Entertainment IP x Consumer Products: Evolving Global Licensing Strategies

Entertainment IP collaborations have evolved beyond traditional marketing initiatives, now representing a core growth strategy across sectors such as gaming, mobility, and food and beverage. By merging cultural relevance with product innovation, these partnerships are reshaping how brands connect with consumers across demographics and regions.
An analysis of five notable collaborations, including three developed under the leadership of Cosmo Xue, a global authority in IP licensing and cross-industry brand partnerships, illustrates the changing dynamics and expanding influence of co-branded innovation.
Segway x Transformers (2022–2024): Integrating Mobility with Fan Culture
The partnership between Segway-Ninebot and Hasbro's Transformers introduced five limited-edition mobility products, including the Optimus Prime and Bumblebee Gokart PROs. Distributed across China, the United States, and Canada, the collaboration remained active through April 2024.
The launch campaign delivered a 37% increase in Segway's online traffic and was featured by over 500 media outlets, including License Global and PR Newswire.
Under Xue's strategic leadership, the collaboration contributed to Segway's repositioning from a mobility innovator to a lifestyle brand, demonstrating the expanding role of entertainment IP within the mobility sector.
PUBG MOBILE x Venom (2024): Advancing Narrative Integration in Mobile Gaming
In 2024, Tencent Games collaborated with Sony Pictures to integrate Venom into PUBG MOBILE through immersive in-game content and targeted social media promotions across North America and Southeast Asia.
The initiative drove over 12 million video views across TikTok and YouTube within the first weeks of launch and recorded a significant increase in user engagement.
Xue directed the global execution of the campaign, ensuring narrative consistency and regional market adaptation, an approach increasingly cited as a model for cross-industry IP licensing.
Fortnite x Nike (2023): Expanding Brand Presence in Virtual Spaces
Fortnite and Nike's 2023 collaboration introduced "Airphoria Island," a virtual experience featuring exclusive digital Air Max sneakers.
The campaign attracted millions of players globally and was widely reported by outlets such as IGN, Hypebeast, and Business of Fashion.
Nike's internal metrics showed a measurable rise in brand engagement among Gen Z audiences, underscoring the importance of virtual environments for future brand licensing strategies.
McDonald's x Pokémon (2023): Sustaining Franchise Value Through Co-Branding
A collaboration between McDonald's and Pokémon across key Asian markets combined themed Happy Meals with location-specific toys and collectibles.
The campaign achieved a 20% uplift in product sell-through during its launch week and generated significant consumer engagement, particularly in Japan and Singapore.
This initiative further demonstrated the commercial strength of nostalgia-driven IP licensing in the food and beverage sector.
Honor of Kings x Meet Fresh (2025): Extending Gaming IP into Lifestyle Markets
In early 2025, Tencent introduced a crossover campaign between Honor of Kings and Taiwanese dessert chain Meet Fresh, featuring themed packaging and in-store activations across North America.
The month-long promotion generated over 40 million impressions and expanded the gaming IP's reach into new lifestyle consumer segments.
Xue led the North American rollout, coordinating execution across cities and ensuring consistent brand alignment.
Strategic Impact and Emerging Leadership
As global demand for multi-platform brand experiences grows, IP licensing is becoming an increasingly sophisticated discipline requiring creative integration and operational expertise.
Across multiple sectors and regions, Xue's role as a senior executive and strategic architect of high-impact collaborations has been recognized for setting new benchmarks within the industry.
According to Xue, effective partnerships "build cohesive narratives that extend across content, product, and consumer experiences, ultimately creating value that endures beyond the initial activation."
Xue's work exemplifies how strategic IP licensing has moved from a marketing adjunct to a core pillar of global brand development, influencing new standards for cross-sector co-branded innovation.（by ：Jon Stojan）

