Cartoon characters plays big in licensing market

Hong Kong - Cartoon characters remain a key driver of the licensing business, according to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's (HKTDC) analysis of marketing trends through the annual Hong Kong International Licensing Show.

In the Premier Asian Licensing Award, Hello Kitty & Friends Gacha's "The Colors of Summer" campaign was named the best marketing campaign, MediaLink Animation International the best licensing agency, Hello Kitty the best Asian property, Bossini Enterprises the best licensee, and PostPet and Harry Potter the best licenses in Hong Kong.

The show has attracted more than 130 exhibitors from 11 countries. Over 300 brands and properties are on display, with the majority of the exhibitors coming from the Chinese mainland.

"With the Chinese mainland becoming the second largest licensing market in Asia, Hong Kong has been chosen by many international licensors and licensing agents as the strategic base to expand their licensing business in and beyond the region," Benjamin Chau, assistant executive director of the HKTDC, said.