Omni Entertainment Franchise Exploration

A LinkedIn Series

What is Omni?

In anticipation of a post-series (not video) I shared on LinkedIn, I wanted to propose a new buzzword for 2022. As we see headlines exploding with "metaverse", "nft", "blockchain", "experiential" (pre-pandemic), "streaming" and "acquisition", I can only think about the necessity for new brands to think bigger and broader than ever before.

My posting-series will take a look at some of the biggest who have transcended and could stand to be the north star models for up and coming success stories. It's not just about thinking BIG. It's also about being smart and coordinated!

But let's start here... think "OMNI".

#marketing #marketingandadvertising #branding #metaverse #omni #streaming #franchises #media # #blockchain #success

Omni Marketing

Continuing my tease, I wanted to pose a discussion topic around Omni Marketing. Now that I am advocating we add "omni" to our everyday lexicon, let's start putting some real definitions on the table.

When it comes to media or entertainment brands (or those looking to become them), "Omni Marketing" is a necessity. What does that mean? It's all about coordinating the approach across multiple touchpoints. Brands or IP owners looking to have resonance and transcend need to think beyond their singular format of bringing that IP to life. They must extend beyond and deliver quality experiences for their fans and followers. Potential advocates are more likely to find their way and fall in love if you have various entry points for them to discover you.

What touchpoints might I be missing in this graphic? Perhaps some are subcategories of these. Let's start to aggregate a list!

#marketing #media #entertainment #marketingandadvertising #branding #consumerproducts #gaming #experiential #omni #omnimarketing

TOYS & KIDS ENTERTAINMENT

With a passion for Toys and Kids entertainment (The Walt Disney Company, Mattel, Inc. and MGA Entertainment Marketing on the old resume), this next category is near and dear to my heart. Toys and Kids properties are brimming with potential.

In fact, none within this category have cracked the top 10 on the list. But a few are right on their heels and even more are on the cusp of becoming Omni-qualified.

I suspect there will be some debate in this category so bring it on! Colleagues at my former employers, and friends at Hasbro, the LEGO Group, Spin Master, Jakks Pacific, Jazwares, LLC, Moose Toys, Just Play, ZURU Toy Company, Sanrio, Inc., what say you?

Let me prompt some discussion:
- Which properties are missing?
- Why haven't they been able to make it higher?
- Which were your favorites and which are your kids' faves?
- Why do YOU think the LEGO Group isn't officially on the list? I can explain, of course...
- With #toyfair heartbreakingly canceled again, will the growth of these mega-brands be delayed?

I have a theory on this and will dive a bit deeper in the future but in the meantime, I am curious about your thoughts on this category and what will make the difference to propel IP to the top of the leaderboard.

For tomorrow, we are back to more media companies. Which company comes second to Disney when it comes to Omni Entertainment Franchises?

#omnientertainmentfranchise #entertainmentfranchise #media #marketing #entertainment #branding #marketingandadvertising #consulting #toys #kidsandfamily #transformers #barbie #hasbro #mattel #spinmaster #pawpatrol #zurutoys #justplay #lego #jazwares #moosetoys #jakkspacific

Anime & Manga

Halfway through our list: Yesterday I teased that today was a media company. But a former colleague pointed out an IP that should have shown up on the Toy list yesterday. Upon further research, I realized it was actually an Anime-first property I had left out. That bumped this category above that to-be-named media company!

Thanks to Namco Bandai Holdings Inc.'s Gundam, Anime/Manga is the next "Omni Entertainment Franchise" category. Many of these properties may be unfamiliar to my connections, but wow are they popular! Note how few properties make up this infographic vs the previous ones - big revenue!

While Manga was developed in Japan in the late 19th century, it became popular as a publishing style in the 1950. And Anime in the 1960s thanks to cartoonist Osamu Tezuka. Both of these styles have been increasingly more popular beyond Japan and mainstream properties have looked to them to broaden appeal around the world.

The magnificent Visions #starwars series paid tribute to the anime style as did Netflix's Cowboy Bebop, Master of the Universe: Revelation (personal fave), and the recently announced Scott Pilgrim anime series.

As for Manga, in 2020 it was the 2nd largest subject for comics and graphic novels in the US market with children 0-11, holding 3x greater share of the market than superhero stories!

Given the slate of theatrical film titles as of late (Superheroes), I'm not surprised there's an uptick of content being developed within this category! And this Forbes article agrees.

#omnientertainmentfranchise #entertainmentfranchise #media #marketing #entertainment #branding #marketingandadvertising #consulting #anime #manga #visions #starwars #mastersoftheuniverse #scottpilgrim #comics #comicbooks #netflix #bandainamco #sunrise #gundam #infographic

Warner Bros. Entertainment

ICYMI: We had made it up to the 4th part only for me to return to my list and realize I had inadvertently left off a few key brands. Upon further review, these additions changed my chart yet again. The Manga/Anime category has now usurped Toy/Kids pretty significantly! Take a look at the changes.

