3 Successful Brand Partnerships to Take Inspiration From

Apr 8

Collaboration with other individuals or businesses is an excellent source of brand growth. There are several mutual benefits that you can get from having the right partner, such as an increase in reach as you are able to tap into your partner’s audience, engage with relevant industry experts, and gain access to a variety of marketing resources. In facilitating a partnership, both parties should work together to improve each other’s conversions, brand awareness, website and social media traffic, and customer retention, as well as reach other business goals.

Finding the right business partner who aligns with your goals and identity is crucial in every partnership marketing campaign. This is why, when searching for potential partners, you should first be clear about the partnership's objectives and set expectations; what exactly are you looking to accomplish with them? The next step is to look for partners who will complement your products or services or those who can easily integrate into your brand style and identity. Having a partner who follows the same values and priorities is also a plus.

Several partnership opportunities can mutually benefit you, including product collaboration, hosting joint webinars and events, conducting market research, producing social media content, and company system integration. There are various ways to do your partnership campaign, and while following current trends can be a good start, there are valuable lessons to learn from past campaigns about creating partnerships that work.

Here are three successful brand partnerships that you can take inspiration from:

Soundtrack for Your Ride – Uber & Spotify

I’m sure many people would agree that rides are best when you have your favorite tunes playing, whether it's a 10-minute drive to grab breakfast or a 2-hour journey to the next city. This is precisely why music-streaming app Spotify partnered with ride-hailing app Uber to create the ‘Soundtrack of Your Ride’ campaign. You can create playlists with your go-to songs while waiting for your Uber driver and then play them automatically in the car while on your way.

Despite being from two completely different industries, this partnership worked well, allowing both businesses to improve their audience. People are more likely to ride with Uber, knowing that they will enjoy the ride more as their favorite music plays. In contrast, Spotify benefits as people create more playlists and support artists with the knowledge that they will keep them company during their journey.

Stratos – Go Pro & Red Bull

Another unlikely collaboration of two different industries that worked magnificently was the Stratos project between energy drinks maker Red Bull and action camera manufacturer GoPro, which led to a long-term business partnership. Project Stratos was an event hosted by Red Bull wherein a skydiver filmed himself descending more than 24 miles above Earth's surface in a stratospheric balloon with a GoPro. This event garnered over 8 million views on YouTube, accomplishing the two company’s goal of improved brand awareness.

After several other projects, GoPro became Red Bull’s official Point-of-View Camera and Content Partner. This partnership also gave GoPro the perfect marketing resources, enabling it to showcase its products at over 1,800 sporting events hosted by Red Bull. On the other hand, Red Bull benefits as exciting stunts from their events are filmed flawlessly for the public’s viewing.

Boardly – VICE and Vans

A content-marketing campaign focusing on women's empowerment was the core of the partnership between the magazine VICE and the clothing brand Vans. While partnerships between clothing brands and magazines are not unusual, their objective of breaking gender norms through the campaign was what sets it apart from the rest. In their video series ‘Broadly,’ women’s skateboarding (a largely male-dominated sport) was given the spotlight as it featured various stories of women and how skateboarding affected their lives.

Vans shoes have been related to skateboarding for a very long time, so this campaign was a natural choice for demonstrating their products and featuring women's stories, allowing the brand to expand its female audience. Meanwhile, the campaign also advanced VICE’s goal of establishing itself as a leading channel for content focusing on women's stories and lifestyles. Both brands were able to meet their goals through the campaign while making a statement that reflects their company’s values and identity.