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Straits Times

15 hours ago

• Straits Times

Grow A Garden, Gen Alpha's FarmVille, is growing like crazy in Roblox

Grow A Garden is the first major Roblox game to integrate offline growth, which encourages players to return to see changes. PHOTO: ROBLOX NEW YORK – Anyone older than 25 likely has fond – or madly frustrating – memories of playing FarmVille, the popular browser game that lets users grow virtual crops and herd pixellated animals. Agriculture aficionados can rejoice: Generation Alpha's FarmVille has arrived. Grow A Garden, a simplistic farming simulation that involves planting seeds and collecting exotic pets, has exploded as one of the most highly played titles of 2025. Technically an 'experience' within the game-creation platform Roblox, it smashed its own record for concurrent users by reeling in 16.4 million active players in mid-June. It is a genuinely shocking feat. That number is more than online game Fortnite's peak and greater than the concurrent player records of the top five Steam games combined. Grow A Garden's allure might baffle anyone who has never toyed with slow-paced world-builders like Animal Crossing or Tomodachi Life. Players nurture a potpourri of plants and pets, which they can buy and sell in exchange for the in-game currency Sheckles. Sheckles can also be bought with Roblox's in-platform currency Robux (which can itself be purchased with real dollars). Plots begin barren before users transform them into fantastical safaris of shimmering frogs and prancing monkeys that each have their own special abilities. Suddenly, a player's dismal square brims with vibrant vegetation and beanstalks shooting into the sky. Numerous qualities elevate the game from a standard farm sim. It is the first major Roblox game to integrate offline growth, which encourages players to return to see changes. There are multiple time-sensitive components, including shops that restock with new items every five minutes and weekly drops – like the fruit-pollinating Bizzy Bees – with exclusive items that feel like can't-miss moments. Every little element has been shaped to keep people hooked, including blind-box pet eggs and the ability to steal things from other users' farms. These digital ranchers are so feverish that some have resorted to third-party sites to acquire the most legendary commodities. People have spent more than US$100 (S$129) on eBay listings for the cosmic-looking Candy Blossom Tree and Titanic Dragonflies. At its peak, Grow A Garden had more than triple the population of New Zealand, the home of Mr Janzen Madsen, who runs Splitting Point Studios, which scouts and acquires rising games on the platform. When the 28-year-old picked up Grow A Garden from the Roblox creator BMWLux in April, it had about 2,000 concurrent users. 'I was immediately like, 'Wow, this is pretty cool,'' said Mr Madsen, who is also known as Jandel. 'Farming is pretty innate to humans. If you think about it, the past thousands and thousands of years, it's what everyone's done.' His team of about 20 people scaled the game, fixing bugs and adding key elements such as daily quests. And it is still tinkering. Mr Madsen teased an update involving dogs that would recover fossils that could be traded in for sand-themed fruits, and eventually a feature that allows people to trade items. He also wants to have celebrities host live events with him. He has scaled many Roblox games, but nothing like this. He has seen people playing the game in real life, and all of his friends' children are loving it. 'To be platform-defining, or even industry-defining, is crazy,' he said. As news about the game's record-obliterating player count spread across the internet, some were dubious about its legitimacy. But after comparisons with other games on Roblox, people have largely concluded that bots have not heavily contributed to Grow A Garden's success. Some have theorised that the game is so popular because its bare-bones, subtly addictive gameplay appeals to a new, younger audience that is just starting to dominate Roblox. A popular video clip showed what looked like a classroom full of children sitting at computers excitedly awaiting a Grow A Garden update. According to Madsen's data, about 35 per cent of its sizeable player base is aged under 13. KreekCraft, a popular Roblox YouTuber, pointed to Grow A Garden's popularity on TikTok and Shorts – full of juvenile, goofy clips of the game – as evidence of its younger users. 'Normally, whenever a Roblox game gets really popular, there's an equal reaction on the YouTube side of things,' said KreekCraft, whose real name is Forrest. Instead, there is barely any long-form content proportional to the game's success. Previous Roblox hits like Dress To Impress were buoyed by influencers such as American online streamer and YouTuber Kai Cenat, but this one is all short-form videos. 'It's a lot of younger kids coming in,' KreekCraft said. 'It's a very simple, straightforward, easy-to-understand game.' Still, Grow A Garden is clearly beloved by people of all ages. Nobody has any clue how big it will become and how long it can continue this upward growth. 'It's definitely a Roblox game that came out of nowhere,' KreekCraft said in disbelief. 'It popped on the radar a few weeks ago and now it's broken every single Roblox record by miles. And it's just like, 'How did this happen? What is the ceiling here?' It blows my mind.' NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Vogue Singapore

