Warner Bros. Discovery turned fan data into retail listings.
Warner Bros. Discovery wanted to move faster and build a more compelling licensing ecosystem. The gap was not creative or commercial; it was that the fanbase behind each property was harder to describe than it should have been.
the full age range, closing a historic gap above 12
when the partnership began
significantly increased on the range in question
The audience above twelve was hard to see
Warner Bros. Discovery operates across creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing. Licensing decisions in that business depend on describing a fanbase precisely enough for a retail buyer to act on.
Historically that was difficult above the age of twelve. Data linked to older children and teens was scarce, which left a gap in exactly the age range where a lot of consumer-product value sits.
One source covering the whole age range
The partnership began in 2017. The portal covers every age group from three to eighteen, which closed the gap, and the reads within it allow the team to go beyond headline popularity into the behaviours and thinking of a property’s fans.
It became the first port of call for longer-term strategic planning as well as day-to-day questions — intuitive enough that the team could interrogate it directly rather than commissioning a study each time.
Listings won, and a range that fitted
Data from the portal was used to influence retail listings and product development, with the team able to point to tangible return rather than a general belief that insight helps.
The clearest example was an apparel range. Understanding the exact age profile of the fanbase — something the team had not been able to do before — informed sizing recommendations at retail, and that specific work resulted in significantly increased sell-through, and in turn revenue.
We have used The Insights Family data across our business. Their data and insights have provided a tangible ROI, as we have effectively secured product listing at retail off the back of the insights. An example of this are our apparel ranges for ‘Friends’. By using the portal data, we have been able to understand the exact age profile of the fan base in a way that we haven’t been able to before, really helping us with sizing (age) recommendations at retail; this specific work has resulted in significantly increased sell-through – and in turn, revenue.
Your next retail conversation
Describe your fanbase precisely enough to sell in.
Tell us the property and the retailer, and we’ll show you the audience evidence behind it.