The Power of Partnerships

Partnerships aren’t anything new within the creative industry, nor for brands. It gives brands an opportunity to be associated with a product, platform or untapped audience that may in the past not been available to them.

And whilst the impact can raise the awareness of the brand that in turn translates into more site traffic, brand lift or even convert into actual revenue, it’s good to understand what happens behind the scenes to make a partnership successful.

1. A tight brief

Yep, even with a partnership a brief is needed. This isn’t just a case of “we want to work with X, Y or Z”. We need to know the overall objective. The challenge we are trying to overcome. The investment vs the return. The audience. The opportunity moving forward. All of this detail and more helps to better understand what the client wants to actually achieve with a partnership and if a partnership is even needed at all.?

A brief, a well rounded one at that, should be the building block to which then create the foundations moving forward. It also enables as?

2. Identifying the right Partner

With the brief in place, the initial work can begin. Identifying partners that can answer the brief in question. A checklist to help ensure partners are right for initial approach ie platform, audience alignment, markets, costs etc can help identify who we want to have conversations with and discuss the brief in question. To gage from those conversations if they are the right partner to move ahead with. It’s important that we don’t waste ours, nor the partners time in trying to force a response that might just not be the right fit for the brand in question.

This phase is hugely important and shouldn’t be undervalued by the prior ‘briefing’ phase or the latter ‘response to brief’. It helps to see how all parties work together. Helping to address any upfront questions, give an indication in how the partner (and agency) operate and most importantly, a sense of appetite for the overall brief.

3. Response to brief

With partners identified and briefed in, the exciting responses can be reviewed against a score card that has been built around the brief. It’s within this stage we get too truly gage the appetite for the partners. It also gives us, the agency, a unique position of seeing multiple responses to brief and seeing how different partners respond according. The Good. The Bad. And the Ugly (yes, deck presentation is key in taking you on a journey and shouldn’t be undervalued).?

Ultimately we want to have a shortlist of two or three partners with a favourite in mind. One that we can see going that extra little bit further beyond the initial ask. Whether that is through untapped channels, potential added reach ie audience, or a partnership that offers a building block that we can return too, time and time again.?

4. Collaboration at the core

As outlined within ‘Identifying the right partner’, collaboration is key. It helps all parties align on the objectives outlined within the brief. It also ensures chemistry from all parties driving the partnership forward. Potentially unlocking new opportunities within the given project, adding new insights, approach and outcomes along the way.

Though it also enables to build for the future. With great collaboration there is a stronger case of returning to that given partnership. It is what separates the good activations from the great ones.

5. The final output

As a partnership wraps up, it enables all parties to digest key learnings via the form of a PCA. What did work but also what didn't. But beyond that, those learnings through the partnership can be leveraged into future projects. Be it the 'Tone of Voice' for a brand or the 'Creative Platform' for future campaigns. The partnership may unlock otherwise unknown insights and given the opportunity to try something new that has resonated with audiences. All key learnings that can be plugged into future work.

In summary

This is in by no means a definitive list. It is merely one creatives perspective in driving a solid partnership forward. Having seen an array of responses across a wide range of channels and platforms, the above pointers are my key takeaways in creating and deploying a successful partnership.