The Art of Successful Brand Collaborations

Partnerships with Artists, Designers, Museums, Territories, Sports, Celebrities, Science, Good Cause…and More

Géraldine Michel, Reine Willing

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781351014458
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

Brand collaborations are widely considered the art of the perfect match. This book is a guide to understanding the process of brand collaborations and explains the key factors of success to buildspecific forms ofcollaborations between diverse partners. The Art of Successful Brand Collaborations gives tangible examples of partnerships between various kinds of internationally renowned artists, celebrities, brands and companies such as Coca-Cola, Louis Vuitton, Puma, David Beckham and Pharrell Williams.

In this vivid study, the academic and practitioner author team outline deep knowledge about the advantages and economic benefits of this marketing strategy. This includes additional meaning, improvement of the brand image, attracting new customers within different target groups and the development of the brand in new markets.

Filled with interviews from practitioners and vital academic and professional insights, this book is an essential guide for brand managers, professors and students to better understand and successfullyimplement the process of brand collaborations.

PART I
A complete view of brand collaboration

Today, brand collaborations take many different forms. They represent a new Eldorado for brands looking for innovation, renewal, more visibility, and attractiveness. In this first part, we will analyze the practices of brand collaboration, identifying the different partners and forms of collaboration. This will be very helpful for managers wanting to know who they can engage in a partnership with and what they can develop together.

1. Collaborations between consumer goods brands

1.1 When consumer goods brands create co-branded products together

1.2 When consumer goods brands claim a common message together

1.3 When consumer goods brands provide cross-sales promotions together

1.4 When consumer goods brands organize events together

1.5 When a retailer confers exclusive distribution to a brand

1.6 When brands collaborate to target employees

Interviews: H & M, LVR, Servaire & Co.

2. Brand collaborations with artists

2.1 When brands create products with artists

2.2 When brands offer experiences with artists

2.3 When brands and artists collaborate to target employees

Interviews: Louis XIII, Kenzo, Bel

3. Brand collaborations with celebrities

3.1 When brands create products with celebrities

3.2 When brands use celebrities to promote their products

Interviews: Puma, Lidl

4. Brand collaborations with cultural organizations

4.1 When brands create products with cultural organizations

4.2 When brands exhibit in museums, festivals, and operas

4.3 When brands and cultural organizations provide cross-sales promotions

Interview: MoMA

5. Brand collaborations with sports organizations

5.1 When brands support sports activities

5.2 When brands become a name for sports teams, places, competitions

5.3 When brands create products with an athlete or sports organization

Interviews: Peugeot, Sport agent

6. Brand collaborations with NGOs

6.1 When brands create products for the benefit of NGOs

6.2 When brands express their support for NGOs

Interviews: Kiehl’s, WWF, UNICEF

7. Brand collaborations with territories

7.1 When brands look for territory of origin

7.2 When territories look to attract more people

7.3 When brands conquer space

Interview: DS

Conclusion to Part I

CHAPTER 1

Collaborations between consumer goods brands

When managers decide to associate two brands for defining a brand collaboration, they can install six different kinds of partnership depending on what they want to create (see Table 1.1): a co-branded product, a co-branded communication, a cross-sales promotion, a co-branded experience, a co-branded distribution and a brand collaboration dedicated to employees.

Table 1.1 Collaborations between consumer goods brands

Kinds of collaboration	Definition	Examples
Co-branded products (co-branding)	Collaboration between two brands involving the co-creation and co-naming of a new product	- Apple & Hermès - Huawei & Leica - Louis Vuitton & Supreme - Uniqlo & Disney
Co-branded communications	Collaboration between two brands involving the co-creation of a communication message	- Google & Oreo
Cross-sales promotions	Collaboration between two brands involving the creation of a common sales promotion	- Mc Donald’s & Dragon Ball - Burger King & Barbie - BlablaCar & Total
Co-branded experiences	Collaboration between two brands involving the creation of a common experience, including events, common stores etc.	- Pierre Hermé & L’Occitane - Citadium & Instagram
Co-branded distribution	Collaboration between a retailer and a brand resulting, for the retailer, in exclusive distribution of the partner’s products	- McDonald’s & Coca-Cola - Quick & Pepsi - Starbucks & One water
Brand collaborations dedicated to employees	Collaboration between two companies involving a new product or service targeting employees	- DS & VanCleef and Arpel - DS & the Richemont creative academy - Air France & Christian Lacroix

