Stanley Yeung was born to a family of toy and gift manufacturers. By combining the wisdom and experience gleaned from his family business with the licensing opportunities he discovered at the Hong Kong International Licensing Show, he started a new company that helps brands to tap the Hong Kong market through product licensing.

Brands United has even partnered with international animation studios to launch licensed animation products in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC) Hong Kong International Licensing Show was where Stanley Yeung discovered the massive business opportunities of the licensing industry. It prompted him to start Brands United to specialise in licensing. The company has even become another key business for him after his family business.

From Maggiology to the Rody Horse

When the company started and Stanley Yeung was looking for licensees, he identified the works of local comic artist Maggie Lau. He launched the licensed products of her comics, Maggiology, as his company’s first. “The Maggiology comics were funny and very popular back in the day. Emojis of Maggiology were must-haves on MSN. As the comics did not have any products, I was confident about the market potential of its licensed products.” Yeung opened new markets for Maggiology when he partnered with organisations such as supermarkets and telecom companies to launch cross-promotions. This boosted Maggiology’s exposure and popularity and benefitted the sales of the licensed products in return.

“The success of Maggiology showed us how we could help brands to penetrate consumer markets and even increase licensed products sales.” Yeung said the success put the company on the map and earned the confidence of other brands, including Rody, the Italian toy brand. “At the time, Rody was already popular in Japan but not yet enter the Hong Kong market. The company was looking for licensees through the HKTDC business matching service and we were one of the companies arranged to meet with them.”

Business matching generates greater opportunities

Yeung beat multiple competitors to obtain the license for Rody. To help Rody become recognised in Hong Kong, Yeung invited local artists to design a variety of large-scale displays and placed them in shopping malls to capture consumer attention. Brands United then released an array of licensed products, many of which are still beloved by families and office ladies, that are among the most iconic licensed properties in the company’s history.

“The HKTDC’s business matching activities can help brands, licensors and agents to better understand one another and generate more cooperation opportunities.” Yeung said Maggiology’s and Rody’s local success put the company on solid footing within just a few years, allowing it to gain larger contracts. These included working with international film and animation studios such as Pixar and Universal Studios to create licensed products for Inside Out and Minions for the Asia-Pacific region.