Surely you have seen collaborations that, even if you don’t know it, have names and surnames. When two brands join forces to jointly launch a product or a campaign, it is not by chance: it is strategy. It’s called cobranding (or co-branding), and it can be one of the best ways to generate notoriety.
Cobranding: defining the term
Cobranding is a marketing strategy in which two or more brands come together to create a joint product, service or action. The approach, in this case, is to combine reputations, audiences and resources so that both parties win.
It’s not just about bringing two logos together, but about finding a real connection between the two brand partners to make sense to their audiences.
Types of cobranding
There are countless ways to do cobranding, but we can specify the following:
- Product: two brands join forces to create a joint product. In the paradigmatic example of the union between GoPro and Red Bull, it meant mixing cameras and adrenaline.
- Ingredient: one brand incorporates another as added value. Have you ever had Oreo ice cream? The product is not Oreo, but it adds final value to the product.
- Digital: collaborations in social networks, podcasts, newsletters… This is a useful proposal when seeking visibility in specific digital audiences through influencer marketing.
What’s in it for my brand?
Unity is strength’ is not just a breakfast cup expression. There are concrete benefits here.
- Access to new audiences: if you choose your dance partner well, you will reach an audience that you would not normally have reached.
- Shared reputation: partnering with a brand that has a good image can reinforce your own.
- Innovate without doing it all yourself: pooling knowledge and resources allows you to launch products that you might not have been able to achieve on your own or that would have required much more effort.
- Shared costs: everything is more bearable, from production to the communication campaign.
When does cobranding make no sense?
Not all brands are made to go hand in hand. But how do you know? Take note of the following clues:
- Opposing values: if you don’t share principles, don’t pretend to share them.
- Incompatible tones: a brand with disruptive communication does not usually fit with an institutional one.
- Total imbalance: if one brand totally eclipses the other, absorption rather than cobranding will occur.
Some examples that worked
So that it’s not all theory, here are some well-known examples of people who knew how to do it well.
- Adidas x Lego: trainers designed like the iconic building blocks. In this way, two audiences were brought together: children and creative adults with nostalgia.
- Apple Watch x Nike: technology and sport hand in hand, a useful and very well executed proposal at the time.
- Spotify and Starbucks: baristas chose the music in the coffee shops and customers could follow the playlists from the app.
Cobranding is not for all brands, but it can be very useful if done wisely. If there is an affinity of values, tone and objectives, it can be something that stands out in a market saturated with similar messages.
Think of collaboration as more than just putting names together: it is thinking, planning and building something purposeful.
