6 lessons to be learned from the best (and worst) brand partnerships
Partnerships are all the rage right now – due, in part, to squeezed media budgets. We look at how they can offer a way for brands to tap into new audiences and gain some organic PR.
Greggs x Primark
Looking back over the past few years, we’ve seen some stand-out brand collaborations, as well as the odd flops. Nike x Tiffany, Yeezy x Adidas and Balenciaga x Fortnite were among the missteps mentioned by Paul McEntee of We Be Dragons when he rated the best and worst brand partnerships, while The North Face’s Frances Bourgeois x Gucci got his seal of approval, as did Aldi x BrewDog.
Talking to senior marketers and brand heads, they helped us identify some key dos and don’t when it comes to carving out a partnership.
1. Avoid cannibalizing the same audience
Brand partnerships are at their best when they help unlock access to new audiences. If you tie with a similar brand with a similar size and demographic audience, then you may be missing a trick.
The mindfulness app Headspace has been taking this approach to teach people about the benefits of meditation and then to deliver its brand message. For example, Headspace has teamed up with the GPS app Waze to help drivers feel less stressed in traffic and has offered free trials to Starbucks’ loyalty members to bring meditation to the ritual of coffee drinking.
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2. Partner up with affinity brands
The menswear retailer Percival has become known for its quirky collaborations with the likes of the Off Menu Podcast, Campari and Sriracha. Unlike other fashion brands that typically partner with other fashion brands, Percival teams up with affinity brands from other categories. Its founder Chris Gove explained: “In the absence of loads of cash, the trick was to acquire an audience from the similar thing to us in every other affinity category.”
3. Tie with brands your employees are also fans of
Another lesson from Percival’s strategy is to pick brands your team can all get behind. Hey, if your staff like Negronis and noodles, why not?
4. If you are a small brand, find a partner that will make you famous
The Drum caught up with Beavertown in the wake of its Queen’s of the Stone Age music video collaboration. Beavertown’s marketing director Tom Rainsford told The Drum he was looking for a partnership that would take it to the next level of brand recognition. The video was released in line with Queens of the Stone Age’s comeback album and the band’s Glastonbury performance. “From a brand benefit, you’ve got all the halo of them doing press,” said Rainsford.
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5. Do some social listening
When Heinz partnered up with Absolut vodka, it might at first have seemed a bit jarring, but penne alla vodka was a social-media hyped recipe made famous by Gigi Hadid. The Heinz team landed on the idea after doing social listening to find what pasta recipes were trending online. Wunderman Thompson Spain was behind the campaign, with its chief client officer Jose Maria Piera telling The Drum: “If you’re wanting to be part of the culture, you must be you must be aware of the culture.”
6. The weirder the better… but make it make sense
Greggs and Primark caught the internet by storm with its clothing collaboration. When Primark adorned its window models with Gregg’s sausage rolls, it cemented this as a truly special, but also weird, tie-up. But it had a solid strategy behind it. Launching during London Fashion Week, the Greggs x Primark clothing collection flipped the narrative of what it takes to look good while poking fun at the high fashion establishment.