Who We Assessed

The strongest partnerships begin by identifying the cultural spaces your audience cares about, from sport and entertainment to dating, gaming or lifestyle. Properties like Formula 1 or shows such as Stranger Things demonstrate how tapping into existing fandoms can instantly boost relevance. As the examples show, effective partners can come from a wide range of places, from platforms like Tinder to evergreen characters such as Ken (Barbie), highlighting the breadth of partnership opportunities available to brands.

Action: Identify the cultural conversations your audience already participates in, then seek partners across adjacent cultural spaces that allow your brand to authentically enter those worlds.

Partnerships are most effective when the collaboration becomes something consumers can interact with, rather than simply seeing a logo on packaging. The most successful campaigns extend IP into product, packaging, digital activations or real-world experiences. Promotional mechanics and themed rewards can also play an important role here, when prizes are embedded within the partner’s world, they feel more compelling and help drive deeper engagement.

Action: When designing a partnership, ask how the collaboration can be experienced through play, interaction or storytelling, including promotions or prizes that feel like a natural extension of the partnership.

Timing is a major driver of success. Campaigns that align with major cultural moments, such as sporting seasons, entertainment releases or anniversaries, benefit from built-in audience anticipation and momentum. These moments can also reinforce relevant consumption occasions, such as snacking during a Formula 1 race weekend or enjoying confectionery while watching Stranger Things, helping brands embed themselves naturally within audience rituals.

Action: Map partnerships to moments when interest in the IP naturally peaks, and consider how the collaboration can enhance the occasions when your product is already enjoyed.

Collaborations deliver stronger commercial impact when they are embedded directly into product design, retail visibility and shopper mechanics. Limited editions, themed packaging and in-store activations help convert cultural attention into sales.

Action: Ensure partnerships show up where purchase decisions happen by integrating the collaboration into product formats, packaging and retail environments.

The most sustainable collaborations are built around shared value creation, where both brands gain something meaningful, whether that’s cultural relevance, audience access or retail reach. This turns partnerships into long-term growth platforms rather than one-off marketing campaigns.

Action: Structure partnerships so both sides contribute distinct strengths and benefit strategically, creating a collaboration that can evolve beyond a single activation.