Angry Birds are finally flying high in the real world thanks to the brand licensing partnership between Rovio and Capsule Skateboards. The collection includes seven different gnarly skate deck designs across five explorer boards and two cruiser boards, which are all inspired by the Angry Birds mobile game.
Focusing on brand attributes when selecting the perfect licensee partner
Rovio has been doing a great job of focusing on Angry Birds brand attributes when selecting licensees to partner with. Just last month, they partnered with Venum, the world’s leading combat sports brand, to create a collection of Angry Birds boxing equipment for kids, which includes gloves, mitts, mouthguards and punching bags featuring characters from the Angry Birds mobile game. Their tag line, “Use Anger for Good,” connects the two brands perfectly.
This new partnership with Capsule Skateboards is truly a perfect match between consumer product brand and licensed brand. Instead of “anger,” the focus here is on the other core Angry Birds brand attribute, “flight.” When playing Angry Birds, the game strategy is rooted in nailing that perfect trajectory to take down structures and take out some green pigs. When we think of the excitement of skateboarding, it’s all about aerial tricks performed on halfpipes, pools or quarter pipes, all of which require trial and error, comparable to the in-game action of Angry Birds, to achieve perfect execution. That’s where the fun of this partnership comes into play. Just imagine characters like Red or Chuck arcing their way out of and back into a halfpipe on the bottom of a Capsule skateboard. There’s no doubt that Angry Birds game action will be immediately called to mind! I really can’t think of a better way to perfectly promote both the consumer product brand and the licensed brand.
Connecting with the target consumer through strong product design
Inking a licensing agreement with the perfect licensee partner is great. But, getting the design right is what brings retail success to the partnership. Skate deck design is an extremely personal choice for skateboarders. It’s a visual statement that aligns with their own personal style. So, there’s an emotional connection and a sense of pride that comes from that choice. And the Capsule Skateboards team did not disappoint with the variety of skate deck designs they developed for their Angry Birds collection.
The Flock Toons design features an angled, full-bleed panel of comic book panes that highlights Red, Chuck and Bomb along with tight crops of the Angry Birds logo. The Surreal design features highly-stylized versions of the characters in saturated blues, yellow, pink and black along with the phrase “Join the Flock.” There are also individual character designs featuring Chuck and Red depicted in urban streetwear. But, my personal favorite is the Sticker Bomb Cruiser, which makes the deck look like it’s covered in fun, cartoony stickers with phrases like “Angry is a Way of Life” and “A Whole New Level of Angry.”
A perfect fit AND good for the planet
If great design isn’t enough to win over consumers, maybe the fact that Capsule Skateboards are good for the planet will. They build their skate decks differently than any other skateboard manufacturer. Instead of using layers of wood held together with toxic glues, they fuse together layers of plastic compounds. Not only does this process make their skateboard decks stronger, they get more pop when ollieing, they’re more impact absorbent and they don’t absorb water. And… they’re completely recyclable.
