Johnny Blogger

Rampant Chinese Copies. Still.

This past week eight art publishing & licensing companies met in Guangzhou to attend the Canton Fair and the Jinhan Fair.  We have been aware for years that illegal copies are in the market, but we were shocked at the level.  We found over 30 exhibitors ripping off one or more of our companies’ artwork, and we're certain there are many more that we did not get to.  It got depressing to walk into yet another booth showing counterfeit goods.

What was heartening was the effect that we had as a group of 12 people from 8 companies.  In many of the booths either we or the exhibitor physically took product off the walls and shelves.  Some exhibitors refused, and we had some heated exchanges – the police even showed up once.  I can tell you that as an industry we have fierce and passionate defenders of our companies and our artists! 

We approached one of the show organizers to ask for help on fighting copies, but they put so many red-tape roadblocks in the way that they effectively support the counterfeiters.  Having seen a lot of money and time wasted on official legal channels, we took the approach of making a big stink and causing a lot of commotion.  We certainly got the attention of exhibitors, as well as that of American and European customers at the show.  The eight publishers committed to attending as a group again, and we are all working on follow up steps from this trip, including directly contacting and confronting the offending companies, building the number of art publishing / licensing companies coming
with us to Chinese shows, alerting trade press in European and North American markets, soliciting the help of our legitimate framers and licensees in identifying and battling infringements, and considering completing the massive paperwork required to get official Chinese assistance.  

My wish was that our trip would be a huge waste of time and we would find minimal copies at the show.  That dream was sadly crushed.  In its place I found renewed passion and solidarity in our industry to clean up art thievery, and hope and confidence that we can have a meaningful positive impact.

For more information, see press release.

Never Retire!

My father retired at 55, which for me would be less than a year away.  I can't imagine retiring - there's too much yet to do, I love this company, I love my job (more than half of it anyway) - why would I give it up?  The thought of me not working sends shivers down Laurie's spine:  I already need as much attention as a 5 year old, and at least work keeps me occupied. 

I don't ever want to retire.  OK, it's a little mental trick I learned from a guy named Dan Sullivan.  I want to constantly increase the things I like to do, and decrease the things I don't like to do.  If I stick to that plan, I'll be spending almost all of my time doing things I love, being productive, growing, contributing. Retiring from that would make no sense. 

Retirement as we have come to view it is a move away from something, an escape from a job.  I hope to keep my eyes on what I'm moving toward.  At some point in the next couple of decades there's likely to be a point where I'm not as involved with Wild Apple, but that won't mean I'm retired - just spending my time on stuff I love to do.

And in that light, perhaps my dad didn't "retire"; his next 25 years were the busiest of his life!

Art Politics Talking Points?

If art publishers and art licensing companies were a political party, what would be our "sound bites"?  What "talking points" would keep our party on message?  Here are my candidates:

Art doesn't grow on trees.  Creativity costs!  Finding artists and collaborating and developing marketable artwork takes people, talent, time and money.  Printing and production is cheaper all the time - and minimal compared to the cost of developing art that is right for the market.

Copying artwork is stealing.  It's stealing from artists, stealing from companies, stealing from employees.

Want a quick affordable way to freshen up a room? Use Art.  Changing the art on the wall, or adding a pillow or area rug, is a fast way to change the personality of a room.  And it's usually a lot less expensive than painting the walls or buying a new couch.

So this November (and at all times) vote for art! 

My name is John the Janitor and I approve this message. 

Outrageous Outing

Yesterday we closed down the office at 1:00 and headed to the Connecticut River for a company-wide rafting and kayaking expedition, conveniently floating right up to Harpoon Brewery for dinner & rehydration.

It's been a long time since we had a summer event, what with this lovely economy.  Over the last few years, a fun afternoon off seemed like a frivolous luxury.  That's a shame, because an occasional non-business get together breaks the regular routine of how we relate to each other.  I have no idea how to measure it, but there's value in just having fun together.

Speaking of momentous occasions, this morning we recognized Dee for her 20 years with Wild Apple, the first one (well, besides Laurie and me) to hit that milestone.  And Patty joined 6 (six!) others who have devoted 15 years to the Wild Apple club.  Fortunately, we're in the art business and not the math business, otherwise it would make me feel old.  Even more fortunately, we're surrounded by youthful attitudes and positive energy, and I'm grateful to be in such company.

Art Licensing Seminar Tidbits

At SURTEX last month I participated on a panel titled "Strategies for Working with Manufacturers," in front of an audience consisting mostly of artists seeking to get their work licensed. I thought I'd summarize the Good News, the Bad News, and Tips.

The good news is that many, many manufacturers of home, gift, and stationery goods depend on a constant flow of new artwork to make their products look good. Companies that license artwork (rather than relying solely on in-house designers) have employees dedicated to searching out art and artists. There is enough money in the business to support an entire industry of trade shows, magazines, and online communities (e.g. LinkedIn's Art of Licensing group).

