Junfei releases 2025 IP Trend Report , insights into market opportunities

In the era of rapidly changing consumer attention and iterative demand, intellectual property (IP) has become an important asset for brand building and marketing, which refers to works with independent intellectual property rights, wide popularity, and strong derivative effects. Junfei has recently released the "2025 IP Trends Report", which reveals the key trends and popular IP recommendations in the IP market for the next year, aiming to help brands grasp the pulse of youth and seize market opportunities.

01. Current situation of IP market

Dual growth of categories and derivatives 

According to relevant reports, in 2023, the annual authorized retail sales of goods in China reached 140.1 billion US dollars, with an authorized fee of 5.47 billion yuan, demonstrating the strong growth momentum of the IP market. The IP derivatives such as game peripherals and cartoon anime peripherals have formed a new billion dollar market on Tmall, involving nearly 2500 IPs. This indicates that IP not only has a profound impact in the cultural field, but also demonstrates enormous potential in the commercial market.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the development history and current scale of the IP industry, aiming to gain insight into the intrinsic driving forces and changes in the times of IP development.

Brand is an important part of IP cooperation. In 2024, we found that 14 major tea and fast food brands had 174 IP collaborations, cleverly using IP to drive brand communication and sales growth.

02. The Six Major IP Trends of 2025

Emotional and cultural dual drivers

Trend 1: Advanced 'Emotional Consumption'

Generation Z is willing to consume for emotional value, and nearly half of young people are willing to pay for cute and funny IPs. Cute and funny IPs have become popular, such as Underpants Rabbit and Mysterious Bread Boy, becoming emotional support for young people. On Xiaohongshu, the interaction volume of notes related to the "Cute Economy" has exceeded 400 million, and the # Crazy Emoji # topic has received over 140 million views, demonstrating young people's pursuit of emotional value.

Trend 2: Revitalization of Eastern Culture

Generation Z's sense of identity with Eastern culture has increased, and museums, cultural and creative industries, and intangible cultural heritage tourism have become new consumption hotspots. Suzhou Museum, Shanghai Museum and other museums have become internet famous museums, and cultural and creative products are selling well. Following intangible cultural heritage sites to travel and check-in, such as ancient buildings in Shanxi, has become a new tourist hotspot.

Trend 3: Anime new releases explode instantly

Generation Z pursues content value, from classic anime to new series, from virtual idols to film and television variety shows, the era of content is coming. Classic anime such as Pok é mon and new series such as "Jumping Youth" and "The Buried Fleur" coexist with universal values and innovative interpretations passed down from generation to generation. Top tier Chinese anime IPs have become the new favorites of young people.

Trend 4: Entertainment stew should generate more power for love

The enthusiasm of Chinese young people for entertainment culture is not only reflected in cultural and creative activities, but also integrated into various aspects of daily life, transforming their love for characters/idols into a driving force for consumption. They not only seek love and sustenance from the anime, but also build a sense of security in the virtual universe; Immerse yourself in the sea of literary books and experience a different kind of life. The charm of words and the halo of characters bring subtle and silent emotional support to life.

Trend 5: Interactive Entertainment, Pursuit, and Integration Experience in Games

The commercial value of gaming IP has been fully demonstrated in 2024, with over 70% of respondents stating that they have used gaming IP related products within the past year. This indicates that game IP not only has a strong influence in the gaming industry, but also maximizes commercial value through derivative products and cross-border cooperation.

Trend 6: Fashion popularization calls for trend inclusiveness

In today's dynamic and innovative era, young people's love for trendy culture has reached unprecedented heights. They are no longer satisfied with traditional consumption patterns, but pursue a trendy and inclusive experience that has both artistic value and can be integrated into daily life.

The latest "2025 IP Trends Report" released by Junfei provides rich market data and IP trends. By gaining a deeper understanding of the consumption behavior and cultural trends of Generation Z, brands can better formulate IP cooperation strategies, enhance brand influence, and increase consumer loyalty. Let's grasp the IP trends of 2025 together and embark on a new chapter in the market!