Influx

In the 1950s brands promised us that we could be just like everybody else and now we want to be different from everyone else, so what’s a brand to do? The solution for many brands as they start to suffer from the ubiquity problem is to try and find a willing partner to partner with and add some sex appeal to the mass brand. The psychology of the deals is really simple; “You give us your brand cache and we will give you the exposure.”

So partnering comes into play when brands that have always been in mass-market land want to sharpen their image and as a survival mechanism for those that are afraid of drifting there too fast.

Two recent cases prove the point.

Shelby and Ford

Shelby and Ford have had a long relationship that stretches back 30 years. However, Ford is in urgent need to doing something to sharpen it’s lackluster image and there a signs that it’s making a moves in the right direction, judging from some of the concepts presented earlier this year at the Detroit Show.

One concept that got everyone very excited is the Shelby Mustang. It’s a really interesting combination as it unites, Mustang that’s probably Ford’s strongest badge, with a racing legend. Everything looks like a winner here, the legendary engineering skills of Shelby and the mass production excellence of Ford. Only these two companies could combine to produce an affordable supercar that will serve as a lead ambassador for the Ford brand.

Puma and Everyone

Puma has moved in recent years from cool to more mass. As a brand it took the footwear world by storm by making an unabashed move for the fashion sector, an area that was open because the traditional sports shoe brands had always shied away from it. Puma is now keen on reinforcing its position in the fashion space as it sees competition from all sides; from the fashion houses moving into shoes and from its archrival Adidas, who has deals with Yamamto and Stella McCartney.

Puma’s moves include teaming up with Philip Starck, London based Vexed Generation, Christy Turlington and Neil Barrett. Puma describes their partnerships in the following terms:

“For PUMA, its not just about the joining of two well known name brands, but rather a laboratory for incubating new projects and new ideas.”

These moves recently collimated in the opening of Puma’s first store dedicated to high-end fashion Located in the heart of New York’s fashionable Meatpacking District, the store showcases all the clothing and shoe lines from these ventures. There’s only one thing missing from the store, regular Pumas.

Brand partnerships make a lot of sense strategically as both these two cases suggest. They benefit both parties and usually succeed in bringing something innovative to the consumer.

For the main brand, the benefit is clear; it’s a straightforward way to get people to think about your brand differently. The act of partnership suggests forward thinking to the consumer and the rub-off effects on the brand are considerable.

However, partnerships need to be thought through correctly. Some critical questions include;

For the smaller brand

Is there any danger of alienating your core audience who might perceive the deal as selling out?

For the larger brand

Are you able to correctly leverage the halo effect and what exactly is the halo you are looking for?

Expect more brand partnerships in the future, as brands understand just how powerful they can be when used correctly. BPs demand lots of discipline, but the payback can be significant.