Consumer go wild over Looney Tunes - Looney Tunes Supplement

Discount Store News, August 21, 1995

Whether you shop in your favorite discount store for Bugs Bunny sportswear or in a Warner Bros. Studio Store for a Taz gift, Looney Tunes characters are part of growing up. Their irreverent and zany personalities bring out the youth in all of us and the gang continues to grow more popular every day.

Over the last five years, Looney Tunes have received more exposure than the characters' creator could ever have imagined.

No matter where you look, Looney Tunes are there. The characters are visible in multiple retail promotions. new theatrical animated shorts, a slew of home video releases, rapidly expanding Warner Bros. Stores, a new television network, and even an ice show. They even act as celebrity hosts and boast their own rides at Six Flags Theme Parks, the world's largest regional theme park company.

But the barrage of exposure didn't happen overnight. Yes, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Tweety and Sylvester and the rest have always generated plenty of consumer awareness. But, five years ago Warner Bros. Consumer Products division (WBCP) decided to take that awareness one step further. The company wanted to make sure the Looney Tunes gang would always stand on its own as an independent brand.

WBCP Grows Looney Tunes Brand

Warner Bros.' aggressive Looney Tunes branding push started in 1989, when "Batman" exploded onto screens and the retail scene - hitting close to $1 billion in retail sales. At that time, the company decided to take a good, hard look at Looney Tunes, said Dan Romanelli, President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products. "We've always viewed Looney Tunes as a treasure trove," said Romanelli.

In 1990, the company put together a strategic merchandising and marketing plan that started with Bugs Bunny's 50th birthday. Looney Tunes branded products generated $400 million in retail sales that year. potential of the other characters. "We have only exploited 12 characters and have close to 200." Romanelli said.

With that in mind, in 1991 WBCP bestowed star status on Taz through the "Taz-Mania" cartoon series, which airs on the Fox television network. Over the last four years, Taz - that devilish teenager - has become one of Warner Bros.' most salable characters.

In 1994, that $400 million had skyrocketed to more than $2 billion, Romanelli said, and the figure is continually growing.

Looking back, Romanelli said the Bugs Bunny 50th Birthday campaign proved the star quality of America's favorite rabbit. "Five years later, people are still celebrating in a manner of speaking."

The campaign also got the folks at Warner Bros. thinking about how they could maximize the retail

New Characters Highlighted

This year, WBCP is focusing on Michigan J. Frog, mascot of the new WB Network. Other top characters in 1995 include Tweety, Sylvester and Granny, stars of Kids' WB 1995/1996 Saturday morning line up. "Next year, we'll focus on another character." said Romanelli, remaining secretive about the mystery star-to-be.

Future plans call for an even clearer brand identity for Looney Tunes. At its recent April Licensing Conference, VMCP announced plans for a whole new look and logo for the explosive Looney Tunes brand, said Barbara Sims, Vice President, Marketing, Classic Properties, WBCP.

WBCII will begin implementing the new Looney Tunes look next fall. The new colors, n and logo will be used everywhere - on television, in theatrical shorts, in promotional campaigns, and on all packaging and retail store displays.