11-06-2025

• Vogue Singapore

The 10 sneaker trends you're seeing everywhere this summer

Backgrid This year, no fashion item has made headlines quite like sneakers. The sneaker trends that have defined the first half of 2025—and those forecasted for the next six months—suggest many people are striving for anti-mainstream designs. In an effort to avoid another Samba saturation situation, new-gen style fans have taken to fresh silhouettes, or unearthed lesser-known, archival styles, as an alternative to those in the mainstream spotlight. Of course, there has been a plethora of cult styles that, like Sambas, have been worn by what feels like every celebrity and It-girl (strategic seeding is partly to thank for this, no doubt). In no particular order: the Nike Air Max, Puma Speedcat, and the Adidas Taekwondo and Tokyo have all been increasingly popular this year. And you can best believe that crowds at Oasis's reunion tour this summer will be two-stepping in Gallagher-inspired Adidas trainers (Liam Gallagher has collaborated with the brand on several iterations of Spezials). Other staff predictions that came true: the comeback of skater trainers, that 'could have been stolen from your best friend's older brother's room in 2002, swiped from next to his PlayStation 2', as British Vogue 's Daisy Jones recently observed. Along with the continued obsession with performance trainers and Gorpcore (Salomons, Hokas, Merrells, and Asics continue to reign supreme), plus an endless stream of collaborations that have us on high alert, there is a little something for everyone. As we head into the summer months, bold, bright colors and retro-inspired shapes continue to dominate, so don't set them aside just yet. Scroll on to shop all 10 sneaker trends to note for the rest of 2025. Getty 1 / 60 The bold and the beautiful Step aside, minimalism. This year, the sneaker-sphere is all about color—where more is more. Miu Miu's colorblocked, Gymnasium sneaker, walked the spring/summer 2025 runway and became an instant street style must-buy, while many rainbow-coded iterations of classic sneaker shapes from Adidas, Nike, and other heritage brands have hit shelves. Injecting something bold into your usual mix is a smart move—just ask Bella and Gigi Hadid, who have been forerunners for the movement. Salvatore Dragone 2 / 60 The bold and the beautiful Courtesy of Adidas 3 / 60 Adidas Original Tokyo sneakers, $127 Available at Net-a-Porter. Courtesy of Nordstrom 4 / 60 Miu Miu Gymnasium low top sneakers, $1,390 Available at Nordstrom. Courtesy of Nike 5 / 60 Nike LD-1000 shoes, $159 Available at Nike. Courtesy of Free People 6 / 60 Coolway nylon sneakers, $155 Available at Free People. Courtesy of 7 / 60 Sumptuous suede As fashion brands continue to divert to retro-inspired shapes, and sneaker houses keep plucking straight from the archive, we have seen a revival in suede fabrications, more so than plain leather. From Proenza Schouler's track-inspired sneaker for spring/summer 2025, an editor-favorite in bright cobalt, to Dries Van Noten's subtle update to their beyond-popular sports shoe, plus the success of Puma's Speedcat, a favorite of sneakerheads like Dua Lipa and Emily Ratajkowski, suede is definitely on point. Courtesy of Proenza Schouler 8 / 60 Sumptuous suede Courtesy of Proenza Schouler 9 / 60 Proenza Schouler sneakers, $910 Available at Proenza Schouler. Courtesy of Net-a-Porter 10 / 60 Dries Van Noten suede sneakers, $475 Available at Net-a-Porter. Courtesy of Net-a-Porter 11 / 60 Autry suede sneakers, $274 Available at Net-a-Porter. Courtesy of Ssense 12 / 60 Puma Speedcat sneakers, $136 Available at Ssense. Backgrid 13 / 60 The Sneakerina No one was prepared for sneakerina fever, the sleeper hit of 2025. The buzz around these hybrid sneakers, characterized by elements of ballet, such as delicate laces or satin fabrications (similar to a pointe shoe), continues to gain momentum. Harry Styles was recently spotted out and about in London, wearing Prada's Collapse sneakers, while early adopters of the trend included Bella Hadid and Amelia Gray, on the women's front. Given that Simone Rocha featured a new variation of satin low-tops on her fall/winter 2025 runway, the sneakerina surely will remain popular through the end of the year. Backgrid 14 / 60 The Sneakerina