Brand Licensing

Audience-led insight to inform brand licensing and extension decisions.

Cultural organisations and heritage brands often have untapped potential in licensing. To secure the right partners and product categories, organisations need clear audience evidence to understand who their audiences are, what they care about, and where a brand has the strongest natural fit in the market.

This work draws on the same audience-led strategy approach described in Arts & Cultural Brands, applied specifically to brand licensing and extension decisions.

My approach uses social intelligence to move beyond surface demographics, revealing the lifestyle categories, interests, and brand affinities that can inform licensing strategy and partner conversations.

What this work supports

  • clearer understanding of audience demand and brand fit

  • prioritisation of relevant product categories

  • more confident conversations with potential licensees

  • audience-led brand positioning for licensed products

  • longer-term thinking around brand extension

When audience research is part of the work

When audience research is in scope, including social intelligence, it’s possible to see patterns in brand preferences, affinities, and behaviours across markets. This can include:

  • Audience discovery
    Demographics, interests, values, and behaviours across UK, US, and international markets.

  • Category fit
    Identification of sectors where the brand naturally aligns, such as fashion, stationery, lifestyle, or food and beverage.

  • Brand alignment
    Visibility of brands audiences already engage with, alongside inferred fit with potential licensees.

  • Personas and profiles
    Audience profiles that can be used internally to guide strategy and externally to support licensing discussions.

  • Strategic insights
    Tailored recommendations to inform licensing conversations and brand positioning.

Why it matters

  • Credible evidence for partnerships
    Clear, audience-led insight to support conversations with potential licensees.

  • Unexpected opportunities
    Identification of product categories and partners that may not have been obvious.

  • Global perspective
    Projects scoped by territory, from UK and US markets to other international regions.

  • Long-term value
    Insights with a multi-year lifespan that can be reused across licensing, communications, and strategy teams.

Who this is for

  • Universities and heritage brands
    Exploring licensed products as a route to brand extension.

  • Museums and cultural institutions
    Looking to expand into retail and product partnerships.

  • Publishers and cultural properties
    Considering licensing opportunities beyond core media.

Next steps

Brand licensing decisions benefit from robust audience evidence. An audience-led approach can help organisations prioritise the right categories, partners, and markets with greater confidence.

➡️ Get in touch to discuss how this approach could support your brand licensing strategy, or explore the wider Arts & Cultural Brands work.