MAM
FremantleMedia ropes in licensees for kids’ brand ‘Rainbow’
MUMBAI: FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) has announced the appointment of a raft of licensees for the classic nostalgia kids’ brand, Rainbow.
Newly appointed to the Rainbow fold are licensees Trademark, Samuel Eden and Bacup Shoe Company.
FLW has granted Trademark rights to produce men’s T-shirts, sleepwear and underwear; Samuel Eden has been granted rights for men’s socks while Bacup Shoe Company will be producing branded men’s slippers.
In addition, FLW has renewed its agreement with The Big Badge Company to produce Rainbow pin badges, which will be distributed at retail and through banks and corporate offices to raise money for a number of charities throughout 2006. FLW has also granted non-retail plush rights to Whitehouse Leisure.
Trademark, Samuel Eden, Bacup Shoe Company, Whitehouse Leisure and The Big Badge Company join the existing raft of licensees for the Rainbow brand which includes Custom Accessories (plush in-car air fresheners), Danillo Promotions Ltd (calendars, sound cards, greetings cards, gift wrap) and BBC Music Ltd (music publishing).
FLW is looking to extend the brand further through gifting, stationery and women’s fashion for 2006. With 96 per cent brand awareness amongst 18-34-year-olds, the new Rainbow licensing programme will have a retro look and feel.
FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide vice president, licensing, UK Dom Wheeler said, “Rainbow was a huge hit in its heyday and even though it is no longer on air, this cheeky, fun-loving and cool brand is enjoying a resurgence among the same people who originally watched the show. Rainbow is a proven brand at retail and product sell-through remains strong – the branded car air fresheners have sold more than 200,000 units over three years and sales are still increasing year-on-year, while the Zippy greeting card continues to be a top-seller at Clinton’s. We are really pleased to announce the appointment of Trademark, Samuel Eden and Bacup Shoe Company and look forward to bringing even more product to market in the near future.”
Rainbow, which was produced by Thames TV, first aired in October 1972 on ITV and ran through until 1992. The programme’s 1,200-episode run established the stars of the show, Zippy, George and Bungle, as household names.
A successful licensing campaign was launched in 2000 with merchandise including apparel, plush, stationery, books, DVDs and even a hit single. The Rainbow Disco Roadshow saw MC Zippy and DJ George perform to over 70 packed out student bars throughout the UK in 2001, while Zippy’s cheeky persona made him a star when he was chosen to spearhead Marmite’s 2002 ‘Love It or Hate It’ advertising campaign.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
