Are you looking for ways to increase your brand’s visibility and boost your customer base? Co-branding could be the answer. Co-branding is a marketing strategy that combines two or more brands to create a new, unique product or service. In this article, we’ll explore the strategies, benefits, and examples of co-branding. We’ll look at how co-branding can help you reach a wider audience and enhance your existing brand image. Additionally, we’ll analyze real-world examples of successful co-branding campaigns. So, let’s dive in and discover how co-branding can help you reach your business goals.
What Is Co-Branding?
Co-branding is a form of partnership where two companies or brands share a brand name, logo, etc. themselves on a project, product, or software. Co-branding makes an offer, using the combined resources and marketing power of two (or more) brands to sell it. The two notable points in the definition are:
Strategic partnership:
Strategic partnership refers to the process by which brands come together to benefit from a synergistic effort. This benefit can include – more engagement, increased customer reach, advertising, conversions, etc.
Creating marketing synergy:
The principle of marketing synergy states that “the whole must be greater than its parts”. This means that co-brands pool their existing resources, creativity, and brand image to develop a product that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Why Do Brands Cobrand?
A well-chosen co-branding initiative can bring many benefits to each brand involved. By collaborating, brands can leverage each other’s strengths and successes and grow their businesses by reaching each other’s markets and audiences. The transfer of positive brand associations from one brand to another can have lasting effects even beyond co-branding partnerships.
Form Better Acceptance And Receptivity
- Build Innovation And Value Addition
- Establish Credibility
- Reach New Markets
- Utilize One Brand’s Strength to Overcome Another’s Weakness
- Risk and Cost Reduction
Types Of Co-Branding
Co-branding is not a one-time process. Companies entering into co-branding transactions vary depending on the industry they operate in, the form of the offering, and the goals of the brand.
Ingredient Co-Branding
Ingredient Co-Branding occurs when brands collaborate based on mutually compatible components. The goal was to find a suitable item, combine brand personalities, and market the product as a better problem solver.
Co-Branding vs. Co-Marketing
Co-branding and co-marketing are similar concepts in that both involve partnerships between brands that seek to bolster their marketing efforts, but they differ in how they are executed. Co-marketing aligns the marketing efforts of two partners but does not result in the creation of a new product or service. Co-branding, by design, is based on the creation of a new product or service.
Co-Branding Examples
Nike & Apple
Tech giant Apple and athletic brand Nike have had a longstanding co-branding partnership. Having first worked together in the early 2000s with the launch of the Apple iPod and the Nike+iPod co-brand. Having now evolved into Nike+, the partnership that was initially centred around helping people listen to music while working out now focuses additionally on using the latest tech to track activity, through fashionable and functional wearable tech, clothing, and exercise gear. Nike+ products feature in-built tracking transmitters, allowing them to sync automatically with Apple products, giving consumers the ability to instantly check things like heart rate, steps, distance, and calories burned.
A match that seems like it was written in the stars, the two brands each benefit from the partnership. Both parties can provide an improved experience to consumers and athletes alike. Nike gains the association with one of the world’s largest tech brands, and Apple benefits from the association with one of the top sports brands. The partnership makes sense, as each brand has a brand image and set of values that complement the other.
GoPro & Red Bull
GoPro doesn’t just sell portable cameras, and Red Bull doesn’t just sell energy drinks. Instead, both have established themselves as lifestyle brands — in particular, a lifestyle that’s action-packed, adventurous, fearless, and usually pretty extreme. These shared values make them a perfect pairing for co-branding campaigns, especially those surrounding action sports.
To make the partnership work, GoPro equips athletes and adventurers from around the world with the tools and funding to capture things like races, stunts, and action sports events on video — from the athlete’s perspective. At the same time, Red Bull uses its experience and reputation to run and sponsor these events.
“GoPro camera technology is allowing us to complement the programming by delivering new athlete perspectives that have never been seen before,” said Sean Eggert, Red Bull’s director of sports marketing. The collaboration allows exclusive GoPro content to enhance both companies’ growth.
While GoPro and Red Bull have collaborated on many events and projects together. Perhaps the biggest collaboration stunt they’ve done was “Stratos,” in which Felix Baumgartner jumped from a space pod more than 24 miles above Earth’s surface with a GoPro strapped to his person. Not only did Baumgartner set three world records that day, but he also embodied the value of reimagining human potential that defines both GoPro and Red Bull.
Kanye and Adidas
Kanye West, best known for his Grammy-winning rap albums, partnered with Adidas to develop a high-end footwear line called Yeezy. The combination of Kanye’s personal brand and Adidas’ growing streetwear segment has made for robust company earnings and brand growth. Since it was introduced.
Kanye’s celebrity appeal benefits Adidas by creating buzz around its apparel. And the athletic-wear brand gives Kanye a well-established platform to build his high-end clothing line. One of the strongest draws of Yeezy — and most notably its shoes — is its exclusivity: Kanye’s celebrity status, extremely scarce roll-outs, and the high price tag make the lucky few to own Yeezy sneakers feel a little famous by association.
Adidas’ co-branding relationship with Kanye and the resulting cult-like Yeezy following led to a stellar year for the company. In 2019, Adidas’ net income climbed 19.5% to $1.9 billion.
