Eat Risk for Breakfast:Weird Partnerships & Why They Work

Diesel and Durex? KFC and Crocs? Wacky brand partnerships are a risk worth taking, creating talkability and bringing brands to whole new audiences, said Jennifer Lohan, Communications Executive at Match & Wood in her Inspiration X session at MFA EX 2023.

Why do weird partnerships work? Because they are totally unexpected and bring two unrelated worlds together. They shake things up, start conversations, and help boost brand fame across old and new audiences. So don’t let shrinking media budgets and cluttered ad space stop you from thinking outside the box, said Lohan.

Here are the key takeaways:

Stay on the pulse of emerging trends

When vodka pasta took social media by storm thanks to supermodel Gigi Hadid, Heinz spotted an opportunity. They took a risk partnering with Absolut Vodka and entering the pasta sauce market, and it paid off.

Heinz x Absolut Vodka tomato vodka pasta sauce was a viral sensation, achieving 500 million impressions on social media and a 52 percent sales uplift for Heinz pasta sauce.

Avoid the f**king obvious

Heinz is typically associated with family, so it’s safe to say that Absolut was not top of their partner list. It’s a truly unexpected union, which is why audiences loved it.

Make it make sense

The target audiences of Heinz and Absolut couldn’t be further apart, but the brands could see how a partnership would be mutually beneficial. And from Heinz’s perspective, it wouldn’t have worked with any other brand – Absolut is trusted and instantly recognisable on a global scale.

 

You can watch the video of Jennifer Lohan’s talk at MFA EX here.