How do Brand Partnerships Work?
Understanding Partnerships vs Sponsorships
by Babes on Waves
Understanding how brand partnerships work and distinguishing them from sponsorships is essential for exploring how to get brand partnerships effectively.
Partnerships Partnerships Partnerships!! People are constantly asking us how we secured partnerships with some of the best in the biz like Nike, Apple, Reebok, ASOS & more- with no connections or knowledge.
The world of brand partnerships is exciting and full of potential. We’ve curated a Brand partnerships playlist for Business Owners that gathers the best resources for you to discover the ins and outs of brand partnerships, how they can elevate your business or project, and how to get them 🌟
Sponsorship vs. Partnership
- Sponsorship: Think of sponsorship as a straightforward exchange. A company provides you with money, products, or services in return for promoting their brand. It can be for events, campaigns, or even social media buzz on platforms like Instagram and Tiktok.
Real Life Example: Check out this Event Sponsorship we got from Beats by Dre for our “We Bloom Together” campaign, where we requested financial support to bring the event to life, and in exchange we did the entire events production, adding their logo and the words “in partnership with” onto all our posters/social media assets, and also created a playlist on Apple Music.
- Partnership: Brand partnerships are all about collaboration. It’s not just about money or products, (in fact, there may even be no financial support at all!) But about working closely with another company to achieve shared goals. This often involves co-developing campaigns, pooling resources, and strategizing together for mutual benefit.
Real Life Example: Check out our partnership with Rooftop Saunas. Neither of us were getting paid, but we were coming together to launch a special event series. Rooftop Saunas provided the venue, we provided the community, and the concept was created by us both!
Types of Sponsorship
So, let’s recap:
- Financial Sponsorship: A company offers $$$ for your project or event. You, in return, help boost their brand visibility.
- Product Sponsorship: Receive products like drinks or gear for your event, and showcase the sponsor’s brand through their use.
- Service Sponsorship: A company provides services such as marketing, social media, venue, which you utilize while promoting their brand.
Types of Partnership
- Strategic Partnership: You and a company work together on a big project or campaign that benefits both of you. Think back to our partnership with Rooftop Saunas!
- Media Partnership: You team up with a media company to promote each other. They help spread the word about your event or campaign through their channels, and you provide content or access to your audience.
- Content Partnership: You collaborate to create content, like videos or articles, that promote both your brand and the partner’s brand. This is common in social media and blogging.
How to choose Brand Partnerships that are right for you:
1. Define Your Event or Campaign Goals:
Identify what you aim to achieve. Just need financial support or products? Or is it that you’re looking for deeper collaboration between two aligned brands
2. Align Your Brand:
Ensure the company’s brand values and audience match well with yours. This is crucial for partnerships where the collaboration is more integrated. Look at their mission statement, values, or any documents they’ve put out that detail what their objective are for the year. For instance, we might look for anything that mentions goals around Diversity & Inclusion.
3. Level of Involvement: Consider how much involvement you want from the company. Sponsorships are usually less involved, while partnerships require more collaboration and communication.
Real Life Example of a Successful Sponsorship
For International Women’s Day in 2022, we partnered with size? and Reebok to create the first Wavemaker festival.
The Brief: size? came to BOW to pitch an International Women’s Day activation, bringing together the best upcoming creative talent.
What We Did:
- We curated a 12-hour festival to give attendees the mindset, skills, and network to make waves in their industries, with each aspect led by women of color from our community.
- The day began with confidence coaching, followed by a ‘no small talk’ Indonesian supper club.
- We conducted creative workshops on “How to Host for Underrepresented Voices” and “AR Storefront Design.”
- We hosted a panel talk with industry leaders Ray Blk, Jameela (Azeema), and Coco Mell, moderated by Jasmine, the founder of Babes on Waves.
- The educational programming concluded with a size?sessions night party headlined by Amaria BB.
Branding:
- We branded the event both off and online according to the ‘Making Waves’ theme, splitting the educational and party aspects of the night into ‘high’ and ‘low tide,’ and naming the beauty bar the ‘surf shack.’
Results:
- Total Attendees: 120
- Highlights: 2 million social reach and a sold-out event in 48 hours.
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