The Phantom Trend Guide Currently In Production

A couple of interesting posts have appeared on the Brands Untapped website in regards to the Phantom trend guide currently in production.

Brands Untapped is a UK based website which reports on news on global licensing, with a focus on design and creativity behind licensed product. The 2 posts to feature the Phantom are interviews conducted by Billy Langsworthy with representatives from King Features and XGuides.

The first post to appear is titled King Features’ Beth Nock Talks Us Through The First Ever Trend Guides For Flash Gordon And The Phantom, which features Beth Nock, the Brand Marketing Director at King Features.

Billy asks Beth, “XGuides also created a striking guide for The Phantom. What are some key brand attributes you wanted to come through here?“, she answers:

With the video game coming to consoles this December, I wanted to develop creative to complement the launch. The Phantom is a hero whose name drives fear into the hearts of even the most hardened criminals. I wanted to capture and transform that power into a guide showcasing The Phantom’s fierce sense of righteousness.

Referencing classic and modern comic stylings for inspiration, we combined a reduced colour palette, dramatic lighting and silhouettes with editorial from the comics – known as “old jungle sayings” to fans – resulting in a first-ever trend guide for The Phantom that is sure to make an impression.

His next question is, Why do you feel The Phantom is an exciting prospect for designers at licensees to engage with?

Timing has never been better for creative partners looking to onboard a niche property with potential to becoming the next big thing in the market. The Phantom is on the rise with a video game, new publishing and new entertainment in development, plus opportunities for storytelling are endless.

Above all, The Phantom is dedicated to pursuing what is right and just. He is a beacon of light at time when our world feels consumed by corruption, dishonesty, violence, and chaos. And as a masked, multi-generational hero his adventures extend across time periods and locations. This guide is just the first step in helping partners bring that adventure to life in product form.

The full interview between Billy Langsworthy and Beth Nock can be found HERE

The second post to appear is titled XGuides’ Daniel Godoy On Taking A Fan-First Approach To Crafting Trend Guides, which features Daniel Godoy, the Founder and Chief Vision Officer at XGuides.

Billy asks Daniel, The Phantom, Popeye and Flash Gordon are iconic and have been around for decades… How do you approach bringing newness to these kinds of brands?, who answers:

Since over saturated markets like ours unfortunately bring a perception of commoditisation, freshness is definitely mandatory to keep it relevant. Our crucial challenge is to use the brand’s emotional key points to generate not only attentional salience, but also associative memory stimuli and triggers.

The full interview between Billy Langsworthy and Daniel Godoy can be found HERE

We’re also provided a sneak peak of some of the images created for the Phantom trend guide by XGuides. One of the designs can be seen above, whilst three more can be seen below.

XGuides is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil which was established in 2008 specializing in Brand Licensing and Branding, who describe themselves as:

XGUIDES exists to guide brands for LIFESTYLE turning consumers into fans! We are a pioneer company in dynamizing relationships between brand and consumer to achieve the perception of endorsement and LIFESTYLE through licensing; Our team develops strategic tools for brands to extend their audience reach, gain market share, build brand equities and improve sales. How do we do it? Dynamizing brand RELATIONSHIP through our Relatable Boost Method; Dynamizing brand AWARENESS through attention, motivation and memorization strategies; Dynamizing brand PURPOSE through LEGITIMACY and REPRESENTATIVENESS positioning; Dynamizing brand EXTENSION through products, services, experiences and transformation.

The XGuides website notes a large array of companies including Warner Bros. Discovery, DC, Disney, Cartoon Network, Wizarding World, Paramount Nickelodeon, Saban Films, Iron Studios, Mattel and many more on well known characters such as Looney Tunes, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter, Sponge Bob, Ben 10, Justice League, Power Rangers, Smurfs and many more.

For King Features, XGuides lists the Phantom, Flash Gordon, Popeye, Olive Oyl and Betty Boop as characters they’re working on, which can be seen on their website HERE

It’s great to see these fresh new designs being worked on for the Phantom by XGuides!!!