During its initial release by Twentieth Century Fox in December 2009, Avatar had one of the most extensive merchandising programs ever- 125 licensed products were manufactured across four categories (toys, apparel, publishing, video games). Since then, retail sales have been booming, recently reaching the $153 million mark. Despite the lack of a confirmed movie sequel, Fox plans to extend the Avatar brand’s long term plans, by producing more licensed products in time for the crucial fall back-to-school, Halloween and holiday shopping seasons. New products will include costumes, board games and bedding items.

In order to revitalize their brand, the leading global tissue manufacturer Kimberly-Clark has created a brand character for Scott paper to enhance the emotional connection with consumers and manage the product’s brand equity.

Recently, in order to promote its new luxury compact hybrid, the CT 200h, Lexus launched “Dark Ride," a high-definition 12-minute interactive film.

After the hot movie Iron Man, here comes the real iron for men, manufactured by Dutch electronics giant Philips. Philips felt that men wanted a more robust, heavy-duty tool to tackle hampers of laundry, with a larger grip and more masculine design. So it created the GC4490, with the slogan “more power, more steam, more performance”.

The American apparel brand Levi’s has announced the launch of a new global brand in China this fall. During its ten years in China, this is the first time Levi’s had launched a brand outside the US, signaling the importance of the Chinese market for the company. (See our previous post on Hermes launching a brand for China.)

Today, many corporations suffer from brand proliferation, a phenomenon in which companies keep producing more and more brands without giving strategic consideration to how these additions affect their overall brand portfolio. This article reviews key terms, concepts, and tips related to brand portfolio strategy, the strategic approach to preventing brand proliferation.