Brands are learning that partner marketing is a smart way to broaden your audience and drive growth and sales. Partner marketing, which is creating mutually beneficial relationships between your brand and other businesses, is a fast-growing sector in the marketing world. As with any relationship, it is important to find the right partner for your brand: Can the partner drive sufficient traffic and sales to make it worth your investment? Do your target audiences align? Do your brands have shared values? Here are 4 examples of brands who are utilizing partner marketing to grow their customer base.
SABRA/TOSTITOS + LYFT
PepsiCo brands Sabra and Tostitos have partnered with Lyft to launch a Cinco de Mayo campaign that offers up to $10 off the ride-hailing service, Lyft. According to Tostito’s press release, they have teamed up to help consumers get to and from their Cinco de Mayo celebrations safely. This is a smart move on their part, as Cinco de Mayo has overtaken the Super Bowl and St. Patrick’s Day for beer sales, and tortilla chip sales during the week of May 5th rose 0.5% to $98 million in 2016.
DISCOVER CHANNEL + SWEDISH FISH
The 30th anniversary of Shark Week on Discovery Channel doesn’t debut until July 22nd, but the network has already declared Swedish Fish the official candy sponsor of the week-long event. Swedish Fish is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and launching a new product, so the partnership makes sense for both brands. In addition to co-branded packaging and ads, the brands are launching a mobile game next month, “Chomped”, which they hope will keep fans engaged and generate excitement leading up to Shark Week’s airing.
LYFT + TACO BELL
The Sabra/Tostitos partnership wasn’t Lyft’s first foray into brand partnership. Last year they partnered with Taco Bell to let passengers request a stop at a restaurant drive-thru, generating an 8% increase in weekend customer visits during the 11 p.m. hour. Taco Bell has partnered with mobile apps in the past, such as when they teamed up with Airbnb to promote a contest where the winner won a one night “steakcation” and OpenTable to promote a new breakfast taco.
SNICKERS + WRESTLEMANIA
Snickers has had a partnership with WWE for 3 years, and is now expanding to WrestleMania as well. WWE is creating custom content for Snickers on their digital and social platforms, where the stars will feature in the popular “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” ad campaigns. This partnership can potentially reach new consumers for Snickers, as WrestleMania draws tens of thousands of fans every year, with attendance continuing to grow.