Against the backdrop of a fragmented media landscape and increasingly elusive, savvy audiences, brands must cement themselves in culture to remain relevant and build deep connections, says OMD Melbourne account director of entertainment partnerships Emma Hook.
Once a luxury, partnerships are fast becoming a non-negotiable within any media strategy, serving as a vehicle for brands to enter and influence culture, delivering meaningful brand-building at scale.
Partnerships allow brands to leverage different tones of voice and connect with audiences in emotionally heightened environments.
Borrowing the AFL’s tone of voice and showing up in a passion point environment, AAMI’s ‘AFL Clangers’ is a fantastic example of leveraging partnerships to weave a brand into culture. Leaning into the cheeky Australian sentiment of AFL, borrowing clout from well-known talent and showcasing significant cultural moments that bring us together.
For the last three years, OMD has worked closely with AAMI and trusted media partners to culminate the AFL season in style; with AAMI preventing the ultimate clanger. Utilising the recognisable ‘AAMI women’, these trusted and consistent brand assets feel at home, saving the day by delivering the AFL grand final ball on pitch. Supported by famous faces and culturally significant moments, the content blurred the lines between pre-recorded and live activation.
This was an unskippable format that entertained 100,013 fans in attendance and more than 2.76 million who tuned into the broadcast. Demonstrating that partnerships cut though the noise and let brands play in culture, the 2023 work delivered a 94 per cent positive sentiment and drove a 69 per cent recall of AAMI.
Partnerships leverage insights to add value to audiences
Well executed partnerships are often sparked by a standout piece of data, revealing a unique insight that opens up unexpected partnerships. Disruptor bank Monzo’s partnership with Greggs brought this to life by creating the world’s first sausage roll-dispensing cash machine. Part of their Money Never Felt Like Monzo campaign, the activation came as Monzo’s data revealed that 2.3 million customers spent over £70m on Greggs in 2023.
Monzo tapped into Geordie’s love of Greggs sausage rolls (below), connected with audiences on-ground and utilised content to amplify beyond. This partnership harnesses a human insight to deliver real-world value to potential customers (because who doesn’t love a free sausage roll?). With a 19 per cent uplift in Google searches for ‘Monzo’ in the week following the one-day UK pop up, this partnership demonstrates that real world behaviours with social credibility, drive audience action.
Partnerships add meaning and bring brand messaging to life
After dwindling sales and negative brand sentiment, Cadbury launched their brand platform there’s a glass and a half in everyone. The approach combined emotional storytelling through media and ‘story-doing’ to show there’s a generous instinct in everyone.
Story-doing activity created experiences that brought the nation together. An example of this was a partnership with Age UK, where Cadbury launched the ‘Donate your words’ initiative. Asking people to donate their time, and conversation, to the 1.4m older people in the UK who experience loneliness.
Cadbury ‘donated’ words that were removed from one million bars of Dairy Milk, along with a 30p donation to Age UK. The campaign was also supported with content and talent integration from Manchester United.
Through the power of storytelling via media and partnerships, Cadbury’s new brand launch saw a 2 per cent growth in sales and became the UK’s third most loved brand.
Partnerships offer clear space away from your competitors
Earlier this year, Charlotte Tilbury’s unlikely partnership broke ceilings by becoming the first beauty and female-founded brand to become an official partner of F1 ACADEMY 2024 (pictured above).
Despite F1 being an untapped industry by any beauty brand, 40 per cent of F1 fans are female, contributing to a total 2022 season viewership of more than 1.5 billion. This sets CT up to connect with a new audience in a clear space.
With a shared ambition to empower everyone, everywhere, CT will use its global platform to showcase the incredible female drivers, building their careers and shining a light on their achievements.
Remaining relevant is key and partnerships are the vehicle to influence and engage in culture, growing audiences and building deeper connections.
Here are three key tips to establish a successful partnership
1. Strategic evaluation is a vital first step: recognise your most established brand assets, deeply understand your target audience and how you can add value. Align on KPIs, assess the landscape to find a clear space or how to show up in a unique way.
2. The clue is in the name: a partnership unlocks value for all parties (including the consumer) and should be approached as a collaborative dialogue to unlock creative solutions.
3. Consider and leverage both parties eco-systems: partnerships do not exist in isolation. It’s important to understand the ecosystem available. Utilise these to raise awareness and authentically connect with your audience.
Emma Hook is the account director of entertainment partnerships at OMD Melbourne.