The bad news is that the percentage of submitted artwork actually getting licensed is infinitesimal. For example our art development people look at 100 to 500 images a day, certainly over 100,000 images in a year, and end up working with fewer than 1%. I could see from the disappointed faces in the crowd that this was sobering information. The other large bit of unwelcome news is how long it takes artwork to turn into royalties for the artist, commonly 12 to 24 months after a contract is signed (and in today's economy, advances are rareties).

To improve, but not guarantee, odds:

• Do your homework on the manufacturers you are approaching: Do they have a process for submitting art? How does your art fit into their line? Which retailers sell their products?
• Show, don't talk. Art directors and product developers are visual people.
• Make it easy to see your art. A fast website. A (moderate sized) PDF presentation. An email with images in the body, not individual attachments.
• Include a broad portfolio, not just a couple of top items.
• It's all about the art, not the artist's name, brand or resume. Unlike character licensing (SpongeBob, LeBron James) or brand licensing (Harley-Davidson, Coca-Cola), art licensing is focused on whether an image will enhance the attractiveness of a product.
• Just accept that the industry is schizophrenic: we'll ask for something new and fresh...AND we'll ask for something with proven themes and on-trend colors.
• Understand that everyone is under-staffed, time is scarce, and nobody means to be rude by not getting back to you.
• If a manufacturer thinks you do have the "right" look for them, they will respond quickly - to make sure they beat the competition!

 

SURTEX Report

The report is good. Definitely worth spelling SURTEX in capital letters as the show organizers want us to (does anyone know why?) In fact I'll give bold, underlined, gold-colored, enlarged caps to SURTEX for this year's show! (SURTEX is the art licensing show held at New York's Jacob Javits Center annually alongside the National Stationery Show.)

Licensees kept us busy all three days. Surprisingly our 4 booth exhibit was the biggest in SURTEX, but we needed all of the space. The appetite for artwork is as strong as we have ever seen it, and manufacturers were highly focused and productive in identifying imagery appropriate for their particular product. Customers reacted to the images on the wall, stacks of artist portfolio books, and bottomless collections of art on iPads.

Despite reluctance to join a group that would accept me as a member, I participated on a panel discussion on "Strategies for Working with Manufacturers" along with representatives from Leanin' Tree, Prima Design, and Mohawk Home. It turned out to be a lot of fun, with an animated audience of aspiring artists.

Show traffic seemed similar to previous years, but we're not sure since almost all of our meetings had been set up by appointment. We did meet brand new people, some in segments of the market where we've never played before. And that's the cool things about art licensing: there's always new places for good art & design.

 

Report from FrameArt Expo

The 3 day FrameArt Expo in Rome, Italy ended today. Here's a quick report: It was a good show for Wild Apple.

Now the longer version. Only 2 North American publishers exhibited (Wild Apple and World Art Group), along with a dozen or so European publishers, the rest of the show being moulding and framing equipment companies. We saw people from 24 (!) different countries, including a lot of Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Romania), Egypt, India, Australia, as well as Central Europe. We did not see any South Americans, and only a small handful from USA, Canada, and China.

Last year we also met people from many countries, and only a few turned into regular customers. So I'll temper my enthusiasm until we see results, but this time it felt like people were a lot more serious and not just tire-kickers. My impression from the Europeans is that business is still tough, and to me it feels like the US did in, say, late 2010 - glimmers of positive news but tough slogging day to day. Eastern Europeans by contrast seemed very positive and vibrant.

FrameArt Expo alternates annually between Rome and Milan. This Rome show was tough logistically, with endless walking and trains and trams required. Countered, of course, by the opportunity to gorge on unbelievable food, and to enjoy the beautiful spring weather. We will definitely be back next year.

Real Not Fake Good News

A positive story ran in today's Wall Street Journal about Chinese consumers desiring real products, not fakes. Retailers who had previously hesitated to open shop in China for fear of being ripped off are now expanding aggressively. One survey cited found that 95% of 28 to 35 year old women would be embarrassed to carry counterfeit handbags. This rings true to me, having been struck on a trip to China last summer that there were so many high end brand name stores, including Prada, Gucci, Coach - - even though they do get ripped off, the amount of legitimate business justifies a lot of retail space.

Having had untold amounts of Wild Apple artwork ripped off over the years, this is welcome news. Cultural shifts like this will take time, and it would be naive to think that the counterfeiting problem is under control. And we'll embrace any step in the right direction.

Vegas Pays Off Big

Best show in a dozen years. That's our summary of the West Coast Art & Frame Show held last week at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas. Strong attendance from around the country and around the world. A great new venue for the show. Positive energy from buyers. Best of all, a feverish hunger for artwork!

I believe I qualified for Nerd of Show Award: with a series of early morning meetings involving public speaking, late night carousing was not an option. A small price to pay in exchange for days that were so full of action.

Now it's time to follow up on the mile-long to-do lists. Viva Las Vegas!

Showtime!

Tomorrow we head to Las Vegas for the West Coast Art & Frame Show. I predict a very strong and frenetic show. I have a feeling it's going to be one of those where you never even get a chance to eat lunch. It seems that everyone is coming - from all over the world. This has been a great show for the last decade, and promises to be even better now that they upgraded the location to the Mirage. Bring it on!