TOTAL LICENSING
Smiley: More than a pretty face
The black and yellow smiley face is this led us to create three distinct as- ing incorporate technology, or other
one of the most instantly recognisa- pects of the Smiley brand.” features, that actually make you happy.
ble symbols in the world and has been First, there is Smiley Collection, a It’s what Ito calls Happy Therapy. A
adopted over the decades by cultural lifestyle brand that uses Smiley in a luxury fragrance, made in France and
tribes as diverse as the 60s peace vintage style in response to the huge launched worldwide last year, for ex-
movement and the 80s rave current trend for vintage products. ample, contains chemical molecules
scene. Today it still looks fresh The late 60s and early 70s was a time that help you relax and will therefore
and ‘of the moment’. But it’s when fashion started to express lib- make you happy. Other products fea-
much more than just a smiley ertarian values and Smiley Collection turing Happy Therapy are scheduled
face. In fact it’s the subject of a focuses on the original Smiley from for launch later this year.
radical global licensing strategy, the 70s with its mustard yellow col- Products under each of the Smiley
producing products that are our and all its positive values. Nicolas brand names are already in the mar-
turning heads at retail across explains, ‘Smiley Collection wants to ket. SmileyWorld social expressions
Europe. With the appointment spread a message of happiness in products like cards (with Hall-
of agents in the Far East, Turkey, every home, every school mark), stationery, and puz-
India and MMI in the USA, the and every office to re- zles (from Ravensburg-
remarkable re-emergence of mind people the power er) were launched
the Smiley brand looks set to of a smile and how it last year. Earlier
continue. So what exactly is go- can change your life this year German
ing on behind the scenes? for the better.’ To company eigenArt
You might already have heard design and manufac- launched Smiley-
how the Smiley brand evolved. ture these products World cards and
Franklin Loufrani trademarked the company created stationery and
the original Smiley icon in 1971 its own business, Smi- also the first line
for the newspaper, France Soir, ley Industries, which be- of Smiley Collec-
(and later for other European came its own licensee and tion cards, which
titles) where it was used as a signal to results in closer control over use pictures from
highlight good news. A merchandising the brand. Last year saw the launch of the Smiley photo gallery. Throughout
campaign with partners such as Levi Smiley Collection clothing and acces- 2008 consumers will see more prod-
Strauss, Sony and Mars Foods grew sories in high-end European retailers, ucts in every category and the steady
up through the 1980s creating an in- such as Colette, Selfridges and Galer- global spread of existing products,
ternational Smiley craze. Since 1996 ies Lafayettes. particularly clothing and accessories
the Smiley brand has been controlled The second aspect of Smiley, and the from the Smiley Collection. Each of
and promoted by Smileyworld Ltd in one most instantly recognisable the the three Smiley brand segments will
London, led by Franklin’s son, Nicolas world over, is as emoticons, or icons be showcased at Licensing Show and
Loufrani. for communicating. Two years ago at the Brand Licensing Show.
As Nicolas explains, “Our current Nicolas and his team re-designed the Loufrani, who describes himself as an
strategy for Smiley is the result of 1000-or-so official Smiley icons that art director-inventor-entrepreneur is
years of work, reorganising, research- were in use on the internet to give a one-off. He’s been outspoken about
ing and identifying the key elements them a more hand-made look (none issues in licensing in these pages al-
of the Smiley brand. You can’t just be is a quite perfect circle, for example) ready and a look at what else goes on
a logo now – your logo is just signage. and then built a style guide around behind the scenes at Smileyworld Ltd
Now what’s important is the product, them under the brand name Smiley- reveals an irrepressible energy and
the design, the marketing, the mes- World. As Nicolas explains, the think- desire to do things differently. For ex-
sage.” ing behind this vast library of emoti- ample, Loufrani and his team will ap-
During this process of research and cons runs deep. “We did lots of study- proach a licensee with fully worked up
re-organisation, Nicolas recognised ing to build this collection of Smileys,” concepts for potential products. He is
that Smiley represents dif- he says. “There are 1200 emoticons, also developing toys, arts and crafts
ferent things to differ- each one expressing a mood or emo- products and books for Smiley in ed-
ent consumers; it’s tion. They are grouped into 18 cate- ucation, to help children understand
associated with gories such as animals or occupations emotions and express themselves
80s house music etc, and are a source for licensees of better. All products made under the
and it’s an icon social expressions and communica- Smiley Collection label use organic
of the 1970s, tions products such as stationery, cotton traded under fair trade condi-
for example. cards.” tions. And he has created the Smiley-
“There’s no Thirdly, Smiley World looked at the World Association which collects ten
doubt now idea of happiness and asked how percent of all revenues and is managed
that the yellow it could make that emotion into a and directed by SOS, a group working
and black icon brand. The process led to an ongoing actively against all forms of social iso-
truly belongs to collaboration with the feted young in- lation. “We want to make the world a
our culture,’ says dustrial designer Ora Ito. What’s unu- happier place,” says Nicolas. “A smile
Nicolas. ‘Realising sual is that the products Ito is creat- can make a difference.’
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