In 2012, the owners of the iconic surf brand Piping Hot engaged Bugg Marketing Solutions to provide strategic direction advice on the future of the brand. Piping Hot had operated as a “Direct-to-Retail” model with Target for many years. Because the model was exclusive to Target in Australia, the owners determined that a possible global expansion or sale of the brand to a global operator could be an option for them.
The Piping Hot Plan
We spent many months dissecting the brand and formulating a plan to speak to the market about global expansion. The option to sell the brand was also a consideration. With our experience in brands and the licensing model, we proposed that Piping Hot should invest in a booth at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas in 2013.
With the global connections that Bugg Marketing Solutions has, we were able to secure meetings with brand representative agents and brand owners to discuss the option available. Along with the Piping Hot team, we developed a pitch process and stand design and locked in the activation with the event owners Advanstar (UBM Advanstar). We negotiated an editorial package with License Global and also covered the activation in The Bugg Report.
During the time at Licensing Expo, we facilitated meetings with brand owners and global retailers to understand the interest and appetite for the brand. We put in motion a review process with the Piping Hot team after the show and followed up our leads.
Key takeaway from this Case Study
One of the meetings facilitated by Bugg Marketing Solutions was with Saban Brands. Some time had passed and Saban Brands moved to set up a lifestyle arm of their business. A short time later a deal was struck for Saban Brands to acquire the Piping Hot brand as part of this venture.
What Did We Learn?
The take out here is we were able to deliver the mechanism for Piping Hot to solve their dilemma based on our professional services and experience in the business. The brand continues to grow with Target Australia under a new ocean clean sustainability model today.