Who – the protagonist
Roleff Kråkström, the CEO of Moomin Characters Oy.
What?
The Moomins is the much-loved story of a family of hippo-like trolls who live in the idyllic Moominvalley.
Starting off as a series of books from 1945-1977, created by the famed Finnish artist, Tove Jansson, The Moomins has since become a global TV-hit.
Lovable and cute characters, the family of Moomins consisting of characters such as Moominpappa, Moominmamma, Moomintroll and Little My, have proved popular in selling merchandise.
Why?
Moomin Characters Oy was set-up by Tove and her brother Lars in the late 1950s to act as the official body responsible for copyright and trademark protection for the Moomin characters.
The Moomins gained popularity in Japan when the first Moomin TV series was broadcasted between 1969-1970. However, the real breakthrough came in 1990-1992 when the animated series Tanoshii Mümkin Ikka was shown on TV Tokyo.
Over the past ten years, especially, the Moomins had enjoyed huge success in Japan, but Roleff had been pondering whether there was a need to make some adjustments to the company strategy in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Roleff visited Tokyo to discuss future plans with Kumiko Ito, the President of Rights and Brands Japan, the company responsible for the licensing of the Moomins in Japan.
When?
Roleff met with Kumiko in November 2022 as they assessed the long-term vision for Japan and what should be the key priorities in forthcoming years.
Where?
The Moomins first became internationally known in 1954 through the comic strips published in The Evening News in London, the most-read newspaper in the world at that time.
But its popularity reached another level when the 104-part series in the early 90s was dubbed into English, Finnish, Swedish, Japanese and several other languages, and sold to over 60 countries around the world.
Key quote
“Tove Jansson created a body of art, not an entertainment product. It is the single thing which separates us from every other character in the world. Big entertainment companies manufacture titles and launch new products every year, but we have only one product that has sustained for decades already.”
Roleff Kråkström.
What next?
Roleff and Kumiko had much to discuss in taking the Japan operation forward.
This included whether to ‘upgrade’ the Moomin’s brand to ‘affordable luxury’ but at the same time strive to maintain the ‘casual’ tier?
Moomins could expand its fanbase in Japan and make more money in the long-term. However, there was also the concrete risk that if they were to discontinue the licensing agreements with lower-tier stores and licensees producing cheaper products, it would probably have a negative short-term effect on revenues in Japan.
On the reasons for writing the case…
Arto said: “We were fascinated by the fact that the Moomins have enjoyed enormous popularity in Japan for a very long time, and that this popularity has successfully translated into a profitable licensing business in the region. Over time, an entire Moomin merchandise industry has emerged in Japan. Today, there is a wide range of Moomin products and services available, from Moomin mugs and bags to phone covers, candies, and Moomin cafés. There is even a Moomin theme park in Japan. One could say that this is quite a remarkable achievement for characters that were originally drawn in the 1940s in Finland.
“However, Japan is also a highly competitive market, and maintaining the Moomins' current position is not guaranteed. Competitors such as Disney, Pokémon and Studio Ghibli put great pressure on the Moomins. No one can say for certain whether the Moomins will continue to attract new generations in Japan or if the licensing business will continue to generate cash flow as intended.
“Therefore, we challenge students to analyse the situation in Japan and particularly consider how the Moomin brand, as well as the licensing business around the Moomins, should be revitalised in the current context. This question is approached from the viewpoint of Roleff Kråkström.”
On the case writing challenges…
Hiroshi said: “Writing the case from both the perspectives of the home country (Finland) and the local country (Japan) to provide students with a complete picture was challenging. However, we were fortunate to receive full support from the Managing Director/President on both the Finland and Japan sides."
Arto added: “Some of the organisational arrangements in Japan were also quite complex and difficult to fully understand. This made writing the case a bit challenging. On the other hand, we were able to conduct interviews with the local licensing agent, which was extremely helpful in drawing an overall picture of the current situation in Japan.”
On teaching the case…
Hiroshi stated: “We found that the case meets four different objectives: 1) introducing the theory of global business expansion; 2) providing a basic understanding of the licensing business; 3) exploring the nature of character business; and 4) branding strategy. Depending on the teaching objective, however, you may want to include a brief introduction. For example, if you wish to teach theories of global business expansion, you might start with popular theories/frameworks such as the Uppsala model or the POM model.”
On how students react to the case…
Hiroshi commented: “It has been relatively easy to engage students' interest because young students love characters such as Pokémon, Disney, or Studio Ghibli. So far, we have only taught the case in Finland and Japan, where Moomin characters are popular and the students were very active in discussing their views, experiences, and the possible actions that executives can take. However, we believe that it should work well in other countries if you design your classroom teaching to be highly interactive.”
On case writing tips…
Arto explained: “The most important aspect is to present an engaging riddle that resonates with the students and makes them interested in the case. So, start by thinking about the inspiring and practically relevant discussion question that forms the foundation of the case. A good question often leads to good answers."
Hiroshi added: “Another important requirement is full support from the company and the protagonists.”
Final word…
Hiroshi concluded: “This idea is still under discussion, but we are thinking about introducing video materials - TV series and movies on Moomins.”
