‘My Life with the Moomins – the story of a classic brand on its 70th anniversary’ to be presented by Sophia Jansson, Creative Director of Moomin Characters & niece of creator Tove Jansson
London 07 September 2015: Sophia Jansson, Creative Director of Moomin Characters and niece of Moomins creator Tove Jansson, will give the keynote address on Wednesday 14th October at 12.30 in the Licensing Academy.
Jansson will share her personal story of the Moomin brand journey, joined by Roleff Kråkström, CEO of Moomin Characters, and Gustav Melin, Global Licensing Director at Bulls Licensing, offering unique insights into the strategy, brand development and future plans for this classic brand.
The Moomins were created by Finnish artist, illustrator and author Tove Jansson in 1945. Over the years Moomins conquered the world, but success had a dark side. Licensing and merchandising took over the brand, and by the early nineties the classic characters were more associated with colourful Japanese animations than the original works of art. Sophia joined the family company in 1997 and with a new strategy turned the business around, returning to the original values of the books. The Moomins is now considered one of the top 20 brands in the world, with an estimated retail value of 600 million Euro and over 600 licensees worldwide.
Sophia Jansson said: “I feel very honoured to have been asked to share my experiences with the Moomin brand at BLE this year. It is really great to recount the brand’s journey over the years to such an international and knowledgeable audience of experts in the licensing field.”
Darren Brechin, BLE Event Director, said: “The Moomins’ brand journey is fascinating; from the first books in 1945 and dolls a few years later through to the present day and its impressive position amongst worldwide brands. We are delighted
to help celebrate the 70th anniversary with a showcase at BLE, and look forward to hearing the future plans for this beautiful and much-loved brand.”
The Keynote forms part of the Licensing Academy programme of talks and seminars which are held during BLE 2015. They are free to attend and the programme can be found at www.brandlicensing.eu.
The original Moomin illustrations and products from 1945 are featured on the BLE Blog today at www.thebleblog.com
Register for free to attend Brand Licensing Europe 2015 which takes place from 13 - 15 October 2015 at London’s Olympia at www.brandlicensing.eu.
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For press information please contact Emma Harris at eharris@advanstar.com or Tel: 07919 408233
About Brand Licensing Europe
Brand Licensing Europe 2015 (www.brandlicensing.eu) takes place from 13-15 October 2015 at Olympia, London. It is the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Now in its 17th successful year, Brand Licensing Europe 2014 was the biggest event to date; hosting 306 exhibitors and 7,164 visitors from 69 countries.
About UBM Advanstar (www.advanstar.com) UBM Advanstar, part of UBM Americas, is a US-based event and marketing services business serving the fashion, licensing, life sciences and power sports industries. The company owns and operates a portfolio of 54 tradeshows, 100 conferences, 30 publications, and almost 200 electronic products and websites. Its market-leading brands and a commitment to delivering innovative, quality products and services enable UBM Advanstar to “Connect Our Customers With Theirs.” UBM Advanstar is a UBM plc company.