Forget salt and pepper, wine and cheese or Tom and Jerry. Brands from all industries are embracing the power of collaboration.
Brand collaboration is a powerful marketing tool, where two or more businesses team up on a campaign or product for mutual benefit. This can be an exciting and innovative way to reach new and diverse audiences, boost brand affinity, build hype and blend the unique strengths of multiple brands.
Collabs are often facilitated through celebrity endorsements or influencer marketing. Think when your celeb crush ends up on your ‘for you page’ in the latest pair of Calvin Kleins. They can also happen when brands work directly with other businesses through co-branding or co-marketing, like rocking a pair of Simone Rocha Crocs.
Seeing we’ve completed the first half of the year (how?!), the Clearbox team has shared their insights on the best brand collaborations of 2023 and 2024 – the weird, the wacky and the wonderful.
John – Crosstown X Oatly – The cinnamon scroll latte
“The partnership between iconic donut brand Crosstown and Clearbox’s (everyone’s) favourite oat drink company caught my eye. The first drinks collab ever done by Crosstown featured not one, but two Oatly products - Barista and Whippable Creamy Oat. It was so good that it made me, someone who doesn’t like coffee, want a coffee! An oat coffee sprinkled with Crosstown’s vanilla crumble? What’s not to love…”
The baristas at Crosstown certainly whipped up some coffee-making-magic with this collab. Sounds t-Oatly delicious!
Lauren – Blank Street Coffee X Sabrina Carpenter
Lauren, who has adopted the role of in-house barista (cheers Lauren), is also a fan of the coffee collaborations of 2024. When asked about her favourite she shared:
“Sabrina Carpenter's collab with Blank Street Coffee! I thought it was only a matter of time before a coffee shop snapped her up after the success of 'Espresso', and if I'm honest, I was surprised Blank Street was the one to do it in the end. I've never been interested in Blank Street, but I love Sabrina so you could say I've been well and truly influenced...”
At Clearbox, it’s not long before we hear Sabrina Carpenter through the office speakers. Sabrina visited one of Blank Street’s London stores to try her hand at pulling her very own espresso and meeting some London fans. Safe to say, we liked this one a-latte.
Alex – Nicola Coughlan x SKIMS
Alex offers an insightful perspective on the shifting nature of brand collaborations:
“I think it’s interesting how the term brand collaboration is shifting slightly to be more partnerships between a brand and a celebrity, actor, sportsperson etc.
“For example, one that caught my eye recently was Nicola Coughlan x SKIMS. Nicola isn’t a brand herself, but she isn’t an ambassador for the brand either. She’s a hybrid of the two. The collaboration was delivered during the press events for the latest season of Bridgerton. The pastel, ethereal tones of Bridgerton and fairytale, old-worldly vibes were echoed throughout the SKIMS campaign and reinforced through painterly photographs by Elizaveta Porodina. I thought the whole thing worked perfectly!”
Not only would all be named ‘Diamond of the Season’ wearing one of these fits, but it’s safe to say that Kim Kardashian certainly has her finger on the pulse with her expert timing on collaborating with the Irish actress.
By pairing with the right brand or influential figure at the right time, brands can truly maximise the benefits and reach of their collabs.
Hannah – Clarks x Zara
“Let’s face it, Clarks isn’t typically thought of as a ‘trendy’ or ‘fashionable’ brand, but more for high quality, reliable footwear. However, when you add the fashion powerhouse Zara into the mix… well, that changes things.
“The two brands partnered up to create a shoe mixed between a Desert Boot and The Wallabee shoe, adding a little Zara-esque twist by making the shoe chunkier and creating some cool colour-way options too, and it’s gone down a treat with shoppers. This collaboration is the perfect example of how a dated style/brand can be brought back to life by the power of a modern twist, and I love it!”
Clarks was always a go-to when it came to back-to-school shopping. Who else had a little doll that lived in their shoe?
As Hannah points out, mixing with fashion brand Zara has sprung Clarks into the minds of fashion-forward shoppers in 2024. Through diversifying your product range and connecting with your audience at different touchpoints as they change as consumers you can retain them as loyal fans.
Although, the dolls may be best left in 2007…
Blaise – Wing it and BPerfect Cosmetics
If you didn’t know already, the Clearbox team is full of foodies. If you’re interested in some of the team’s go-to lunch spots check out our blog here.
This year, our firm favourite chicken wing outlet, Wing It, worked with make-up brand BPerfect Cosmetics on an eye liner collection.
Jokes. It was only an April Fool’s.
This joke sparked plenty of traction with reshares, comments and laughs. Although our eyelids won’t be slaying with Buffalo eyeliner, this brand collaboration showed some personality from the brands and highlighted the fun you can have with your customers.
It was great to see Belfast-based brands coming together, even if the collaboration didn’t materialise into a product range for your next night out. Although they might seem like polar opposite brands, the play on the word ‘Wing’ shows that wacky combinations can be super successful and a great way to expose your brand to unfamiliar audiences or build your brand affinity among a certain generation.
Blaise - Sydney Sweeney x Ford x Dickies
Speaking on a collaboration that did come to life was Sydney Sweeny x Ford x Dickies.
“Although acting sensation Sydney Sweeny is a two-time Emmy nominee and has millions of social media followers. Sydney is also a mechanic and spends her time fixing vintage cars, chronicling the journey to a mass of fans on TikTok. I really liked how this made the collab an authentic and genuine pairing.”
“Co-designed with Ford and produced by Dickies, the collection offers four classic utilitarian pieces with a twist. Through this campaign, Sydney demonstrated the importance of personal style and was able to build off Ford’s 121-year long legacy. Meanwhile, Dickies and Ford were successfully able to add a modern twist to their brands, exposed to a younger, trend-conscious audience that may not be traditionally associated with cars and who are building their purchasing power.”
This collab demonstrates the importance of brand collaboration for expanding your reach, being contemporary and front of mind.
As brand collaborations continue to go from strength to strength, we’re excited to see more cool pairings during the remainder of 2024.
