their USPs, embracing new technologies swiftly & skilfully,& providing the customers with a wow experience. They have also not restricted themselves to merchandise but ventured out into more exciting areas like video games & comic books. Hello Kitty, for example, has a total of 50000 product lines available in 130 countries. Innovation is at the heart of this Japanese symbol, which can be seen on all major accessories. Kitty video games are its latest diversification, making it the second-biggest global media franchise.
Winnie the Pooh!, hits at the largely impressionistic childhood segment & wins loyalists for life. Visual Capitalist reports that its latest movie Christopher Robins amassed revenues of $ 197 million, higher than many 007 flicks. In the movie segment, Star Wars rides high with the largest success rate, & cumulative revenues touching $65 billion. It has the knack of mixing old characters known to its loyalists, with new storylines, to provide the brand new touch & feel.
Disney remains the global media mogul with 3 solid brands in terms of revenue generation. Digital innovation is its forte, as it provides new & intense experiences to its die-hard clients. Multiple touchpoints attract the tech-savvy kids, & deep interactive & emotional experiences are long-lasting & highly rewarding, in creating the viewing magic.
The touchstone of success in media game undoubtedly, then, is fertile imagination & robust technology.
You can see this separating the Men from the boys.
