Anchor x Popeye - Milk is Good. Real Good.

Dairy brand Anchor wanted to create an impactful campaign with the aim to elevate milk as a daily beverage over plant-based alternatives. For the OOH campaign, titled ‘Milk is Good. Real Good.’, Anchor’s agency TBWA Auckland wanted to include an iconic character to help deliver the message. After exploring different options, Born Licensing assisted the agency by facilitating the partnership with King Features’ Popeye.

With the brief to license characters within budget, we reached out to various Rights Holders and negotiated the commercial terms. The creative team at TBWA developed bespoke Popeye mock-ups around the assets that Born Licensing received from King Features. Due to the level of endorsement involved in the campaign, we also facilitated the creative use of the assets, managing to keep both parties happy and satisfied.

Anchor’s agency TBWA Auckland reached out to us to look at the feasibility of utilising entertainment properties for their OOH campaign, given the appeal that characters have on various segments of the public. The licensing fees also needed to be within budget, and we had to ensure the characters’ Rights Holders would be comfortable with the level of endorsement and interaction with the product the agency had envisioned.

With years of experience working with Rights Holders on similar campaigns, Born Licensing managed to quickly point the agency towards feasible options based on their budget and creative vision. We knew that the level of product interaction the agency envisioned would’ve been impossible with some Rights Holders, so we ensured that we weren’t wasting any time and immediately guided them towards realistic options. After landing on Popeye, we took the creative idea to King Features to scope out the feasibility of the project and we secured the rights for TBWA to feature the character in their campaign. With our expertise in licensing, we handled the contractual process to make it as smooth and speedy as possible for all involved, including the Rights Holder, TBWA and Anchor.

King Features, the licensors of Popeye, had to be kept in the loop across all creative development. This included the mock-ups, customised poses, and final material. Born Licensing managed the acquisition of the character’s assets, and ensured all the material was respecting King Features’ guidelines. Throughout the development we submitted updates to King Features to confirm they were comfortable with the progress, and also liaised with team at TBWA. Born Licensing managed the entire approval process from start to finish, allowing all other parties to focus on what they do best.

The campaign launched at the end of September, with huge billboards featuring Popeye across Auckland and other major cities in New Zealand. The campaign sees Popeye holding a glass of milk (with Anchor’s logo on it) and the campaign’s super. Given Popeye’s iconic anchor tattoo on his arm, the character worked very well for the campaign - and the Rights Holders were flexible enough to allow the agency to replace his can of spinach with a glass of milk. The execution received exciting reviews in the press, and looked incredibly impactful when blown up to billboard size.