Cartoon creator Rainbow keeps the magic alive while protecting copyright
Some of the most successful creators of cartoon characters in Europe and indeed the world are based in Italy, and Rainbow in Loreto is just one of them. For years it has animated the popular Winx characters, fairies beloved by children all over the globe. As a ‘content company’, Rainbow not only launched its characters internationally with great success, but also developed and managed their own licensing and merchandising.
It soon became clear that the thousands of Winx videos uploaded to YouTube by children were becoming a copyright issue for the company and its partners. Not wanting to discourage this interactivity, Rainbow turned to Content ID, which allows rights holders to control how their content is used on YouTube and to make money from advertising, even if someone else uploads it. Cristiana Buzzelli, Vice President and Content Manager, explains: “A lot of our competitors chose to clamp down on them, but spontaneity is key for our young target audience and we wanted to encourage their talent.” As the kids can also leave comments on YouTube, it’s a good litmus test too. “We receive instant and good quality feedback that’s much more specific than conventional TV viewing figures, and it’s also more immediate than any focus group.”
The company has an extensive team working on YouTube. “We have five full-time staff to create original videos, two to analyse and check content as well as online community managers, and we’ve had over a billion views. We’ve just kept on growing since we started working with Google,” says Cristiana.
Thanks to YouTube we receive instant and good quality feedback.