Courtesy of Nordstrom 15 / 60 Prada low top sneakers, $1,291 Available at Nordstrom. Courtesy of Ssense 16 / 60 Abra ballerina sneakers, $792 Available at Ssense. Courtesy of Cettire 17 / 60 Miu Miu lace-up sneakers, $1,122 Available at Cettire. Courtesy of Farfetch 18 / 60 Polo Ralph Lauren sneakers, $429 Available at Farfetch. Backgrid 19 / 60 Sporty sprinters From Miu Miu to Maison Margiela, sneakers inspired by sporty, sprinter shapes are having their moment. It's a natural progression, given all the retro runners that are floating around currently. The main difference is that these have a treaded gum-sole, mimicking the idea of spikes, like those on the sole of their technical counterparts. Margiela's Sprinter has become one to watch, while collaborations such as Comme des Garçons x Spalwart are selling quickly. Bottega Veneta's reinvention of their Orbit sneaker, now in a low-runner shape, solidifies this as the next step in the world of throwback-inspired kicks. Backgrid 20 / 60 Sporty sprinters Courtesy of Net-a-Porter 21 / 60 Maison Margiela shell sneakers, $1,227 Available at Net-a-Porter. Courtesy of Nordstrom 22 / 60 Bottega Veneta low top sneakers, $1,310 Available at Nordstrom. Courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman 23 / 60 Comme Des Garçons suede runner sneakers, $610 Available at Bergdorf Goodman. Courtesy of Hoff 24 / 60 Hoff bird suede sneakers, $233 Available at Anthropologie. Courtesy of Adidas x Sporty & Rich 25 / 60 Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships Collaborations have always been a powerful tool in the sneaker landscape, with the most coveted styles selling at inflated prices on resale sites long after their initial release. This year saw continued success for the ongoing partnerships between Wales Bonner and Sporty & Rich with Adidas, while Loewe x On returned for another round, and the MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon mule finally dropped. With more brands jumping on the bandwagon at every turn, expect the remainder of 2025 to be big on the collaboration front. Courtesy of On x Loewe 26 / 60 Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships Courtesy of Net-a-Porter 27 / 60 Adidas x Wales Bonner Karintha Lo canvas sneakers, $491 Available at Net-a-Porter. Courtesy of Net-a-Porter 28 / 60 Sporty & Rich x Adidas suede sneakers, $197 Available at Net-a-Porter. Courtesy of Revolve 29 / 60 MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon Xt Mule 4, $640 Available at Revolve. Courtesy of Net-a-Porter 30 / 60 Loewe x On Cloudtilt sneakers, $688 Available at Net-a-Porter. Getty 31 / 60 Step back in time Sneaker wins of recent years have been steeped in nostalgia. Are yesteryear shoes bound for a return? Nike's Noughties-hailing Shox—the 'anti-Samba,' which were reinterpreted as a mule by Martine Rose, saw massive traction, as well as the more humble Air Max 1s and even Converse, with the uptick in high tops. British Vogue 's Daniel Rodgers also discussed whether he should bring back his Balenciaga Triple Ss (granted, they're only seven years old, but they still feel kind of nostalgic) or whether they're still too earnest. Getty 32 / 60 Step back in time Courtesy of Nike 33 / 60 Nike Air Max shoes, $189 Available at Nike. Courtesy of Converse 34 / 60 Converse high top sneakers, $129 Available at Converse. Courtesy of Balenciaga 35 / 60 Balenciaga sneakers, $1,590 Available at Balenciaga. Courtesy of Nike 36 / 60 Nike Shox TL shoes, $259 Available at Nike. Courtesy of 37 / 60 Loaf up One of the many sneaker hybrids that entered the chat was New Balance's loafer-trainers. Elsewhere, Cecilie Bahnsen released sporty Mary Janes, via her collaboration with Asics, while Simone Rocha experimented with track-soled ballerinas, and Salomon unveiled a backless mule version of its XT-4 silhouette, made in collaboration with MM6 Maison Margiela. Salomon also joined forces with Sandy Liang to create coquettish ribboned sneakers, which tapped into the customization trend of adding charms, chains, and jewelry that has swept social feeds. This is a movement that Molly Rooyakkers, founder of @ says can make 'an otherwise standard item feel personal.' Courtesy of 38 / 60 Loaf up Courtesy of Ssense 39 / 60 New Balance loafer sneakers, $213 Available at Ssense. Courtesy