When one established company promotes another, tapping into each other’s markets and generating sales to a combined audience, it makes good business sense.
Companies are now eager to join forces after seeing the success of power couples such as BMW & Louis Vuitton, Nike & Apple, and UNICEF & Target, realising the financial benefits and kudos that comes with a happy pairing.
And, by and large, the consumers love it – think H&M collaborating with brands like Versace and Alexander Wang to bring high-end luxury to the high street.
Not all brand partnerships work, of course. Some for ethical reasons – Lego famously broke ties with Royal Dutch Shell after mounting pressure from Greenpeace; others because they’re ridiculous – KFC’s well-intentioned partnership with Breast Cancer Awareness ended after being criticised for selling fried food to fight cancer.
Some co-branding opportunities don’t come to fruition because one side isn’t sold on the idea, as with Burger King inviting McDonald’s to join forces to create the now mythical McWhopper. Meanwhile, fashion giant Vetements, who partnered with 17 different brands to be voted fashion collaborator of the year by Vogue, has been asked to team up by Papa John. Yup, the pizza people. Vetements are yet to take up the offer.
Here are a few other instances that might have seemed too out there to work, but came together beautifully.
It introduced two different make-up styles: the Light Side and the Dark Side. Fashion and movie fans considered this a stroke of genius.
The one that captured everyone’s imagination was when Zynga, responsible for a string of games including FarmVille, teamed up with Pizza Hut to sell in-app purchases that went towards the World Food Programme. The pizza chain dedicated an entire website to it ‘Share a Slice of Hope’, with both sides raising millions of pounds for the cause.
Jaws dropped and eyebrows were raised when Adidas Italia announced Hello Kitty would feature in AC Milan’s sportsgear, but having an iconic girl character become part of a top level male sport appealed in a big way to the team’s legion of female fans, as well as those wishing to rid the game of its macho image.
Custom artwork celebrating the modern lifestyles by street artists printed on the classic denim jacket boosted Levi’s sales worldwide, and put the museum on the map.