The PR Power of Brand Partnerships
When two brands work together, great things can happen. Look no further than Red Bull and GoPro. Over the years, GoPro has provided the tools to capture the excitement of extreme sports events such as races, stunts and sports. And Red Bull has provided the energy to match.
Together, they helped make history with the ‘Stratos’ stunt, which saw skydiver Felix Baumgartner jump from a space pod, 24 miles above the Earth’s surface with a GoPro strapped to his body.
Not only were GoPro and Red Bull part of this unique moment in history, it got them worldwide media coverage, buckets of kudos and a heap of new fans. You can watch the stunt here.
The partnership made sense because both brands promote a fearless lifestyle full of extreme adventure. Needless to say, sales of Red Bull and GoPro cameras saw double-digit growth afterwards.
Creating successful brand partnerships
There are plenty of win-win opportunities to partner with brands, whether through joint products, services, events, or PR campaigns. You can both benefit from increased exposure, access to new audiences, and you’ll save money as you’ll be sharing the costs. Bonus.
So, how can you collaborate with a brand? Here are a few sure-fire ways you can use brand partnerships to get the attention of consumers and the media:
Launch a mutual product
Nothing excites customers quite as much as two of their favourite brands coming together to create something exclusive for their fans. This is exactly what luxury brands Montblanc and BMW did in 2017. The world-famous writing instrument company and car brand joined forces to collaborate on an exclusive set of luggage for the BMW 8 Series Coupé. Inspired by the luxe interior of the vehicle, the five bespoke pieces were made of high-quality, perforated black or red leather with black trimming.
Both brands speak to an audience who appreciate high standards of design and craftsmanship. And the products quickly sold out.
The collaboration worked so well, the brands partnered again for an exclusive event run by Montblanc at the Capella and Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore. BMW was the official car sponsor and provided a fleet of 30 BMW 7 Series and BMW 5 Series to chauffeur international guests to and from the event.
Run a joint charity initiative
The only thing better than one company organising a charity initiative is two or more companies joining forces to do good.
In 2015, Diageo-owned whisky brand Bell’s and Marston’s pubs joined forces for the launch of their ‘Barrel of Laughs’ campaign to raise funds for the Help for Heroes charity. The campaign saw a number of celebrities roll a barrel of Bell’s whisky through the UK, starting at the Blair Athol distillery in Scotland and finishing at the Help for Heroes recovery centre, Tedworth House, in Wiltshire.
The activity involved a tie-in with a third brand, Tesco, which ran a unique promotion on 70cl bottles of Bell’s whisky.
The campaign was an unprecedented success. The Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips and Zara’s husband Mike Tindall were among the crowd at the finish line. As you can imagine, this propelled the stunt into the pages of the national papers.
Brands that create partnerships around charitable causes evoke compassion from customers, attract new followers who are passionate about the cause, and foster a sense of empathy while helping the public feel more connected to your brand.
Bottom line? Companies that give together, succeed together.
Change the status quo
Sometimes, co-branding partnerships aren’t just cool projects to raise awareness and boost sales. They can offer real value and even change the way we do things.
Tech behemoth Apple has done this with many of its products. But in 2015, the brand partnered with credit card company Mastercard, and revolutionised the mobile pay market.
The Apple Pay app was launched to enable people to make transactions and travel around London using their iPhone. Still going strong today, the technology uses near-field communication chips embedded in iPhones and Apple Watches to pay for goods and services by holding the device near a card reader. People could also use Apple Pay to make single touch purchases within apps.
For the app to work, it needed a credit card company to integrate with the technology. Enter MasterCard. The brand was keen to be the first to offer this technology to its customers.
The partnership of these two global brands, which are renowned for being innovators, caught the attention of the media and the public. And Apple Pay has continued to thrive.
Over to You
Building partnerships with brands that share your core values is a great way to increase exposure and attract positive attention to your company. If you’re looking for a new strategy to grow your business, a brand partnership could be exactly what you need.
