We’re seeing brand collaborations become more prominent as organisations aim to create something unique and exclusive, double their marketing reach, grow their network, and authentically engage their audiences. 

But there are many factors that make a collaboration memorable and successful. When done right it’s a powerful way to increase your brand awareness and change perceptions. So, what does it take to make this happen? 

So in this current topsy turvy environment, where does that leave brand purpose and storytelling? Most of us will argue that, right now, it’s the most important time to share your “why”. But how in this weird time do you share this in the right light?

At yesterday’s Marketing Association Brainy Breakfast event, I was lucky enough to hear from two experts in their fields about how they decide what will make a good collaboration and how they use it to stand out. Karen Walker, one of New Zealand’s leading fashion designers, and Jasmine Currie, Marketing Manager of Whitakers, took to the stage to walk through what good brand collaboration looks like.  

Build hype, drive momentum

Whittaker’s do take the (chocolate) cake when it comes to building hype around their product. We all know how many successful collaborations Whittaker’s have delivered to the market and it’s not simply down to luck (or a FOMO marketing strategy as one commentator suggested). While they’ve done many straight-forward collaborations for their chocolate bars, it was the less obvious ones that struck me. These were the projects where their goal was to use a collaboration to get their brand into more areas of the supermarket, not just the chocolate aisle. Whittaker’s and Lewis Road Creamery is a perfect example.

So how do they make this a success? Jasmine, their Marketing Manager, said it’s down to a well-thought out idea, that can be delivered from the initial product right through to the final advertising campaign. She used the example of Whittaker’s collaboration with L&P, which to this day is still her favorite collab. The idea was simple - take two of New Zealand's most iconic brands and turn them into a chocolate bar. They had the idea for the product down – but how do you turn this into a campaign that will drive hype and momentum? She said at Whittaker’s they have an 80/20 rule for any idea. You need 80% comfort and 20% risk, because the risk component is what will get people talking. Their idea was to build a fake news story that someone had accidentally smashed a Whittaker’s branded van into the L&P bottle in Paeroa. They created a fake newspaper story and fake CCTV footage which was soon picked up by the media and the idea took off. When people cottoned on that it was a stunt, they had the perfect tag line “the accident that New Zealand has been waiting for” which tied the product and the campaign nicely together. 

Find a collaboration that feels truly authentic

Karen had a lot of great advice for making a brand collaboration successful, such as 1+1=3, micro communities, and understanding your story. But it was Karen’s last point that really struck me – would you have them into your home for dinner? If your gut says no, the collaboration shouldn’t happen. This question is the final acid test to see if the collaboration is authentic to her brand and to her customers.  

Karen had a lot of great advice for making a brand collaboration successful, such as 1+1=3, micro communities, and understanding your story. But it was Karen’s last point that really struck me – would you have them into your home for dinner? If your gut says no, the collaboration shouldn’t happen. This question is the final acid test to see if the collaboration is authentic to her brand and to her customers. 

An example of a fantastic collaboration that felt truly authentic, was when she was asked to create a grown for the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange in 2018. The event brought together 53 countries from across the Commonwealth to collaborate and celebrate the talent of local artisans by showcasing their best designs. Originally Karen said no to this collaboration as their two-month deadline over the Summer wasn’t long enough and she was concerned about how it could be truly authentic. After another phone call from the PR company in London, Karen decided to change the rules of the engagement, and make the experience truer to New Zealand culture. She asked if they could choose the country to align with and what artisans she could call upon to make the garment. And with that simple change, the wheels started to turn. She had always loved the traditional Cook Island tivaivai. She started talking to her staff, and in true kiwi fashion someone piped up saying that her boyfriend’s grandmother (or something along those lines) was one of the best in New Zealand. Three months later Karen and Māmā Tukua Turia were at Buckingham Palace standing with the Duchess of Cambridge with their amazing garment. It was something special that they had created together to celebrate their skills and their individual brands.  

During the breakfast, we asked the audience - What do you think the main factor is to create a successful brand collaboration? 

As you can see there is an overwhelming response that brands need to know their customer and they need to make collaborations feel authentic. Which is exactly what the two speakers talked to.  
 
Overall, it was a fantastic event with great stories and useful insights. I can’t wait to see what collaborations these brands release next!