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Until its sale to financial investors Rodenstock through a subsidiary was a force as an eyewear licensee, among others for Reebok.
Then the subsidiary was sold and Rodenstock wanted to grow its own brand. The only license it kept was Porsche Design.

With way over 70 brands and brand licenses the eyewear market is more then crowded.

Now Rodenstock took on three licenses, from Baldessarini, Uvex and a label for kids.

Against the global market leaders with their extensive portfolio of brands and brand licenses Rodenstock is not competetive with new licenses from Baldessarini and Uvex.
Even smaller competitors have stronger and better portfolios.

If Rodenstock wants to grow with licenses, it could take over established licenses.

Levi Strauss & Co, owner of the famous Levi’s brand, bought its licensee for shoes and accessories in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) .

All though it is now under the same umbrella, the licensee will remain a separate company.

Swarovski gab eine weltweite Markenlizenz für Produktion und Vertrieb von Sonnenbrillen und Korrektur-Brillen bekannt.

Die Lizenzvereinbarung läuft fünf Jahre mit einer Option auf fünf weitere.

Markteinführung soll im Frühjahr/Sommer 2011 mit Sonnenbrillen sein, Korrekturbrillen kurz danach.

Die Brillen sollen im obersten Preissegment positioniert werden und die Distribution dementsprechend über gehobene Optiker und Facheinzelhandel, Kauf- und Warenhäuser sowie ausgewählte Swarovski Boutiquen.

Der Lizenznehmer hält weitere Markenlizenzen unter anderem von Ferrari, Hogan, Kenneth Cole, Miss Sixty, Montblanc, Tom Ford, Replay, Roberto Cavalli, Timberland und Tod’s.

Swarovski vergab bereits 2008 Markenlizenzen für Parum und Beauty- Produkte, die 2010 auf den Markt kommen sollen.

Swarovski announced a licensing agreement for production and worldwide distribution of sunglasses and prescription frames.

The brand license runs five years with an additional 5-year option.

Sunglasses will be launched in Spring/Summer 2011, prescription glasses shortly thereafter.

The positioning will be high end and distribution accordingly at opticians, department stores, sunglass retailers and selected Swarovsky boutiques.

The licensee also holds brand licenses from among others Ferrari, Hogan,
Kenneth Cole, Miss Sixty, Montblanc, Tom Ford, Replay, Roberto Cavalli, Timberland and Tod’s.

Swarovski licensed fragrances and beauty in 2008, to be launched in 2010.

The Sears Tower is now the Willis Tower.
At least for the tenant, who is the new owner of the naming rights.
36 years after its completion, what was the tallest building of the world until the late 1990ies and still is the tallest building of the USA, it was re-branded.

Brands are to a large extent what the people think and make of it. Maybe future generations will stop calling it Sears Tower. But the internet makes that less likely today. The global memory searched through Google has some 2,190,000 hits for “Sears Tower”. 

Another prominent re-named building is proof.
Ask a New Yorker for the PanAm Building. They will direct you correctly. All though, for 28 years already its official name is MetLife Building. And here too the internet keeps the memory alife. Google has about 52,400 hits for “MetLife Building”, and still 11,000 hits for “PanAm building”.

PanAm is out of business since 1991 and there is little communication about this brand. Sears on the other hand is supporting its brand with multi-million Dollar budgets every year. This brand is not likely to go away like PanAm did.

If the new tenant of the Sears Tower stays in business long enough and sees the naming rights as a real long term investment, it was a good decision. Some decades from now, perhaps people will call it Willis Tower.