Let’s talk about Brand protection in co-branding

When it comes to co-branding major brands pay extra attention when deciding whom to partner with in order to protect their brand and grow it.

For marketers (and I have done it several times in the past), co-branding can be an interesting approach when it comes to creating a new product with a trademark from a different company. This would usually be with a famous brand that can bring the new product closer to its audience.

There are plenty of good and not-so-good examples but let me point out one – with respect to privacy, I will not give any names.

A few years back a mass-market fashion retailer, had partnered with a well-known designer brand to enhance its brand awareness and reputation. This worked out great for the retailer as he benefited from this partnership due to the increased brand exposure from the designer brand and a major increase in sales. ?However, the well-known fashion brand didn’t benefit from this image cooperation. The intention of the partnership may have seemed logical on paper, but it was not a Well-thought-out concept from their side. The designer brand really needed to partner up with a more appropriate retailer to stay in line with their values and to grow their brand's demand with a new customer audience.

As a marketer YOU really need to Do your research.

Brand values determine the goals brands set for themselves, who is their target audience, what their voice will sound like, and how they will interact with their target group.

When partnering with another brand, you need to keep in mind that You are also partnering with their values. Again, to protect your brand do your research to understand what your potential partner stands for today and how he/she acted in the past – you do not need someone’s shady history placing a shadow over your brand and damaging your brand perception.

The same logic applies when choosing a brand ambassador. They can be extremely beneficial for the brands but keep in mind that as and partner, your brand ambassador should respect the values and goals of your Brand.

Your brand ambassador should be someone whom people trust, someone who represents your specific ambitions and exerts influence over a large segment of your audience. If you see any red flags that signify potential issues down the road, it’s best to just walk away, because your values are something you should NOT compromise.??