Brand Licensing Story: Supporting a Blockbuster Film

Rovio saw the brand licensing potential of the Angry Birds from the beginning. Players fell in love with the instantly recognizable characters when the original Angry Birds game was released in 2009. Not long after the launch, the first Angry Birds plush toys became available. From there, it all went a bit crazy, with the familiar Angry Birds characters lending their likenesses to everything from apparel, to beauty products, to fishing lures.

To date, over 1.8 billion Angry Birds licensed products have been sold. Needless to say, licensed products have been an instrumental part of Angry Birds’ success. So when it came time to prepare for The Angry Birds Movie 2, Rovio’s brand licensing unit knew what to do. Working two years in advance of the film’s premiere, the brand licensing team began lining up partners to create awesome new products around the new movie.

Rovio teamed up with a group of partners, including Maisto, Jazwares, and Eduki, for toys featuring the characters and story of The Angry Birds Movie 2, as well as securing a number of partnerships with fashion brands, such as H&M and Zara.

Not willing to settle for vanilla, Rovio’s brand licensing team always makes sure that the unique attitude and humor of the Angry Birds comes across in every product. By working closely with partners and providing partners with style guides that cater to different global trends, the team was able to retain that Angry Birds attitude across multiple product lines.

Hear the full story from Rovio Licensing Director, Magdalena Biernat-Heikkinen, and Principal Designer, Ilkka Heino in the video, Inside Rovio – Brand Licensing Stories: Supporting a Blockbuster Film.