By Todd Kaufman, vice president, strategy & partnerships

The brand landscape is more crowded and competitive than ever. Across content, food, fashion, art, sports, home and more, consumers now have endless options to select from across every price point and tier of distribution. To stand out, brands need to do the unexpected. They need to implement marketing activities that not only maintain engagement with current consumers but also introduce their brand to new audiences.

Collaborations have been proven as an effective brand extension tool that generates brand impressions as well as revenue while creating cultural topspin. However, they can also be an effective marketing tool to help a brand reach an entirely new set of consumers.

Ultimately, the right collab will help both brands reach new audiences while creating new touchpoints that drive consumers to the brands’ core products. In return, consumers – especially Gen Z and millennials who are always on the hunt for that “Snappable” moment – are given social currency towards their own personal brand.

Reaching the next generation

Puma — the global athletic brand — and no stranger to brand collaborations, leaned in to children’s entertainment in 2023. A recently announced collab with plush brand Squishmallows will hit stores in 2024, and include a line of shoes and coordinating athleisure clothing, like t-shirts, hoodies and shorts.

Puma’s collaboration with preschool entertainment brand CoComelon launched earlier this year with a line of colorful sneakers and clothes in infant and preschool sizes, available online and at Kids Foot Locker stores. These partnerships not only create an entry point into Gen Alpha, but also keep the brand top of mind for parents who may also be in the market for a new pair of kicks.

Food mash-ups

In the food space, iconic ranch dressing brand Hidden Valley has mastered the “high-low” strategy. Last year, Hidden Valley released a limited-time condiment with hot sauce brand Truff. This year, they’ve collaborated with James Beard award-winning chef Stephanie Izard’s The Little Goat on a new topping, Ranch Chili Crunch.

In both cases, Hidden Valley wins by creating buzz with a gourmand audience, while their partners win by landing in front of a much larger consumer base. Dunkin’, long celebrated for providing consumers with their morning caffeine buzz, took its brand into the evening through two unique partnerships targeting “thirsty” adults. First, Dunkin’ Spiked iced coffees and teas launched at retail and grocery earlier this year. They also partnered with celebrity-owned Ray’s bar in New York City for a selection of espresso martinis.

Art meets style

The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently released its fourth apparel collection with skate and surf wear retailer Pacsun. The latest collection, available online and at Pacsun stores, is inspired by the museum’s collection of Greek and Roman statues. Previous collections included paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and artwork of New York City landmarks.

Last year, the Met and footwear brand Dr. Martens released shoes featuring works of artist Katsushika Hokusai, including the famous “The Great Wave” print. These collabs are helping the Met to fuel engagement with Gen Z and younger millennials, while putting Pacsun in front of a crowd — older museum-goers — that they might not usually reach.

Fashion off the field

And finally, in the sports world, leagues and teams are partnering with fashion houses on exciting apparel lines and uniforms. Hugo Boss partnered with the NFL this year on a collection of lifestyle apparel. The US women's national soccer team wore custom Nike x Martine Rose suits at the Fifa World Cup over the summer.

Fashion powerhouse Gucci teamed up with Major League Baseball on an exclusive collection of athletic wear. KITH has designed the New York Knicks’ City Edition uniform for the past two years. Speaking of the NBA, shapewear brand Skims was just announced as the new official underwear partner for the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball. In other huge sponsorships, LVMH — owner of luxury fashion brands Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Givenchy, Tiffany & Co and more — is sponsoring the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic and Paralympic games.

In summary

In virtually all of these examples, brands are using strategic collabs to create products that engage new, and maybe unexpected, audiences. They’re often using licensing — which can be considered product-based marketing — and other forms of brand extension to make these collabs happen. The results are buzzworthy products that draw consumers in and get them excited to interact with the brands and their core offerings.

However, unexpected does not give permission for haphazard. Collaborations must be rooted in shared equities to be viewed as authentic in the eyes of consumers. A smart, strategic partnership can pay dividends for years as it helps brands quickly catapult into culture. If executed correctly, it develops a consistent new stream of consumers who will engage with and purchase from the brand.