The case
Who – the protagonist
Roleff Kråkström, the CEO of Moomin Characters Oy.
What?
The Moomins is the much-loved story of a family of hippo-like trolls who live in the idyllic Moominvalley.
Starting off as a series of books from 1945-1977, created by the famed Finnish artist, Tove Jansson, The Moomins has since become a global TV-hit.
Lovable and cute characters, the family of Moomins consisting of characters such as Moominpappa, Moominmamma, Moomintroll and Little My, have proved popular in selling merchandise.
Why?
Moomin Characters Oy was set-up by Tove and her brother Lars in the late 1950s to act as the official body responsible for copyright and trademark protection for the Moomin characters.
The Moomins gained popularity in Japan when the first Moomin TV series was broadcasted between 1969-1970. However, the real breakthrough came in 1990-1992 when the animated series Tanoshii Mümkin Ikka was shown on TV Tokyo.
Over the past ten years, especially, the Moomins had enjoyed huge success in Japan, but Roleff had been pondering whether there was a need to make some adjustments to the company strategy in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Roleff visited Tokyo to discuss future plans with Kumiko Ito, the President of Rights and Brands Japan, the company responsible for the licensing of the Moomins in Japan.
When?
Roleff met with Kumiko in November 2022 as they assessed the long-term vision for Japan and what should be the key priorities in forthcoming years.
Where?
The Moomins first became internationally known in 1954 through the comic strips published in The Evening News in London, the most-read newspaper in the world at that time.
But its popularity reached another level when the 104-part series in the early 90s was dubbed into English, Finnish, Swedish, Japanese and several other languages, and sold to over 60 countries around the world.
Key quote
“Tove Jansson created a body of art, not an entertainment product. It is the single thing which separates us from every other character in the world. Big entertainment companies manufacture titles and launch new products every year, but we have only one product that has sustained for decades already.”
Roleff Kråkström.
What next?
Roleff and Kumiko had much to discuss in taking the Japan operation forward.
This included whether to ‘upgrade’ the Moomin’s brand to ‘affordable luxury’ but at the same time strive to maintain the ‘casual’ tier?
Moomins could expand its fanbase in Japan and make more money in the long-term. However, there was also the concrete risk that if they were to discontinue the licensing agreements with lower-tier stores and licensees producing cheaper products, it would probably have a negative short-term effect on revenues in Japan.
Author perspective
On the reasons for writing the case…
Arto said: “We were fascinated by the fact that the Moomins have enjoyed enormous popularity in Japan for a very long time, and that this popularity has successfully translated into a profitable licensing business in the region. Over time, an entire Moomin merchandise industry has emerged in Japan. Today, there is a wide range of Moomin products and services available, from Moomin mugs and bags to phone covers, candies, and Moomin cafés. There is even a Moomin theme park in Japan. One could say that this is quite a remarkable achievement for characters that were originally drawn in the 1940s in Finland.
“However, Japan is also a highly competitive market, and maintaining the Moomins' current position is not guaranteed. Competitors such as Disney, Pokémon and Studio Ghibli put great pressure on the Moomins. No one can say for certain whether the Moomins will continue to attract new generations in Japan or if the licensing business will continue to generate cash flow as intended.
“Therefore, we challenge students to analyse the situation in Japan and particularly consider how the Moomin brand, as well as the licensing business around the Moomins, should be revitalised in the current context. This question is approached from the viewpoint of Roleff Kråkström.”
On the case writing challenges…
Hiroshi said: “Writing the case from both the perspectives of the home country (Finland) and the local country (Japan) to provide students with a complete picture was challenging. However, we were fortunate to receive full support from the Managing Director/President on both the Finland and Japan sides."
Arto added: “Some of the organisational arrangements in Japan were also quite complex and difficult to fully understand. This made writing the case a bit challenging. On the other hand, we were able to conduct interviews with the local licensing agent, which was extremely helpful in drawing an overall picture of the current situation in Japan.”
On teaching the case…
Hiroshi stated: “We found that the case meets four different objectives: 1) introducing the theory of global business expansion; 2) providing a basic understanding of the licensing business; 3) exploring the nature of character business; and 4) branding strategy. Depending on the teaching objective, however, you may want to include a brief introduction. For example, if you wish to teach theories of global business expansion, you might start with popular theories/frameworks such as the Uppsala model or the POM model.”
On how students react to the case…
Hiroshi commented: “It has been relatively easy to engage students' interest because young students love characters such as Pokémon, Disney, or Studio Ghibli. So far, we have only taught the case in Finland and Japan, where Moomin characters are popular and the students were very active in discussing their views, experiences, and the possible actions that executives can take. However, we believe that it should work well in other countries if you design your classroom teaching to be highly interactive.”
On case writing tips…
Arto explained: “The most important aspect is to present an engaging riddle that resonates with the students and makes them interested in the case. So, start by thinking about the inspiring and practically relevant discussion question that forms the foundation of the case. A good question often leads to good answers."
Hiroshi added: “Another important requirement is full support from the company and the protagonists.”
Final word…
Hiroshi concluded: “This idea is still under discussion, but we are thinking about introducing video materials - TV series and movies on Moomins.”
