Keepsake Cards brand licensing case study
Iconic characters. Thousands of cards. One brand.
Keepsake came to Born to License with a strong track record in celebrity estate collectibles and a new ambition to break into entertainment, specifically targeting characters and animated properties. What started as a single license with Skybound's Invincible has grown into a multi-collection partnership and a licensing program that is poised to grow.
LICENSES:
Founded on a passion for preserving pop culture history, Keepsake produces premium collectible trading cards that celebrate the legacy of the greatest artists and characters of all time. Each collection is designed to let fans hold a genuine piece of that history in their hands, from limited-edition autograph cards to relic pieces featuring original artwork and film cells.
THE RESULTS
Keepsake sold over $1M of Invincible trading cards in the first quarter of holding the license, selling out at every Comic-Con exhibited, including San Diego Comic-Con.
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Keepsake is known for its premium cards celebrating the legacy of the greatest artists and characters of all time, preserving their stories through timeless collectibles that let fans hold a keepsake in their hand. After a string of successful launches with celebrity estates including Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Lee, and Steve McQueen, Keepsake came to us to help them break into the entertainment space, specifically with characters and animation properties.
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We began by understanding our client's vision, products, and customer base. After exploring several properties, we identified Invincible as the most suitable fit. We crafted and presented a compelling pitch to Skybound, highlighting Keepsake's unique product qualities, and led negotiations to secure mutually beneficial terms. We also simplified the License Agreement process, ensuring clarity and alignment for all parties before finalizing the deal.
With our support, Keepsake successfully partnered with Skybound and Invincible, delivering a fresh collection to the franchise's ever-growing fan base.
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Once the license was signed, we gained access to Invincible's style guides and assets. Our team reviewed the materials and liaised with the Skybound creative team and Keepsake to advise on best practices for using the asset library. With a wide range of designs and SKUs, our Product Development team ensured timely submissions to meet tight production schedules.
We streamlined the process by proactively refining submissions to align with approval standards, minimizing delays and ensuring efficiency.
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The full range, which consisted of a 600-card checklist featuring over 3,000 unique cards and parallels, launched at San Diego Comic Con, with thousands of fans interacting with the product. The First Edition Debut Premiere cards featured Invincible, Omni-Man, Atom Eve, Robot, Dupli-Kate, Rex Splode, Monster Girl, The Mauler Twins, Shrinking Rae, The Immortal, Black Samson, The Flaxons, Allen the Alien, Battle Beast, and many more characters.
Customers were incentivized to chase Single, Dual, Triple, and Quad Autograph SignaGraph cards, falling every two boxes on average, with limited variations numbering fewer than 25 in existence. Other collectible options included Single, Dual, Triple, Quad, and Jumbo Relic cards featuring pieces of original Invincible comic books, Season 1 hand-drawn animation artwork, Season 1 animation film cells, and more.
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We continue to oversee reporting obligations, including quarterly royalty reports, ensuring compliance and accuracy. Our commitment to exceptional service means we're always on hand to support Keepsake with any needs or challenges that arise throughout the licensing process. Keepsake’s collaboration with Skybound has also continued to grow, with collections inspired by Invincible Season 2, Invincible VS, and Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard's The Walking Dead comic series.
FEATURED CLIENTS:
