Since 2016, the Ministry of Culture has helped 37 Taiwanese original brands expand their international market share by leading delegations to eight annual IP licensing fairs, including the China International Licensing Expo, the Hong Kong International Licensing Show, and Licensing Japan, through the "Fresh Taiwan" initiative.
Such promotional efforts are not limited to East Asia. Under the central government's flagship New Southbound Policy, recent forays have included stores and cultural hubs in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member nations, South Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. For instance, a Taiwanese delegation visited IP license buyers, creative boutiques, and department stores in Malaysia for the first time last year to discussion cooperation with key regional retailers.
The Ministry also held a Taipei matchmaking session on June 23 with the intent of bringing together Taiwan's IP selection with interested parties from Southeast Asia. Attendees such as CEO Marilu Corpus of Click! Licensing Asia Inc., a heavyweight licensing consultancy in Asia, and Pinky David of PinkTank Asia Pacific, a Singapore-based creative services provider, also offered their insights on the latest Southeast Asian market trends.
Last year, the Ministry's Fresh Taiwan initiative led 15 brands and 19 original characters from Taiwan to join several overseas IP licensing shows — it was a first for five such startups. Taking inspiration from traditional markets, the collection of original characters at Fresh Taiwan pavilions were advertised as "fresh, high-quality products delivered straight from the source." Moreover, over a hundred potential licensing deals were discussed after attending two trade shows.
To help Taiwanese exhibitiongoers learn more about the nation's homegrown vibrant creativity, Fresh Taiwan pop-up stores will be held in creative parks across Taipei, Chiayi, Tainan, and Hualien from May through August:
May 30 – June 30: Songshan Cultural and Creative Park
July 6 – 14: Chiayi Cultural and Creative Industries Park
July 20 –28: Tainan Cultural and Creative Park
Aug. 1 –31: Huashan 1914 Creative Park
Aug. 24 – Sept. 1: Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park
More information is available at https://ccimarketing.org.tw/archives/359668.