Done properly, brand collaborations can be an stroke of absolute marketing genius where everyone wins. Done badly – well, the less said about that the better.
After all, who could forget the infamously fabulous Shrek x Croc collab (yes, it’s real and yes – they look as comfortable as they do fashionable), not to mention the now iconic Greggs x Primark collection.
Last week was particularly notable for a number of fresh collabs being launched at once, with Gymshark, Mac, Fanta and even Airbnb getting in on the act with some truly eccentric – and attention-grabbing partnerships.
Coca-Cola x Oreos
If you ever wanted the most intense sugar coma of your life, this looks like a pretty good way to go about it. Although upon closer inspection – it’s just Coke Zero, so have at it guilt-free!
This big name collab sees the iconic US brands become ‘Besties’, but for a limited-time only. Rolling out from next month across the UK, fans will be able to sample the questionable concoction at major retailers and at Pizza Express, Popeyes and Slim Chickens outlets.
Waxing lyrical, Coke senior director of global strategy, Oana Vlad said: “Bringing together the playfulness of Oreo and the Real Magic of Coca-Cola is unexpected, but also feels right because our brands are alike in so many ways. As a first-of-its-kind collaboration for both brands, we are thrilled for besties around the world to join us in celebrating new products, great experiences and unexpected moments of connection.”
Hellmanns x NFL
In perhaps the most baffling entry in this round-up, Hellmanns mayonnaise has collaborated with American football star Will Levis to launch a 100% genuine mayonnaise aftershave.
Spearheaded by a (perhaps overly) on-the-nose satirical clip starring the Tennessee Titans quarterback, the unholy union has given birth to ‘Will Levis’ No8 Parfum de Mayonnaise’ which can be purchased on Shopify for those brave enough.
Liquid Death x Van Leeuwen
Never far from the headlines, it looks like canned water brand Liquid Death is once again taking the utter piss out of the advertising industry with its latest sardonic campaign.
In partnership with US ice cream chain Van Leeuwen, the upstart brand has created a hot fudge sundae flavoured water which is now available via Amazon and Van Leeuwen. Try it at your peril. At least the ad’s quite fun.
Gymshark x Surreal
Calling on gym-goers to make sure they don’t skip leg day – or breakfast – iconic gym wear brand Gymshark and challenger cereal brand Surreal launched Cardi-Os, a protein-packed cereal which tastes (apparently) like a strawberry protein shake.
The launch ties in with Gymshark’s new brand platform ‘We Do Gym’, which launched last month and will be underpinning all of the brand’s marketing activity for the coming year, reinforcing the message that it is a gym brand, aimed squarely at gym-goers.
The move is very on-brand for the wacky challenger cereal firm which doesn’t take itself too seriously (as proven by the recent Barry Scott ads) and has a history of working alongside other brands for clever OOH posters. This is the first product-focused collab though, and its quite a big deal given Gymshark’s impressive pop-culture clout.
On the collab, Gymshark partnership director, Calum Watson said: “We love what the guys at Surreal are doing – the mission, the product, the branding are all so attention-grabbing. And if we can collaborate on a product that will help our community reach their fitness goals, then we’re all for it.
“We were born in the weights room, but this is some Cardi-O we can all get behind.”
Lick x Mac
In case you were wondering, no, this tie-up doesn’t involve people licking MacBooks as part of some strange new Apple campaign but instead is the result of a tie-up between prestige paint brand Lick and cosmetics firm Mac.
The painfully fashionable collab has led to the creation of ‘MAC Black 40’ – a limited-edition paint colour that celebrates black as the ‘ultimate colour for self-expression’.
Created by Grey London, this tie-up is certainly one of the more orthodox on this list and frankly comes off as a very polished-looking campaign and final product.
Manors Golf founder, Jojo Regan said the move was “such a clever concept and, as expected, the execution is so so well done.
“No matter what industry you find yourself in, there is never an excuse to not explore crossovers and combine your marketing channels for maximum impact.”
Airbnb x Polly Pocket
Perhaps the strangest but most impressive entry on this list, short-term property rental platform Airbnb partnered with millennial/gen x toy sensation Polly Pocket to create a life-sized ‘Polly Pocket Compact’ house.
Backed by Mattel’s deep, deep coffers, this tie-up has been artfully designed to slingshot the brand to the forefront of pop-culture on the occasion of its 35th birthday. And it’s worked.
Riding the Sabrina Carpenter wave, PollyPocketcore has apparently been trending on socials and this big-name collab has already drawn plaudits online.
The Fitting Room MD, Charlotte Mair called it “a clever way to connect with both old fans and new”, adding that the reception to the partnership proves that “some toys never really go out of style”.
Lush x Minecraft
Yes, you read that correctly. Bougie bath bomb brand Lush has collaborated with your 15-year-old son’s favourite video game with a series of limited-edition products to be released in-store.
The collab will also see Lush bath bombs integrated into Minecraft’s gameplay, allowing fans to craft materials to create one of four in-game bath bombs which can be thrown at hostile mobs to calm them and can even give characters attribute boosts like water breathing and anti-gravity.
One man who had the courage to say what we’ve all been thinking was gaming culture expert Kerry Waananen, who surmised that “the Minecraft-obsessed youth will have never been cleaner this summer”.
Fanta x Beetlejuice
This might not have been one of the most logical collabs following the announcement of the impending release of Tim Burton’s long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel (named, in typical Burton fashion ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), but here it is nonetheless.
The out-of-home led work will go live across 50 international markets, showcasing the ‘Haunt your tastebuds” flagship product – a Beetlejuice-flavoured variant of the iconic fruit-based soft drink.
A pair of limited-edition cans has equally been created to house the new flavour – whether it’ll be any good is anyone’s guess but it certainly builds plenty of anticipation for the film’s end-of-August release.
