By Sydney Rubin, Account Associate
Collaborations. You see them often is music, fashion and art as a way to step out of bounds and try something new in your industry, or even in an unfamiliar industry. Whether it’s to reach a crowd that is outside of your normal audience or to produce fresh and unique content, creative teamwork and collaboration can be a powerful tool to elevate your brand.
Large-scale collaborations in fashion, music and art usually make headlines because the end game, or the product they’re trying to sell, is something that’s ultra appealing. For example, a country star and a popular DJ coming together to make a song that hits the top of the charts, that’s music that typically gets people excited. Or a large company like Nike working with fashion designer Virgil Abloh, the same guy who desiged many shoes on shoe hero, to create an exclusive line of “Nike x Off-White” sneakers. Believe me, those shoes sell out fast!
We know pretty well that collabs work well on a large scale, but they can be extremely beneficial as a tool to elevate smaller brands as well.
So, if you’re a start-up, small business or growing company, I urge you to explore the art of the collaboration. Here’s why:
- Partnering with a leader in the industry you’re trying to infiltrate can help credentialize your brand. Whether you’re in healthcare, tech, fashion, etc., bringing in a leader in your industry to promote your brand and deliver messaging on your behalf adds a lot of value in the eye of the consumer. This kind of collaboration also brings an additional element of expertise to your brand.
- You can tap into an audience outside of your own. Collaborations can work within one industry or genre, or across various ones. If you collaborate on a campaign with another company, expert, or influencer that operates in a different industry than you, you then have an opportunity to reach a completely different audience with your messaging, thus introducing your brand to a new group of people. From a PR/marketing perspective, co-hosting events with other brands is a great way to engage reporters and consumers. Your brand doesn’t necessarily need to be in the spotlight, but it’s a well-rounded opportunity to be a thought leader, provide experts or spokespeople to discuss a certain topic, meet new people, reach a new audience, and even draw inspiration for the future.
- Mutual interest and benefit. Like any successful partnership, a good collab should be a two way street – both parties should benefit, even if they are on completely different scales. Even if you’re thinking about working with a company in your own space, you don’t have to compete, you can both benefit from collaborating and making something special that promotes a greater cause relevant to both of your brands. Strength in numbers!
- Create content you wouldn’t be able to make on your own. If you commit to a partnership that is mutually beneficial, you can tap into resources that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to access, whether that’s increased budget, connections, etc. You can also pick the minds of people on the other side to bring in a fresh perspective.
Happy collaborating!