“Licensing has a bright future in India”

Mr. Uday Mathur

…says Mr Uday Mathur, an engineer and an IIM Calcutta graduate who also possesses more than 20 years of work experience as a Sales and Marketing professional in consumer product organisations. Having specialised in the 'kids' market niche, his previous assignment was as General Manager Marketing at TI Cycles of India. His responsibilities included long term strategic planning, national sales management, new product development and brand launches. In 1997, he was assigned the task of setting up the joint venture between Egmont International Holdings, Denmark and Indian Express, Mumbai, as CEO. He led the enterprise as a professional manager and subsequently, as an entrepreneur. EuroKids International today operates in two business areas—pre-school education and children's publishing and is a leader in both these segments. In conversation with Brand Licensing, Mr Mathur gives an overview of publication licensing.

Brand Licensing (BL): Tell us about the inception of EuroBooks. Which are the international books that have been brought by EuroBooks and which are expected in the near future?
Uday Mathur (UM): EuroBooks is a publishing licensee of Disney, Mattel, BBC, Nickelodeon and many other licensors. It has launched titles based on characters from Disney universe, Barbie, Noddy, Dora, Postman Pat, Spongebob, Blue's Clues and Garfield amongst many others.

BL: Elaborate on the origin, growth and success of publication licensing across the globe.
UM: Character-based publishing licensing commenced more than 60 years ago. Earlier, most popular characters originated from the print media like Mickey Mouse, Noddy, Garfield, etc. Lately, many characters have originated from other media like movies, TV, toys, gaming, etc. and have lent themselves to books.

BL: How will the concept of publication licensing work in India? How big (market share) is the current publication licensing industry in India and what is the current growth rate?
UM: With the spread of TV reach and multiple channel options, the Indian audience is exposed to several characters and properties. This lends itself to growth in the publishing licence industry. The largest category is the one related to kids.

BL: What challenges, do you think, is the Indian licensing industry facing at present and what measures do you suggest to overcome them?
UM: One of the major challenges impacting licensing in India is the problem of piracy/ parallel imports and the inadequate legal system to protect the licensor and the licensee.

BL: What is a licensing program? What are the steps involved in taking up a licence by the licensee and offering of a license by the licensor?
UM: A licensing arrangement should be looked upon as a long term business relationship. It is important for both parties to be comfortable working with each other. The licensee should have the conviction in the property he is investing in and should be able to leverage his business competencies to be able to build a successful business model.

BL: Which are the various industries where licensing is followed internationally and in India? What is the market share of each industry in India?
UM: The most popular categories being licensed are related to children's products publishing, apparels, home furnishings, school bags, stationery, toys and games, etc.

BL: What role does licensing play in the marketing and promotional strategies of a company?
UM: Popular characters are often used by FMCG brands for tactical promotions.

BL: How do you perceive the future of the Indian licensing industry?
UM: Licensing has a bright future in India. However, there should be an expectation match between that of the licensor and the licensee. It is important for the licensee to be successful and for the licensor to support him.

BL: Kindly give us your feedback on the event organised by FIHL and also your opinion on the first ever brand licensing conference.
UM: The event created a platform for the business owners and professionals from the licensing community. It is a good beginning and will hopefully grow bigger every year.

Interviewed by Nimran Dhaliwal Grewal