But now back on track to your regularly scheduled infographic series...

The next media company with the most Omni Entertainment Franchises is Warner Bros. Entertainment.

With the Wizarding World/Harry Potter and DC Comics in its repertoire, it is definitely the clear next leader of the media-company pack compared to the remaining competition.

Whether you consider Harry Potter and DC Comics primarily as published works, there's no doubt that Warner Bros. influence has taken these properties to Omni status - from books and comics to films to TV shows to theatrical productions to consumer products to theme park experiences around the world.

However, there hasn't been a shortage of strong criticism for these properties and their content extensions.
- What is The Walt Disney Company doing so right that Warner Bros. can learn from to close the wide gap between Disney's top 5 OEFs and Waner Bros. two that break the top 10?
- Could this year's DCEU releases push the company higher?
- What about the new Lord the Rings Amazon Studios series? Will that usher in a new era for the franchise? I imagine the investment in that production will be highly scrutinized!

#omnientertainmentfranchise #entertainmentfranchise #media #marketing #entertainment #branding #marketingandadvertising #consulting #infographic #warnerbros #dc #dcomics #harrypotter #wizardingworld #lordoftherings #lotr #middleearth #content #amazon

Paramount, NBCUniversal and Amazon

FULL REVEAL: The last 3 media companies on the list come far behind their predecessors so let’s wrap up the series with the full reveal. TLDR: Viacom, NBCUniversal, and Amazon Studios round out the list.

First up in this trio is ViacomCBS (now Paramount). The properties on this list are iconic and were groundbreaking for their target audiences! #StarTrek #SpongeBobSquarePants #DoraTheExplorer. But many have struggled on the consumer products side of the business to really push this company higher. Plus, aside from #PAWPatrol (which can be debated if this belongs in the Toys/Kids category), they haven't launched many new IPs in the last decade to transcend.

Next up is NBCUniversal. With only 4 Omni Entertainment Properties to its credit, it makes up only 2.4% of the revenue grossed across my list. That said, they have made up a lot of ground in a very short time. 3 of those properties have skyrocketed in the last 10 years. #JurassicWorld is a modern icon and likely will always be a cult classic and cinematic revelation. #FastandFurious continues to break records (and make headlines for better or worse) and is even trying to tap into the kids market with an animated series that was in development for years before landing on Netflix. And #DespicableMe and #Minions keep churning out hits while relying on pranks, fart gags, and gibberish for their play pattern. With Peacock as its main non-theatrical distribution engine, it will be interesting to see if these can continue to flourish given the platform's struggles to take hold.

We wrap up the list with the ONLY #streaming service on the list: Amazon Prime Video has one small but mighty property that came with its acquisition of MGM: #JamesBond. The success of this property is mainly due to its box office numbers as its consumer products business has been minimal. But with music (its main title song) as an iconic part of the franchise marketing play since its inception and a new video game in development with IO Interactive, perhaps Amazon can infuse some more touchpoints into this brand to push it higher. And with all of the levers Amazon has at its disposal, not to mention its Prime userbase and cash flow, more properties could bubble up.

Thanks to everyone for keeping up with this so far! One last post to wrap it up tomorrow!

#omnientertainmentfranchise #entertainmentfranchise #media #marketing #entertainment #branding #marketingandadvertising #consulting #amazon #jamesbond #joyfulconsulting #data #infographic #viacomcbs #startrek #spongebobsquarepants #doratheexplorer #pawpatrol #sonicthehedgehog #tmnt #teenagemutantninjaturtles #nickelodeon #jurassicpark #jurassicworld #jurassic #desipicableme #minions #fastandfurious #shrek #nbcuniversal #universal #streamingwars #streamingservice #amazonprime

Omniverse

The Omni Entertainment Franchise series has come to a conclusion. Take a look at a couple of NEW and IMPROVED #datavisualizations that showcase the entire list. And they have some really fun interactivity too. Play around!

What did you think of this series? Should I do more?

One thing is for certain - I've enjoyed pouring my heart into this project. My career has touched many of these properties in one way or another when I worked with The Walt Disney Company, Mattel, Inc., and Viacom and those opportunities have fueled my passion for this topic.

I'd like to continue to evolve this, infuse it with more information, make it more interactive and highlight information YOU want to see. If you'd like to contribute to its evolution (data, articles, insights, opinions), please reach out! (looking at you: KidsKnowBest, The Insights Family, The NPD Group, James Zahn, Edwin Wong, and more!)

#omnientertainmentfranchise #entertainmentfranchise #media #marketing #entertainment #branding #marketingandadvertising #consulting #amazon #jamesbond #joyfulconsulting #data #infographic #datavisualization

And again - thanks to Ben Stein, Derek Johnson, and Nate Dyer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for their help! #GoBadgers