And last but not least, I’m inspired every day by the talented team and partners I work with… It’s truly a privilege to collaborate with people from all over the world. Their diverse skills and perspectives bring so much richness to the table. It keeps the work exciting and serves as an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The human touch in the real-world experiences is particularly appealing to me.

On that, BLE is fast approaching. Do you find attending that show creatively inspiring?
Absolutely. Attending BLE is an excellent way to fuel creativity and inspire new ideas. It offers a unique chance to meet professionals from the sector, observe how other brands handle licensing, detect upcoming trends, strengthen networking opportunities and hold face-to-face meetings with licensees. These are some of the key highlights of BLE for me! Connecting in person with partners and enjoying real-world experiences – such as exploring the fair – is exciting. It’s a good way to cultivate and nurture curiosity!

Can you tell us about a recent launch you were involved in that you feel is an especially creative use of the licensed brand?
We’re thrilled about our recent collaboration with FENDI on the Chupa Chups lollipop holder. The FENDI x Chupa Chups lollipop holder embodies the Maison’s renowned craftsmanship and creativity, combined with a playful twist. This ‘sweet’ accessory marries functionality with FENDI’s fun attitude and unique design codes. It also includes five exclusive, co-branded Chupa Chups x FENDI lollipops. This marks our first venture into customising lollipops for a fashion collaboration, and the final result is extraordinary. We are incredibly proud of this partnership!

Additionally, we’ve been involved in launching a limited-edition travel range with American Tourister x Chupa Chups. This project showcased a seamless synergy between the licensee’s work and our brand values and iconic style. The final collection brilliantly captures personality, colour and fun through engaging storytelling. Not only does the collection look fantastic, but the in-store activations and communication campaigns are also outstanding.

Other significant collaborations include a capsule collection with Spanish fashion designer Pablo Erroz for Chupa Chups, showcased on the catwalk at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid 2024. Additionally, we partnered with Dour Darcel on Chupa Chups, a project by Australian-born, New York-based artist and illustrator Craig Redman. Craig created a 3D PFP Dour Darcels NFT, allowing fans to acquire unique digital art pieces.

Great picks. Can you tell us about a launch you’ve seen – but weren’t involved in – that you feel is a creative brand extension?
I personally enjoy collaborations that bring smiles to faces. Some partnerships are incredibly creative and resonate on an emotional level, establishing a strong connection between brands and consumers. When brands find a great match, it often results in something truly special. For example, a creative brand extension that caught my attention was the collaboration between Kraft Heinz and musician Ed Sheeran to co-create two hot sauce flavours. This partnership was a perfect match, infused with a smart touch of humour.

Another favourite of mine is the recent Crayola x Mrs. Bloom’s collaboration. The arts and crafts brand partnered with the US florist to create a giving platform that delivers fresh flower bouquets, while supporting non-profits chosen by its customers. This partnership not only expands Crayola into a new category in a blooming and beautiful way, but also reinforces the company’s commitment to social responsibility, promoting a brighter and more colourful world.

Thanks Mar. Fun choices. I have one last question: What’s the key to successful creative collaborations between licensors and licensees?
A successful collaboration is built on the ability to balance creativity with brand consistency. We work with companies and artists whose values and energies align with ours and resonate authentically with our brands. This alignment is essential for us, as partnerships play a crucial role in shaping and sustaining a positive brand building.

Flexibility and trust are also key… Licensees should feel empowered to innovate while licensors provide the necessary guidance to uphold brand integrity. We thrive on diverse perspectives and the excitement of discovering new products and fresh ideas. However, it is crucial that any collaboration stays true to the brand and demonstrates a deep understanding of the target audience.

We seek collaborations that are innovative, stimulating, fun and unique, with a strong commitment to quality. Our aim is to create unexpected experiences that resonate with audiences and captivate consumers.

The post BLE Creative Corner with… Perfetti van Melle’s Mar Gili appeared first on Brands Untapped.

Nic Davies

Scott Ham, Co-Founder and Creative Director, The Zeros
“After being glued to the TV watching cartoons for most of my childhood, I was instantly invested. Sadly, I can’t do that anymore, so I decided to split my days… Now I work with the cartoons I love, then – after a hard day’s work – I go home and watch them! After realising I could work with the characters that I still watch to this day, my mind was blown and I knew I had to pursue a profession within licensing. I’m fairly certain I’ve watched every episode of The Simpsons, up to season 13, around 30 times – and am still going!”

