While it wasn’t such a major practice back in the old days, a brand getting a number of licensed products based on the name is now an extremely common practice. We see it all the time with certain celebrities lending their name to perfumes or colognes as well as clothing, and that’s not even including things like merchandise. Below are some of the more unusual ways that brands have found to make the most of their name.
Game Shows To Casino Games
There have been a lot of brands that have had some success in casinos, including big movie brands like The Terminator and more classic rock stars than can be counted. However, more success has often been seen in TV game shows making the jump, especially those where chance plays a big element.
As a prime example, Deal Or No Deal has spawned some of the more fun online slot machine games based around the show’s name and premise that you can find at online casino sites. These games are not a thousand miles away from the original shows and are translated almost perfectly into slot game form. In some cases, game shows have managed to last longer as brands in slot form than the original run of the show such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
The Game Of Thrones Case
It has now been over a decade since Game of Thrones grabbed hold of the world of TV and close to half a decade since that saga ended, but the world of official licensed products is still going strong. Compared to other TV brands, Game of Thrones commanded a much larger cultural presence and the creators capitalized on that with some of the most unusual licensed products out there.
By far and away the most interesting and eye-catching amongst the weird and wonderful stuff was the near-life-size Iron Throne replica from the show. This piece weighed in at around 350lb of solid metal and came with a price tag of around $30,000, but the most surprising part is that, given the fact that they’re all sold out, the price did not dampen the enthusiasm.
NASCAR
The racing format that exists only in the US is one of the most commercially-active brands in the country with brand deals and sponsorship on a level that most companies couldn’t compare to. The organization itself is valued at around $600 million and the majority of that is via sponsorship, although there is apparently a market for NASCAR-licensed products as well, most notably an entire 40-book romance novel series. Yes, there is seemingly an overlap between high-speed racing and romance and it is doing well enough to have more entries than many bestsellers!
That’s our list from the natural to the unexpected to the completely left-field entries, and we could have gone on for a lot longer. Remember, if this topic sparks some imagination, make sure you get online and start hunting as there’s plenty more to find!