Cross Promotion: When two Brands become Best Friends

Most (major) brands exist in a nesting doll of sub-brands. In the UK, Marks and Spencer is a good example. The store's in-house brands include Per Una, Autograph, Goodmove, and the slightly more obvious M&S Collection. 

However, the one notable thing about larger stores - especially department stores - is their partnerships with other brands. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Companies have been ‘cross-promoting’ for decades - but is it solely the domain of the larger business?

Cup Noodle/Final Fantasy XV

Arguably, when people think about cross-promotion, they think big, e.g. Google's Android teaming up with KitKat, Uber and Spotify's brief romance, and McDonald's sometimes controversial dalliance with Monopoly. The latter restaurant has a long history of working with other brands. 

For example, in one of the most bizarre 'you had to be there' campaigns, McDonald's partnered with Gillette in 1986 to give away razors with breakfast sandwiches - possibly the last thing anybody would normally want in an Egg McMuffin. 

Source: Pexels.

Similarly, modern media has its franchises. TV Tropes calls the phenomenon "dualvertisement", noting the presence of video game Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) at NBA playoff events. 

RPG title Final Fantasy XV included a so-bad-it's-good moment with Cup Noodle, adding to its goofiness by keeping it firmly in-universe. Developer Square-Enix even added the instant snack to the game. It could be acquired for 200 of its currency. 

This kind of symbiotic marketing has found its way into casino gaming, too. Jackpot City's website has several developers providing its slots in the UK, but these aren’t just about the usual themes, like fishing and mythology. 

Tetris Slingo, Wheel of Fortune Megaways, and Ted Megaways, after the Seth McFarlane movie of the same name, hint at a growing interest among operators for attaching pop culture icons to the standard casino experience. 

Gillette/Man of Steel

Cross-promotion has several benefits - and it doesn’t have to be a big money affair. A brand collab can be as simple as a social media post or guest blog between two neighbouring stores on the high street. Generally, at this smaller scale, things make a lot more sense. 

Uber and Spotify share some similarities (driving plus music), and it’s even possible to see the ‘breakfast time’ logic in McDonald’s/Gillette. The NBA doesn’t have a great deal in common with Prince of Persia. It’s only the scale of the former’s audience that excited developer Ubisoft.

In contrast, a tea shop partnering with a bakery or a rail company partnering with a travel agent seems logical. The agreement effectively allows each party access to their opposite’s audience, vastly increasing engagement (in an ideal world). 

It’s important to set goals early, as engaging with the wrong audience can create an awkward display. Remember the U2/Apple 'incident' or Gillette's (again) attempt to associate itself with the Man of Steel, Superman? Who knows how Kal-El shaves, but it’s probably not with Earth razors (there were theories online).

Think carefully about potential business partnerships. If the cross-promotion becomes popular or ‘goes viral’, it can colour a company’s image for a long time.