ICAST 2006

During the ICAST show in Las Vegas, IMC came across the following:

• “Take Me Fishing,” an organization which has a campaign to encourage people, particularly children, to get out on the water and FISH, showcased their trademark on many products throughout the show.  After adding the “Take Me Fishing” logo, Plano has experienced more sales on their children’s tacklebox.  Plano is the #1 tacklebox company and has experienced the benefits of co-branding with this initiative.
  

• Zebco continues to target children with Dora the Explorer and Spongebob characters on fishing combo rods and reels and tackleboxes. 
  

• South-Bend Tackle offers a variety of licensed fishing products (e.g. GI Joe, The Simpsons, etc.). 

• Pure Fishing, IMC Licensing’s Client, won the 2006 New Product Showcase Award “Overall Best of Show” with their new Berkley FireLine Crystal.  Buyers and the media judge products based on innovation and execution.  The new Berkley FireLine Crystal is the first world's first translucent superline. 

• Tech Tackle showcased collectible scale models of fishing rods and reel replicas from Berkley, Mitchell, Abu Garcia, and many other fishing brands.  They received tremendous interest from sporting good retailers for this line of collectibles for the angler. 

• Browning, the brand synonymous with hunting, has experienced success in licensing in the fishing industry. This could be attributed to the fact that 75% of hunters fish. 

• With the downsizing of Wal-Mart’s sporting good’s department, competition for shelf space has become even more aggressive. In addition, Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops have been promoting their own brands making it more challenging for licensing in the fishing category. The well-established fishing brands do not want to share any of their shelf space with another brand (especially if they do not believe that brand will sell better than their own).  However, in their defense, there isn’t much room to increase prices for licensed fishing products since margins are already being squeezed by the retailers.  In the end, it’s the consumers taking a hit; without options, the consumers must purchase the non-licensed product.