Mar Gili, Design, Co-ordinator, , Perfetti Van Melle
“My first source of inspiration was nature and the amazing creations we find around us. Nature never ceases to fascinate and provoke me. I’m Mediterranean and that’s deeply marked my way of seeing the world. The special Mediterranean light makes things look profoundly colourful and suggestive. The atmosphere surrounds you and invites you to create… It’s just magic! The second major inspiration was art. I’m from Barcelona, a beautiful corner of the world surrounded by the incredible modernism style of the artist and architect Gaudí. We also have the artistic footprint of celebrities such as Picasso, Miró and Dalí – the genius behind the design of the Chupa Chups logo. Art is everywhere and it’s continuously evolving. It continues to inspire me to this day.”

Stephanie Griggs, Creative Director, The Roald Dahl Story Company
“Discovering Tim Burton’s The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories aged 15, spoke to me – as an emo teenager with a penchant for gothic culture – on a new level. His exaggerated illustrative style was wholly different to the fruit-bowl, still-life painting I’d been doing at school. His macabre yet lovable characters sparked something in me and I wanted to get drawing myself… That early portfolio, inspired by Tim’s work, got me a place at art college after leaving school – and the rest is history!”

Hamish Jenkinson, CEO, The Department
“Leake Street, London. This underpass was used by taxis at the Eurostar Waterloo drop-off before it closed and moved to Kings Cross. It became a cut-through that only the brave would dare walk at night. It was home to street sleepers, drug dealers, pickpockets and thieves: effectively a no-go zone. In 2007, street artist Banksy did a deal with the Mayor of London. He donated one of his artworks in exchange for a whole street becoming a place people could legally create street art or graffiti. My life changed when I saw the opening show. Behind a Network Rail archway, I found a labyrinth of old Victorian tunnels that held trains above ground. The next thing I knew, I’d launched two immersive spaces: The Old Vic Tunnels and The Vaults. Leake Street is now home to various clubs, restaurants, a skate park and much more and the walls change on a daily basis as new artists come to create stunning street art murals. Banksy changed my life the day he donated that artwork, and this little street is now one of the best areas to experience London’s underground immersive scene and street art culture.”

To read more content from the Brands Untapped 100: 2022 edition click here.

The post Why Design? appeared first on Brands Untapped.

To start us off, what first set you on the path to design?
Art and creativity have been always a must in my life. I get passionate about the power of design making daily life easier, efficient and more beautiful for everyone. I feel design is the perfect cross over between the emotional side of art with the needs of functionality of products. For me, design is a way to communicate and provoke positive feelings in people.

Your passion comes through loud and clear. How did your love of design meet the world of licensing?
I ‘fell into’ the licensing industry by chance. During my design degree – surprisingly – nobody explained about licensing… And yet it ended up defining my whole professional career so far!

In my first job I had the opportunity become familiar with this completely new universe. It was a nice and inspiring discovery, so I fell in love with licensing immediately!

You’re a Design Co-ordinator at Perfetti Van Melle. Talk us through what that role entails.
I’m the design expert of the licensing team, responsible for all brand approvals, designs and in charge of the global creative strategy. I oversee all product developments and suggest ideas and concepts to meet licensees’ objectives.

It’s a very challenging task because we have a huge variety of partners and categories – and they are active all over the world. I’m learning new things every day and that’s very stimulating and motivating!

“The lifestyle licensing programs that we build focus on a design strategy from the very start.”

I also coordinate new art developments with illustrators, artists and agencies to expand our brands’ image portfolio. That’s my favourite part! I get in touch with amazing people who provide a new creative vision of our brands that keeps them always evolving.

From the outside, it feels as if design plays a really important role in the sorts of brand extensions that you put together for your IP…
Absolutely! The lifestyle licensing programs that we build – first with Chupa Chups and later with Perfetti Van Melle’s other candy brands – focus on a design strategy from the very start.

“Every year, we invite renowned artists and fashion designers to do their own interpretation of the brand universe.”

Perfetti Van Melle has always given the licensing division the space to develop an independent design route. We created a model to analyse the brands’ DNA and iconography to determine the type of fashion style that would match with each of the brands. With that lifestyle personality, we have been creating new designs every year that merge the brand identity with the fashion trends they naturally align with.

You mentioned Chupa Chups there and that brand has successful launched all sorts of areas – everything from fashion to pet accessories to scooters… Why do think it’s been able to successfully stretch into so many categories?
Chupa Chups is a truly loved brand with a strong link with art because, as you may know, Salvador Dali was the creator of the logo in 1968.

