Hasta La Creative!

As we all know (unless you have been hiding under a rock), brands can now be developed almost overnight, thanks to the internet. And this year’s Licensing Expo in Las Vegas started off like none other had before.

Monday afternoon, Licensing Expo held the inaugural Digital Media Licensing Summit as part of its Licensing University curriculum. The Digital Media Licensing Summit brought together some of our industry’s brightest minds for an exploration of the ways in which consumers — especially young consumers — are influenced by new digital media brands and personalities. Participants included digital stars Andrea Brooks, Amanda Steele and Hannah Hart, as well as Jim Fielding from “AwesomenessTV.”

A key theme that emerged during this conversation was that a younger generation of creative influencers is increasingly embracing newer and more visual social media channels — such as Instagram and Snapchat — to engage with their audiences. It’s worth noting that while there doesn’t seem to be a secret sauce for picking winners and losers in the digital universe, I believe YouTube’s Malik Ducard said it best during his opening day remarks when he described the most successful YouTubers as “master storytellers” who are committed to maintaining authenticity with their fan base. This authenticity engenders a melding between personality and brand. Interestingly, from a licensing perspective, this same authenticity rings true when it comes to brand building.

Continue reading at AdAge.com