Marketing costs, licensing earns—at least, that used to be the conventional wisdom. Once upon a time, when I worked at Turner, the gorgeous promotional poster for a “Gone With the Wind” anniversary was considered a major marketing expense. When that same poster became a hot-selling consumer product, it was seen as a great licensing success. But this is looking at marketing and licensing from the wrong end of the telescope, says Joshua Kislevitz, president of JLK Brand Licensing Group, who is collaborating on properties such as Little Airplane’s “Small Potatoes,” a new show just launched on Disney Junior, and Simon & Schuster’s best-selling girls book series, Dork Diaries. Instead of being seen as competing interests, marketing and licensing ideally work “like hand in glove,” Josh says. Josh’s belief: A well-marketed brand will have the greatest legs as a hot licensing property. I first met Josh when he ran United Media’s U.S. licensing operations; we teamed up on a number of high-profile brands, including LEGO, the anniversary of “Dirty Dancing,” Raggedy Ann, and Peanuts. For me, it was refreshing to work with a licensing guy like Josh, who really “got” the value of marketing and P.R.—even before the licensing begins. I recently caught up with Josh to see how he sees the two professions best working in this new digital age. Is the relationship now as seamless as a good wi-fi connection—or is it still as balky as old-school dial-up? “Both marketing and licensing pros have embraced the idea that we must identify the ‘digital play’ in every brand opportunity to deliver an immersive brand experience,” says Josh. “But because we’re now in such a fast-paced environment—communicating directly with fans through all social media channels, where opportunities and miscues can be magnified a thousand-fold, in real time—licensing and marketing have to collaborate more closely, more creatively, and more consistently than ever.” Every licensed product becomes a form of media, Josh says—“Plush is a 3-D greeting card”—broadcasting your brand’s image and attitude, and inviting feedback from a public that is only too happy to speak up. So, who’s doing it right? There are plenty of traditional-to-digital examples, as well as brands that launched in the digital space, then created traditional licensed properties to satisfy hungry fans. On the traditional side, Josh notes that the creator of Disney Junior’s “Small Potatoes,” a series for preschoolers, instinctively understood the social media implications from the get-go. In fact, a Facebook feature created for the brand—in which fans can send in a photo of themselves to be “Potatosized”—is attracting a second “primary” audience of young girls. “This has the potential to open up whole new licensing categories for the brand, including smartphone accessories, room décor, backpacks, and stationery,” Josh says. And in the digital-to-traditional space? “I like ‘Angry Birds’,” says Josh, who has no ties to the brand. “The company started with a straightforward premise and has aggressively built a successful marketing and licensing program around it.” In this case, however, the brand did it first digitally and then extended into traditional products. There are countless “Angry Birds” products in the market now, including apparel, toys, room decor, and much more. “It’s exciting to see brands born from emerging platforms,” Josh adds. “Expect to see more and more digital properties being well received by marketing and licensing partners.” From my own marketing perspective, here are a few ways in which I think licensing and marketing efforts can dovetail to create greater success for a brand: