Perfect Partnerships: Mediator's Tara Honeywell on partnership marketing (Part Two)

A. As technology and channels evolve there is a necessity for brands to work harder to not only achieve cut through to audiences but to drive genuine, authentic, brand engagement. By working in partnership brands are able to tap into consumers passion points, driving an emotive connection at a time when consumers have tuned out to mass market generic marketing messages.

Q. What types of partnerships are brands increasingly looking to create?

A. Long term, fully integrated partnerships that can extend the brand beyond its current remit, whether this be technological advances or a platform on which to talk to a new audience.

Q. Are digital platforms and channels giving partnership marketing campaigns more scope and making them even more ambitious?

A. Yes, absolutely, but this goes across the board for marketing as a whole not just partnership marketing. In the past, Partnership Marketing was a default technique used when a small amount of budget was left and brands wanted to try something new. With the rise of digital, brands need to work harder and are now seeing the value of a truly, collaborative partnerships that play a significant role within the wider marketing mix.

Q. Which business sectors have embraced partnership marketing most effectively?

A. Many sectors have embraced partnerships, although those that have done so very effectively include the network service providers, Orange’s partnership with cinema chains, O2 and AEG, the financial sector has also embraced partnership marketing, such as Barclays and Mastercard.

Q. Which partnerships do you at as great examples of partnership marketing?

A. O2’s partnership with AEG has delivered a wealth of value that has been used to drive significant market share and push O2 to become a real leader in its category. The partnership offers multiple facets and is completely integrated to a customer’s experience, offering real value back to customers in an authentic way.

Q. Is measuring the ROI of a partnership marketing campaign difficult? How can effectiveness best me measured?

A. Not at all. The nature of a partnership marketing campaign very much depends on the types of brands working together and their respective categories so the evaluation metrics are very specific to each campaign. Like with any other marketing technique, it’s about real clarity upfront on the objectives of the campaign and then ensuring the right metrics are monitored throughout the activity to monitor performance and judge success. We use a range of metrics here at Mediator depending on what the brief is, for example, we use sales data for some of our FMCG clients, we look at churn rates and increased spend when working within the loyalty space and brand trackers for awareness pieces.

Q. What advice would you offer a client considering identifying a partner for a partnership marketing campaign?

A. Firstly, be open minded. Identify a clear objective for approaching a partnership, but be flexible enough to share ideas and build the right campaign in true partnership with the other party, partnership marketing works best when it’s truly collaborative. It’s also incredibly important to understand what assets you have that may be of value to a potential partner and package this up appropriately.

Q. How do you see the partnership marketing sector developing in the years ahead?

A. Partnership marketing is moving away from a tactical, offer led type of offering to playing a much more strategic role by forming long term, fully integrated partnerships that continue to add value long after they’ve launched. In turn, marketers are understanding the level of commitment required to deliver a partnership campaign of this nature, their respective benefits and are investing in them accordingly.

Read Part One of this feature.

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