1.1 WHEN CONSUMER GOODS BRANDS CREATE CO-BRANDED PRODUCTS TOGETHER

Among the different kinds of brand collaboration, the co-branding strategy is a collaboration between two or more brands based on the co-creation and co-naming of a new product. Both brands are thus visible on the co-branded product. This strategy involves the distinction between the “host brand” and the “guest brand.” For instance, in the co-branding between Philips and Nivea, the “host brand” was Philips since the brand already existed on the razor market at the launch of the co-branded razor. Nivea would then be the guest brand adding the cream to the electric razor. Philips and Nivea collaborated in order to launch a new product enlarging the target of the host brand Philips and extending the territory of the guest brand Nivea in the men’s shaving market.

Figure 1.1 The difference between host and guest brands

The co-branded product strategy can take two main forms: either 1) the guest brand brings a tangible element related to its know-how, or 2) the guest brand transmits only its symbolic elements (Cegarra and Michel, 2001).

1) THE CO-BRANDED PRODUCT INCLUDES A TANGIBLE ELEMENT FROM THE GUEST BRAND

The co-branded product with a tangible element from the guest brand is based on the integration of an element from the guest brand into the new co-branded product, involving product innovation. In the food market, we can cite the example of Evian and Kusmi tea. Both brands collaborated to launch a new tea-based drink. The complementarity of ingredients brings an added value to consumers looking for new tastes.

Image 1.1 A new based-tea drink by Evian and Kusmi Tea

In the household market, the collaboration between Huawei and Leica (a German brand of cameras and optics) allows consumers to make better pictures with their mobile phone. The Huawei P9 phones uses dual cameras – a 12-megapixel color and one – a 12-megapixel colour camera alongside a 12-megapixel black and white lens – which captures 200% more light and let owners refocus their photos after they have been taken. This innovation, the result of a collaboration between the Chinese tech firm and German camera-maker Leica, can help Huawei promote itself as a premium brand and expand its market share.

Image 1.2 Swarovski & Moulin Rouge

Within the strategy of co-branded products, the guest brand can be a business to business brand (B2B); in other words, the guest brand can be an ingredient brand such as Intel, Gore-Tex or Teflon (Gore-Tex and Teflon waterproof membrane brands). Consumers have become more sensitive to ingredient brands that provide an additional product benefit and are seen as a pledge for real differentiation (Moon and Sprott, 2016). For instance, based on their expertise in crystal-stone manufacture and shaping, the Swarovski brand has developed numerous partnerships in different sectors and with multiple brands. For instance, they design crystal components both for BMW cars and for Moët & Chandon champagne. When Swarovski’s customers want to communicate with their consumers,or want to bring added value to their products, Swarovksi might suggest the label “Crystals from Swarovski,” depending on the positioning and the distribution of the crystal products. This label is even more appropriate when Swarovski designs specific stones to meet the requirements of its partners. For instance, in the world of entertainment, Swarovski worked with Moulin Rouge (a Parisian cabaret) – the show Féérie highlights the best craftsmanship using the premium material of Swarovski crystals. The revue includes 60 dancers wearing over 1,000 costumes and 800 custom-made pairs of shoes, all embellished with thousands of sparkling Swarovski crystals. To celebrate the union between Swarovski and Moulin Rouge, a film was produced to provide an exclusive peek behind the curtain, revealing the extraordinary level of creativity that goes into co-producing the show.

Image 1.3 Swaroski & Zadig & Voltaire

Beyond the manufacture of crystals for its customers and branding partners, Swarovski ...