of Nordstrom 40 / 60 Puma mesh sneakers, $160 Available at Nordstrom. Courtesy of Net-a-Porter 41 / 60 Salomon leather-trimmed mesh sandals, $211 Available at Net-a-Porter. Courtesy of Nordstrom 42 / 60 Simone Rocha strap sneakers, $1,305 Available at Nordstrom. Courtesy of GC Images 43 / 60 Sk8er Skater shoes are back. Although these shouldn't reach Samba status—it would ruin their charm—Vans Slip-Ons and Old Skools have seen plenty of traction, through celeb endorsements from Zoë Kravitz and Jennifer Lawrence, who often sport in their ever-cool, off-duty wardrobes. Other true skate styles that we expect to see take off include the Busenitz from Adidas (already hard to get), and New Balance's Numeric Brandon Westgate 508, both of which run a little more under the radar. Getty 44 / 60 Sk8er Courtesy of Nordstrom 45 / 60 Vans checkerboard shoes, $80 Available at Nordstrom. Courtesy of Vans 46 / 60 Vans sneakers, $81 Available at Vans. Courtesy of Adidas 47 / 60 Adidas Busenitz Pro shoes, $129 Available at Adidas. Courtesy of New Balance 48 / 60 New Balance Westgate 508 sneakers, $80 Available at New Balance. Getty 49 / 60 Pitch kicks 'With the women's Euros coming up in summer 2025, get ready to see even more football-inspired sneakers everywhere,' asserts Rachel Makar, senior director of merchandising at StockX. Football fever already took over fashion during the men's Euros–football shirts and scarves became a style fixture off the pitch, so prepare for 2.0 next summer. At the same time, Oasis will be on their reunion tour–Britpop is also, of course, intrinsically linked with football culture–so prepare to see fans rocking three-stripe trainers (and parkas, and mod cuts…). WireImage 50 / 60 Pitch kicks Courtesy of FWRD 51 / 60 Adidas sambas, $141 Available at FWRD. Courtesy of Reebok 52 / 60 Reebok XT sneakers, $65 Available at Reebok. Courtesy of JD Sports 53 / 60 Reebok shoes, $169 Available at JD Sports. Courtesy of Revolve 54 / 60 Gola sneakers, $183 Available at Revolve. Courtesy of Asics_Sportstyle 55 / 60 Gorphardcore Gorpcore is no longer a trend–it's a lifestyle. Enthusiasts pine after performance trainers, including Salomons, Merrells, Hokas, and Asics—the latter of which has outperformed most running shoe brands, according to Emily Minea, director of merchandising at GOAT, who dubs it 'the ultimate nondescript running brand.' On the street, everyone from Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid has backed the movement. With the continuous sell-out status of new drop colorways of the XT-6, to Loewe x On's latest collaboration style, the trend is not going anywhere anytime soon. Courtesy of Salomon 56 / 60 Gorphardcore Courtesy of Net-a-Porter 57 / 60 Loewe x On Cloudventure paneled sneakers, $688 Available at Net-a-Porter. Courtesy of Ssense 58 / 60 Salomon sneakers, $258 Available at Ssense. Courtesy of Nordstrom 59 / 60 Asics Gel-1130 sneakers, $133 Available at Nordstrom. Courtesy of Free People 60 / 60 Hoka Athletics sneakers, $193 Available at Free People.

CNA

10-06-2025

• CNA

Aussie Day sports American stars and stripes shorts at US Open

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania :Australian Jason Day, already known for his loud outfits on the golf course, turned heads again on Tuesday when he showed up for U.S. Open practice at Oakmont Country Club sporting a loose-fitting pair of red, white and blue American flag shorts. To complete the patriotic all-American look, which seemed more suited for a U.S. Fourth of July barbecue than a practice for a men's major, Day wore a quarter-zip jacket that featured a blue and white star-lined collar. Former world number one Day, who left Nike in early 2024 to join Malbon Golf, had some bold ensembles ready for this year's Masters but said that week he changed his plans after Augusta National requested he dress in a more reserved way. At the 2024 Masters, Day wore baggy blue pants and a loud sweater vest that featured "No. 313. Malbon Golf Championship" in large block letters across the front when he showed up on the Friday to complete his first round alongside Tiger Woods. But when the 2015 PGA Championship winner showed up for the second round later that day, the vest was gone and he later said tournament organisers had asked him to remove the garment.