No matter how big two brands, they can always be bigger – and better – together. Brand collaboration has garnered serious marketing power, giving an air of exclusivity to both brands and creating an entirely new offering that excites both consumer bases.
The 2010s were years of peak collaboration, but the phenomenon began back in the 2000s. In 2004, the Swedish clothing store, H&M, and Karl Lagerfeld joined forces to break down barriers between luxury and mass, democratised design, and foreshadowed rampant collaborations.
The H&M x Karl Lagerfeld Collection sourced from Bazaar, 2018 – //bit.ly/3gXrKq5
Fast forward to 2015, H&M again collaborated with Balmain creating a retrospective range that made a very clearly constructed unique, recognisable Balmain DNA within a very short period. In May 2022, Gucci took to Instagram to announce the first drop from its collection with Adidas. The online response was well received as this kind of collaboration was never expected.
The H&M x Balmain Collection, sourced From the GoodHousekeeping, 2015 – //bit.ly/3WqIdDG
We have also witnessed how South African brands luxury brands have mastered the art of brand collaborations. Thebe Magugu, the winner of the 2019 LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize, collaborated with international brands such as Dior, Adidas, and AZ Factory.
There have also been numerous collaborations across business and industry sectors. For example, FMCG market leader, Tastic, partnered with an international knitwear brand, Maxhosa Africa. The unique collaboration celebrated the Taste of Ubuntu through a five-part city tour to encourage South Africans to portray true generosity amongst each other and aimed to commemorate heritage month and the unique cultural practices expressed through food, fashion, and music.
The Maxhosa Africa x Tastic – Taste of Ubuntu, sourced from Blazon Magazine 2020 – //bit.ly/3DOO1OX
Coca-Cola, MrPrice and Puma, on the other hand, came with another serve of the most thirst-quenching fashion drop. The season drop was all about cool neutral tones, made with the real magic of style.
Mr Price x Coca-Cola collaboration, sourced from CherryFlava 2021 – //bit.ly/3FyLESJ
The new collaboration between Puma and Coca-Cola includes a collection of silhouettes, such as hoodies, shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers, not to mention a reimagined version of their newest Slipstream sneaker.
PUMA x Coca-Cola, Courtesy of PUMA, sourced from Grazia Magazine – //bit.ly/3ftfa1y
Joining forces with well-known personalities serves as surety for brands to reach, influence and drive a specific narrative towards their intended target market. In March 2021, PUMA announced the newly-designed collection by Nomzamo Mbatha called Shandu.
Nomzamo Mbatha x Puma Collection sourced from SowetanLive 2021 – //bit.ly/3FEtor5
The entire collection was sentimental to Nomzamo, especially for her grandmother, who has been the driving force behind her, teaching her to exude humility. Bonang Matheba recently partnered with New York’s shoe brand, Steve Madden; its first-ever African collaboration. As part of the brand’s build-up in celebrating 10 years in Africa, this collaboration once again proves Steve Madden’s trend-setting edge.
There are key learnings that we can take from these collaborations:
- Collaborative marketing widens a brand’s reach, adds authenticity to a brand and is essential for growth and survival.
- It is all about bringing different brands together to work towards a common goal.
- Brand collaboration can bring new relevance to each party involved in the partnership, presenting new opportunities to their customer bases that can, in some cases, be unexpected and generate a real interest that leads to improved engagement.
- It is also a great way to diversify the way your brand is perceived by non-consumers, which can result in instant boosted credibility and encourage an existing audience base to engage with a new brand.
When brands collaborate, there are several benefits each brand gets to receive from the experience. Brands typically join forces for strategic reasons, whether it’s charitable or beneficial to their brand. They’re bringing their insight and creativity to the table, which is what makes a collaboration successful.
Kamohello Khosi is a strategist at RAPT Creative. His expertise lies in brand marketing, PR, media planning & strategy, and experiential and influencer marketing. Khosi has worked for agencies including DNA Brand Architects and DraftLine (in-house agency for ABinBev) on brands such as Stella Artois, Corona, Castle Milk Stout, Telkom, MilkyLane, InspectaCar, Devils Peak, Lion Lager, SASOL, SirFruit, Coca-Cola and Revlon. He is also a South African 2013 Commonwealth Chess Player and a firm believer in inclusion and diversity.
