Here’s part two of our series, showcasing our favourite partnerships from around the globe. With brands collaborating across a range of sectors, see how different frameworks have been implemented for success.
Part one of the series can be found here.
Star Wars & Covergirl
To celebrate the launch of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Covergirl launched a 19-piece makeup collection, featuring two styles, the Light Side and the Dark Side – well known as representatives of good and evil in the movies, alongside an eye-catching ad campaign.
Space-age action movies have traditionally been considered the realm of men and boys, however with a new female action-hero in the form of Rey Skywalker, Star Wars saw an opportunity to capture the attention of a new audience of young women through their Covergirl partnership.
Covergirl themselves were able to harness the media hype in the build up to the film’s release – through aligning their brand with a true giant of the film world.
Lacoste & IUCN
Lacoste’s green crocodile is one of fashion’s most distinctive designs – which is why replacing it with other endangered species as part of their ongoing ‘Save our species’ partnership with IUCN was so powerful.
The brand replaced the crocodile with depictions of 10 rare animals in a bid to save some of the world’s most endangered creatures. The number of shirts available with each logo was matched with how many of the corresponding animals are left in the wild.
The collection included just 1,775 shirts in total, serving as a stark reminder of just how few of these animals are left in the world. It was unveiled at Paris Fashion Week with proceeds from each sale going toward the preservation of its species, whilst the associated media coverage drew the world’s attention towards an incredibly important cause.
LateRooms & Tough Mudder
LateRooms’ summer partnership with Tough Mudder, promised the ’Ultimate Dirty Weekend’.
LateRooms offered the chance to win a stay in the ‘Al Fresco’ Hotel – a luxury pop up hotel in a field near the 5km obstacle course at Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire. Where competition winners were greeted by the hotel’s butler for 24-hours of 5-star service, including a spa with on-site masseuses, beauticians, hot tub and three double rooms with Egyptian cotton sheets.
The partnership promoted Tough Mudder’s 5km race to LateRooms audience, encouraging a broader mix of entrants to take up the challenge of the shorter, more manageable obstacle courses.
LateRooms were able to showcase their brand to Tough Mudder’s entrants as the ultimate place to book their accommodation.
Budweiser & Lyft
As part of their ‘Give a Damn’ campaign to stop drink driving, Budweiser donated 150,000 round trips with their safe ride partner Lyft, to help people get to and from their nights out across 9 US states.
Budweiser shared a unique ride code on its Facebook and Instagram channels each week, which new and existing Lyft users over the age of 21 could use to claim rides through the app.
The partnership helped Lyft leverage Budweiser’s huge social audience, whilst reinforcing the famous beer brand’s commitment to helping people drink responsibly and get home safe.
Gillette & Justice League
With the new Justice League movie soon to land, DC Comics’ partnership with Gillette showcased a tongue in cheek video of the razor brand’s R&D facility, hard at work developing advanced grooming gear suitable for DC’s hero line up – ‘The Best a Super Hero Can Get’.
Gillette created six themed gift packs, based on Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, whilst Gillette’s customers could play ‘Justice League VR: Join The League – Gillette Edition’ across Apple and Android devices, using an exclusive VR headset included in pack.
With a sizeable prize fund and supporting ad campaign, this partnership helped Gillette to tie its brand to a movie blockbuster, whilst building excitement around Justice League amongst its core male audience.
LEGO & adidas
Part of LEGO’s enduring appeal is its ability to place itself at the heart of popular culture – whether that be through aligning with the latest blockbuster movie, creating tie-ups with fellow super-brands, or licensing its brand to popular visitor attractions.
Similarly, adidas leans on its affinity with the novel, to create fresh intrigue that keeps it at the forefront of style and fashion.
For the latest instalment of their A-ZX series, adidas Originals teamed up with LEGO for a playful take on the ZX8000 silhouette. Demonstrating that you’re never too old to play, this unique release saw the Danish toy company bring its instantly recognizable aesthetics to an adidas icon.
Designed as an ode to the classic LEGO brick, this unique ZX8000 sneaker is comprised of a multicolour mesh and synthetic suede upper with a rubber outsole. Meanwhile, taking its bold aesthetics to the next level, the shoe features LEGO studs on the heels as well as co-branded tongue tabs. Then, rounding out the look are co-branded yellow sock liners, 6 different coloured lace options, and interchangeable LEGO brick lace jewels.
Disney Cars & Formula E
The partnership between Disney’s Cars and Formula E is one of those collaborations that just feels right.
Disney were looking to build credibility for their Cars franchise amongst an older audience than their core market of 3-6 year old boys, whilst Formula E wanted to speak to younger audiences, to position their race series as the future of motorsports.
Brands pay millions to showcase their wares at global sports events, however Disney’s agency Fuse negotiated a cost neutral partnership by leveraging the vast reach of Disney’s network amongst younger families.
The partnership, which coincided with the launch of Cars 3, was activated across both brands’ owned media channels – with branding at Formula E circuits featuring Cars characters Lightning McQueen and Jackson Storm, which was duly broadcast across the globe. A life-size model of Lightning McQueen was on display at circuit, alongside gaming pods to try the new ‘Cars 3’ console game – Driven to Win. Joint content was also created aimed at kids and parents – featuring Formula E drivers giving their insight into what it takes to be a champion.
The authentic campaign, running across 10 EMEA markets and worth $1.8m in exchanged media value, helped Formula E reach 44m families, and delivered a 9% uplift in Disney’s teen audience for animation titles.
Ford & Tinder
This campaign is all about reach – Tinder gives brands like Ford the opportunity for mass exposure with a millennial audience.
Indeed, 1.5 million users are said to have interacted with the promotion, which saw Ford add its own profile to the platform, asking users to “swipe right if you fancy a blind date in a Ford mustang”. 5 couples were selected for blind dates and subsequently filmed for a follow-up promotional video.
The couples drove around London in the yellow Mustang, getting quizzed by TV comedy star Jarred Christmas to help break the ice, before ending up at a drive-in movie.
Deadpool 2 & Victorian Plumbing
Another movie partnership from Lime, this time with an unexpected collaboration which is so wonderfully absurd, it smashes it out the park.
Victorian Plumbing is a leading UK retailer of bathrooms with quirky advertising campaigns and a history of associating with comedy.
The cinema release of Deadpool 2 was an opportunity to build on this sense of fun for the brand and target 18-35 year olds. The campaign was rolled out across nationwide OOH, print and social channels which led customers to a microsite where they could enter a competition to win a holiday to Vancouver.
As Joe Pascoe, senior marketing manager at Victorian Plumbing said, “We can do beautiful bathrooms in our sleep, so we’re always interested in bringing a different, more novel approach to our advertising.”
Cadbury & Royal British Legion
Cadbury marked the centenary of the end of the First World War, on November 11th 2018, by releasing a limited edition Cadbury Dairy Milk Remembrance Bar, in partnership with the Royal British Legion.
They donated 30p from every bar sold to the Legion, to help its work with the British Armed Forces, veterans and their families.
The bar featured an almost identical wrapper design as Cadbury Dairy Milk bars sold during the First World War, with the addition of poppies, which became a symbol of Remembrance after the war’s end.
To support the campaign, Cadbury shared stories of the First World War generation who shaped the world we live in today, using digitised archived photos and first-hand diary extracts to create a cutting edge digital campaign that retold company employee stories of commitment and sacrifice.
This included those of the Cadbury workforce who supported the war effort on the battlefield and the home front – by converting Cadbury buildings to hospitals for the injured back home, and the ‘Cadbury Angels’, women who took up roles within the business during war time and sent almost 30,000 care packages to men serving on the frontline.
The feel-good campaign is Cadbury’s way of saying ‘Thank You’ to all who served, sacrificed, and changed our world during the First World War – raising more than £300,000 for the Royal British Legion as well as raising awareness for a great cause.
For part three of our favourite partnerships series, click here.