Brand Collaborations that Shook the World

The world has witnessed some utterly fantastic collaborations and partnerships over the year. In football we had the likes of Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool, and Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton Blackburn. On the big screen we’ve had Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, while, in music we’ve had Queen and David Bowie, or more recently Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. One would not expect most of these partnerships to work, but they do, a bit like spaghetti and marmite, or avocado and chocolate — try it!

That said, these top shelf team-ups aren’t strictly restricted to the kitchen or the media. In fact, some of the best partnerships to ever occur, were carried out in business. Often with big business, there exists a certain rivalry. For the most part, that is never going to make for a good combination, and they are best staying apart. However, the best minds know that setting their differences asides can be beneficial to everyone involved. In this article, with Lookers Ford, who sell used Ford Fiestas, we take a look at the biggest collaborations and co-branding campaigns to have taken place in the twenty-first century, and the impact they have had on the companies who have got involved.

Apple meets Nike

It wouldn’t be unfair that much of the world is now obsessed with tracking their daily steps. This is particularly true during the ‘fitness fads’ of the year, such as pre-summer holiday and that all-encompassing January diet.  Virtually every smartphone nowadays has the ability to relay details of the number of steps we’ve walked, the total distance we’ve covered, and the number of floors we have climbed.However, who can recall the birth of the iPod and Nike baby back in 2006? Nike+iPod, as it was first branded was a feature established for clothing and shoes, and it changed the way we exercise.

Now we have the Nike Run Club App, and the Apple Watch Nike+, and the world indulges in the immersive experience of having a virtual personal trainer. Not only did Nike and Apple teaming up prove beneficial for both companies, it altered both the music and fitness industries.Keep an eye out for the amount of runners with a Nike armband on, holding their Apple iPhone.

Ford meets Volkswagen

Two of the world’s largest automotive producers, Ford and Volkswagen, announced that they would be forming an alliance to establish an all-new electric car. Argo AI, despite, in the first instance, being established by tech giants, Uber and Google, was heavily invested in the American car manufacturer, before the German company offered out a hand, and the two forged a trans-Atlantic partnership.

Everyone within the automotive industry is expecting significant inroads to come from this rather surprising relationship, especially when considering the successes that both manufacturers have both been achieving in the SUV market. The Ford Kuga Titanium is leading the way for the American automotive company in the growing SUV market, while the Touareg is proving ever popular for Volkswagen.

Volkswagen’s CEO, Herbert Deiss, spoke to Wall Street Friday and suggested how, “both companies are complementary, with VW performing well in both Europe and China, while Ford dominating in America.”

Red Bull meets Go Pro

When Danny MacAskill, a trials cyclist from the Isle of Skye, front flipped his bicycle, and landed it, from the wall of Edinburgh Castle, Go Pro was there. Similarly, when Jason Paul, legendary free runner dove from catastrophically high buildings in Tokyo, Go Pro was the device used to capture the phenomenal imagery. Go Pro have offered a unique window on the world, including underwater imagery, changing the way we view things. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that they would team up with one of the world’s biggest sports sponsors — Red Bull.

The energy drink company, with roots in Austria, owns numerous sports teams, including F1 teams, and football squads, as well as sponsoring events, sponsoring athletes, and owning a music label. Running with the tag line, ‘Red Bull gives you wings’, the company has created more than just a brand. It has established a way of life.

You can almost be certain that if an extreme sports challenge is taking place, they’ll be involved.

Successfully, Red Bull regularly throw an event, take for example the Cliff Diving Championships, or the Soap Box Race, supply the competitors and guests with their drink, and then Go Pro capture all the magical moments on camera— clever, eh? Both brands in this instance benefit from the capacity of the other.

Felix Baumgartner, a native Austrian and rather incredible human-being, took part in perhaps the co-brands largest and most extreme event to date. Travelling 24 miles into the stratosphere, the sky diver jumped from a helium balloon, broke the record for the fastest ever free fall at an astronomical 843.6mph, and laid claim to the highest free fall jump, at almost 39,000m.

Cadbury meets everyone

To be quite honest, who hasn’t the chocolate giant, Cadbury, teamed up with? Available in 33 different countries across the globe, the company, which was bought over by Kraft back in 2010, is now part of the Mondelez family. The distinctive, utterly delectable taste of Cadbury’s comes from the fact it is made with fresh milk from the British Isles, and although some of their most popular combinations include the likes of their Dairy Milk Oreo bar, their most whacky creations, actually proved rather successful.

Ritz Crackers was paired with the chocolate, dicing sweet and savoury, and it became an instant hit. However, nobody quite expected to see UK’s favourite condiment combined with chocolate — yes, chocolate mayo. Initially started off as an April Fool’s joke online in 2018, Heinz, on their 150^th anniversary, launched a crème egg mayonnaise. A creamy sensation, the combination was deemed the perfect accompaniment for crumpets or pancakes.

There is no denying that some things just shouldn’t happen, however these lists of deals managed to break the mould!

Sources

https://www.foraymotorgroup.co.uk/news/article/ford-mustang-movie-stars

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-are-the-world-s-biggest-automobile-companies.html

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2006/05/23Nike-and-Apple-Team-Up-to-Launch-Nike-iPod/

https://www.irishpost.com/news/cadbury-creme-egg-mayonnaise-165735