“That’s a Great Collab”
Welcome to Friday, futurists.
What makes a great collaboration? This week, our longtime ‘friend of the pod’ Emma Apple Chozick joins us to discuss the power of the ‘brand collaboration,’ and how brands benefit through the collective power of their audiences.
Emma’s journey in content creation on TikTok has led to the creation of a new advisory and consultancy. But you don’t need to work with Emma to get the deets on what makes a “gr8 collab”—in short, it comes down to six key areas:
- Thoughtful. Ensure collaborations are meaningful and genuine, rather than just attempts to get press.
- Audience Alignment. Align the audiences of both brands to maximize the collaboration's impact.
- Cultural Relevance. Engage in innovative, culturally relevant collaborations to stand out.
- Mutual Benefit. Ensure both brands benefit through expanded reach, enhanced credibility, or unique creations.
- Execution. Execute and present the collaboration effectively, using events and activations to engage audiences.
- Long-term Focus. Build long-term relationships and brand equity, being strategic about monetization without compromising authenticity.
The interview is timely. So many of this week's news items revolve around the power of partnerships for the modern commerce and brand marketer, and the longer collaborations take to manifest, the less relevant they are. Walmart Realm and Roblox’s Walmart Discovered are great examples—collaborations with creators are the crux of the experience. For brands like Walmart, a collab is an opportunity to build a new channel and flex the brand into higher-end, or younger, echelons.
“Everyone wants to know who they're going to get in front of when they do a collaboration,” says Emma in our interview. “You want it to be beautiful, but at the end of the day, time is money too.”
Listen to our deep dive into what makes a collaboration truly great on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
— Phillip
P.S. “That’s so European!” Eurocentrism is the ‘easy button’ when it comes to nostalgic marketing. As the seasons turn to summer, digital creative seems to turn as well. Angelica Frey writes for Insiders about the cultural captivity of commerce in nostalgic marketing. Read the deep dive on Future Commerce Insiders.
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