November’s One-A-Day Q&A – Question #25

Q: Is it possible to ‘over license’ your art?

A: Yes, over exposure absolutely can become a problem (one many of us would like to encounter, eh?).  However, over exposure in licensing can be just as detrimental as it is in other types of business exposure, such as media.  If you’ve reached a place where people are just turned off to your property as opposed to turned on by it, you can expect backlash with people rejecting your art and designs.  We actually see this most often with properties that skyrocket and you’re thinking:  Enough, enough already!

As you build a licensing business, you want to be strategic about your growth. One of the ways to keep over-exposure in check is to just do the deals that really make sense and don’t be overly greedy.  Fans don’t appreciate a property that is on everything; when it gets to that point, it becomes saturation. Consumers also don’t appreciate inappropriate licensing combinations either; you wouldn’t put an infant property on a bottle of wine or an adult property on a baby blanket. You’ve got to stick with the types of products where your characters and designs really make sense.