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Here’s to the joys of successful brand partnerships
Brand partnerships in the fashion and lifestyle industries have always been potent to consumers because such creative collaborations explore how brands can enrich their lifestyle in new and innovative ways.
Partnerships can be anything from a quick retail fix, such H&M’s hugely successful capsule collections with the likes Alexander Wang and Isabel Marant; to wider-reaching projects such as Louis Vuitton’s love-in with Yayoi Kusamsa in 2012, which saw Marc Jacobs invite the Japanese artist to spread her iconic spots over Louis Vuitton’s clothes, accessories, store designs and films. The aim is to join the dots and brands together to create something clever, desirable and commercially savvy.
At 3CC we like to find the natural fit and use a multi-platform approach. For example, our client TONI&GUY recently partnered with Elizabeth Arden for its Future Flawless range. The promotion consisted of samples, an invite to counter and exclusive gift with purchase. The retail campaign was enhanced through a Facebook competition with phenomenal results. TONI&GUY also teamed up with Tia Maria last year for a series of club nights across the UK hosted by BBC DJ Gemma Cairney. Over 4,000 revellers enjoyed free drinks and Fashion Fix hairstyling courtesy of TONI&GUY. The tour also achieved a social media reach of 3 million.
The creative scope for brand partnerships is immense, but how do you measure success? The aim is an uplift in profit of course, but in our digital age another huge indication is the impact they make on social channels. This engagement creates a second wave of conversation and credibility that can be shared with both mass and influencer audiences. In 2014, partnership aficionados Cherry London surveyed 1,000 women across the UK asking them about what swayed their brand choices. The results make interesting reading. More than a third said recommendations from friends carry the most weight, and 1 in 10 said that a recommendation from a trusted brand is the most important. This research also highlights that a quarter of women have been introduced to one brand via another, which shows how influential partnerships between trusted brands are in todays marketing mix.
The future for brand partnerships will be thrilling. More than ever before, consumers can talk about what they like and don’t like, what excites them and what bores them. And click to buy – or not. Get it right and you’re flying high. Get it wrong and you’re setting yourself up for a very public fall. Most important of all though, you can learn very quickly what does and doesn’t work, evaluate, improve and perfect.