I didn’t! What an interesting element to have as part of the brand’s DNA.
Yes, it forever marked our brand image and gives us a strong responsibility to honour that! We are proud to keep building and enlarging the art dimension of the Chupa Chups brand in every new collaboration.

Going back to your initial question, for us, the key is to keep the approach fresh and varied. Our rich art portfolio for Chupa Chups is the backbone that has allowed us to build a licensing program in so many categories.

We work with external designers and artists from all over the world. Every year, we also invite renowned artists and fashion designers to do their own interpretation of the brand universe. They are halo projects that help us drive attention to the brand and allow the consumers to engage with Chupa Chups in a totally new and premium way.

Everything is about surprising and offering a different and positive experience.

With art being so key to the brand, is a licensee’s approach to design a bit of a dealbreaker when crafting brand extensions for Chupa Chups?
Design is key if you want your product to stand out. We strongly believe in constantly generating surprises with the brands to capture the attention in the market. We challenge ourselves to tell different brand stories every time by tapping into our heritage and the pop icon trend to keep renewing our designs.

We take care of every small detail and yes, we screen our partners and approach them from a design sensibility perspective. When we have new partners on board, we give them all our support in terms of design and we work closely together to create amazing new Chupa Chups collections.

Let’s dive into some of these collaborations. D1 Milano recently launched a Chupa Chups line of watches. The collection looks great. So what appealed about working with D1 Milano and bringing the brand into that industry?
Yes, it’s a lovely collaboration!

We are very happy to partner with D1 because they really captured the tone and voice of the Chupa Chups brand. They created a premium collection inspired by the sweet side of the candy universe, using the most iconic lollipop flavours.

D1 is a partner with a high artistic sensibility who takes care of the project from a 360º perspective. The quality of the watches, the beautiful packaging, the creation of amazing windows at the point of sale and the great social media activation makes this collaboration an exciting experience.

Wearing this watch empowers you and provokes a sweet smile of happiness in your life and for those around you.

You mentioned that each watch reflects a different Chupa Chups flavour. From a design point of view, how are the flavours showcased in each piece?
D1 Milano based the creative development of the project on a ‘choose your flavour’ concept. For Chupa Chups, the aromas and the connection between colours and flavours are a key strategic concept… Our brand is all about aromas and colours!

“We welcome crazy ideas; they challenge the status quo and encourage you to view the brand from different angles.”

In this collection, D1 Milano proposed to work around Chupa Chups’ popular flavours: Cola, Apple and Berry, layered with a burst of pastel tones. This range of colours connects consumers with the sweetness of the brand and hints at their favourite flavours in a subtle way, which upgrades the collection to a premium category.

Looking ahead, what are some of the other exciting launches in the pipeline for the brand?
There are always exciting projects going on! We are always open to receiving proposals and suggestions. We welcome crazy ideas too because they challenge the status quo and encourage you to view the brand from different angles.

To list some of our recent projects… We partnered with Casio and the designer Maya Hansen presenting a nice Baby G watch collection for China.

We developed several amazing mall events in Malaysia and others are being set up as we speak in Singapore.

We’re also doing many successful food and beverage extensions with drinks, ice cream and pop corn.

The brands are also regulars with key fast fashion retailers and we have limited edition projects underway, like H&M’s Chupa Chups capsule collection in Asia.

I can’t disclose some of the other exciting projects that will come alive soon, but stay tuned because they will catch your attention, for sure!

Sold! I’ll keep my eyes open! Before I let you go, one final question: How do you fuel your creativity?
Creativity is everywhere, it’s just about paying attention to small details and changing the way you look around in your daily life.

In the design field, I keep on top of webinars, trend reports and relevant fairs because they are always a good source for inspiration. Also, nature is a perfect place to connect with beauty and peace, which is very necessary to keep focused.

To be honest, I’m lucky because in my job I’m in contact with a lot of different creative minds around the world and that offers me a constant creative exchange.

Mar this has been a pleasure. Thanks again for making time and good luck with all the exciting Chupa Chups activity you have on the go! And for anyone who wants to keep up with Perfetti Van Melle’s licensing work can check out the team’s Instagram account at @perfettivanmellelicensing here.

The post Perfetti Van Melle’s Mar Gili on how art, design and the element of surprise fuel brand extensions for Chupa Chups appeared first on Brands Untapped.