Licensing, does it help or hurt?

I met with a buyer today for a large company. We had a very interesting discussion about licensing. My decorative baseballs are a well selling item for this company, and the buyer brought up the question of licensing. Do I think that my designs would be better with the team logos on the baseballs?

It is a concept that has come up a lot in my years of business; it usually sounds like 'why don't you use team names? A big logo of the team would really be a big selling point.'

But I was never asked the question I was asked today:

Did I think the baseballs would sell better if their team logo was on them?

I truly believe the answer is no. The licensing world is a powerful, huge business, and nothing can deny the pull of seeing a familiar logo on something. But from the collector stand point, I think that leaving the big logo out makes our pieces unique, and in an interesting way, even more collectible. Baseball memorabilia has a powerful pull towards licensing and big team names, but artwork that is talking about the town, the stadium, and the feeling of the game from that city, transcends any logo. I think these baseball designs provide that.

Logos are on everything, and although I do think they appeal to the fan, I think there is something deep felt about the memento that captures the spirit of a team's city, stadium, and feel that makes it special. The true fan knows without a doubt that the piece speaks to them, they don't need to turn it in their hand to make sure they have the right team.

Small business advice for the day:
There are more then one way to do things successfully; licensing is not always better. Be true to your vision- and the sales will follow.