Twilight may have Lip Venom lip gloss and boxes of sparkly candy adorned with pictures of a brooding Edward and vaguely bored Bella, but when it comes to vampire merchandise, no one does it better than True Blood. From "Fangbanger" T-shirts to pint glasses etched the Tru•Blood logo, True Blood knows how to market their brand to its educated, literate, adult audience. Now, in an effort to capitalize on the full extent of the show's popularity, a line of PC accessories based on hit vampire series is headed for UK shelves, following a deal with HBO and Rocket Licensing. The PC product line will follow in suit along with a number of additional branded apparel, stationary, homewares and gifts currently being developd.
“True Blood has all the qualities – flair, fantasy and sex appeal – that we associate with the vampire genre, but it adds the trademark HBO intelligence, originality and style," said Rob Wijeratna, joint managing director of Rocket Licensing. "It’s an irresistible combination with massive appeal among a wide demographic, making it a significant licensing opportunity."
One can only hope that this mass marketing of True Blood doesn't counteract the mounting international fandom by over-saturating the marketplace and, thus, undermining the uniqueness and cult-quality the series has worked so hard to develop. Up until not, the marketing plan developed by Digital Kitchen has been nothing less than spectacular. However, the idea of walking into Target and seeing a line of True Blood housewares, alongside Harry Potter blankets and Twilight toothbrushes, would be a bit disconcerting.
Comments