3 New Brand Partnerships I Love (Ecover, Tetris, Monopoly & More)

When done well, brand partnerships can offer brands the opportunity to reach new, targeted audiences, benefit from perceived endorsement from another trusted brand, and align with a tribe they want to be associated with.

This month has been a busy one, with a range of clever collabs hitting the headlines and our social media feeds. Here are three I’ve loved:

One of my favourite recent partnerships comes from Ecover and Tetris. The cleaning product company has joined forces with the iconic retro game to help teach people how to stack their dishwasher more effectively. The campaign coincides with the launch of Ecover’s first plastic-free dishwasher tablets and consists of an online game, social media content, and celebrity endorsement from famous father-and-son-duo, George and Larry Lamb.

The secret to any good partnership is tapping into an audience truth, and this one does just that. The challenge of stacking the dishwasher well will resonate with any dishwasher owner (Ecover carried out its own research ahead of the campaign to confirm this). Plus, with consumers increasingly concerned with their personal impact on the planet, the game offers audiences a fun, educational experience that links directly back to its new product offering.

Is it glamorous? Maybe not. But does it deliver a practical, engaging solution to a problem its audience encounters when using its products? Absolutely. That makes it a winner in my book.

Dr. Martens and Netflix’s Wednesday’s product collaboration is a perfect example of a brand truly understanding its target audience and the cultural zeitgeist it exists within.

A match made in Gothic heaven, Dr. Martens recently unveiled its second collection of shoes and boots inspired by the world of Wednesday Addams.

The range was announced just weeks after the latest series of the much-loved TV show dropped on Netflix, capitalising on the buzz around the show and fulfilling super-fans’ appetite for more.

Supported by a major influencer partnership and media relationship campaign, fans are being encouraged to head to a dedicated landing page on the Dr. Martens website where they can sign up for alerts about the launch via email. It’s a neat way to encourage a scarcity mentality and boost its newsletter database, and I won’t be surprised if the collection becomes an instant sell-out.

When we think about the game Monopoly, we think money. In fact, it’s said to be the most printed money in the world So, what could be more fitting than a partnership with the Royal Mint itself?

Launched in celebration of the iconic board game’s 90^th anniversary, the collaboration will see Royal Mint releasing a new commemorative 50p coin, available to purchase for £15.

To mark the launch, London streets were transformed into a life-size Monopoly board, with fans encouraged to take part in a city-wide hunt for a giant Top Hat for their chance to bag a special coin. The hunt started at the Stand, with clues drip-fed throughout the day, keeping fans in London and across the world engaged throughout day.

The limited-edition product and the launch stunt both worked well because they tapped into the exact things that fans love about Monopoly – the collectible nature and the opportunity to create competitive, winning strategies.

With viral social media coverage and extensive headlines in the UK and beyond, it’s safe to say Monopoly and Royal Mint have played a blinder with this collaboration.

Find out more about the secret to great brand partnerships. Or if you’d like to create a partnership of your own, get in touch at susannah@energypr.co.uk.