Developing the Right Brand Affiliations

When people ask me what I do at Geyser Marketing, I say that "we create strategic brand affiliations that help our clients sell more and keep their customers loyal, longer". For the most part, I usually have to follow that up with a specific example starting with the words "you know when....." Because unless they are well versed in marketing jargon, they usually look back at me like I am speaking Chinese or some other foreign language.

We see it everyday. Brands partnering together for a short-term tactical promotion or a longer term strategic relationship in which they share customers, communications and budgets to help each other with their marketing objectives. And should you be wondering.... Here are some of those "you know when......." Examples:

• Dell Computers are often bundled with special offers from related companies like AOL
• Samsung MP3 Players come pre-loaded with Digital Music Tracks from companies like Puretracks.com
• Papa Johns Pizza partners with Blockbuster to promote free Videos to those who order
• CIBC gives 10,000 Aeroplan miles as a signing bonus when you open a credit card account with them.

The aforementioned marketing partnerships have been developed with a goal to sell more and lose less to competitors and you know what? They Work. Some of them are extremely strategic and often form the foundation for their overall marketing strategy. If executed correctly, marketing partnerships can be extremely rewarding for your business. The key is to have some answers to the following questions before engaging in a Marketing Partnership:

1. What target audiences are you after?
2. What Assets does your Brand bring to the table?
3. Does the Brand that you want to Partner with see the Value in the Relationship?
4. What do you want to make visible by your association to the other Brand and what are you looking for them to give to you in return?
5. Does the Brand that you want to Partner with reinforce your Core Brand Values?
6. Is the brand Relevant?
7. Does the Brand that you want to Partner with have the ability to Execute the program that you are putting together?
8. Have you outlined all the fine points of the relationship in a Joint Agreement and are both sides on the same page?
9. Have you set some targets and defined key success metrics for how the relationship will be evaluated and measured?
10. Have you agreed on who is responsible for what when it comes to launching the program?

Finally, strategic brand affiliations or marketing partnerships can work for companies of all sizes. You don't have to be a multi-million dollar company to affiliate to another brand and create a program that delivers mutual benefits!

Contact Me (ron@geysermarketing.com) if you want to discuss how we can help you develop great marketing partnerships for your brand!