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Ginger beer marketers take note. The Trocadero, owner of the rights

to Enid Blyton’s children’s books, is planning to offer companies the

opportunity to use her Famous Five and Secret Seven characters in brand

promotions.

The firm has already signed a deal with PGL Activity Holidays, which is

to start offering children the chance to go on mystery and adventure

branded holidays from next year.

The Trocadero is also intending to extend the marketing and adventure

licence to areas such as clothing, bicycles and stationery. Samantha

Paynter, marketing manager for Enid Blyton at Trocadero, confirmed that

the company is in talks with manufacturers to produce Famous Five and

Secret Seven branded foods, such as breakfast cereals, crisps and

snacks.

The deals will form part of a strategy formulated by Trocadero after it

acquired the rights to the works of Enid Blyton at a cost of pounds 13m

in 1996. The company has already successfully licensed Noddy

worldwide.

’This move is part of a strategy we have to treat the properties as a

brand and tailor the marketing of those brands to different markets,’

said Paynter.

The mystery and adventure- branded holidays have been developed with PGL

to give children a chance to ’discover hidden talents and build

character and confidence’, according to PGL.

The adventure holidays will coincide with a new Granada TV production of

the classic stories, set to be screened later this year. The original

televised version of the Famous Five was broadcast by Southern

Television in the late 70s.