Pyramid International has produced some fantastic calendars featuring gorgeous British Olympian diver Tom Daley. Licensing director Mordy Benaiah talks us through this great license for Pyramid:
“Having had an incredibly successful summer working with London 2012 it seemed logical to approach some of the Team GB stars. Tom Daley has a huge fan base and his profile exploded after the games. We always knew that if we could seek out his management and sign a deal we would have some hot and exciting product to sell. During the games everything was so hectic we had to wait until they ended. Then we wasted no time in getting in front of management and signing a deal.
Tom’s management recognised that Pyramid were experts in the field of calendars, posters and accessories and knew that we had the ability to get product to market in a short space of time. Most of our products are printed and produced domestically so it meant that we could pull the trigger and aim to get product on shelf for September. It was a rush as we had to source imagery from a variety of agencies as we had no time for a photoshoot but we pulled it all together and released the calendar on schedule.
Even though the calendar was late (calendars are generally pre-sold a year in advance) retailers straight away showed interest in taking the title. We secured listings with key retailers such as Calendar Club, HMV, Morrisons and WHSmiths. Sales took off immediately and Tom helped push things along by Tweeting to his fans that merchandise was available giving things a very timely boost.
So far the sales have been excellent. Currently Tom’s calendar is the fifth best selling calendar in Calendar Club (end of November) and is giving titles like One Direction a run for their money. We anticipate selling over 150,000 calendars which as a last minute offering is exceptional.
I am sure that planning the 2014 calendar will be fun. Tom and his management team are great to work with and together we will deliver some great products for his fans.
Pyramid are used to last minute surprises. Whether it is reacting to a sporting victory, X Factor winner or death of a personality we are geared up to getting product to market fast. We have been called into action many times over the past 20 years.
