GET STARTED WITH PARTNERSHIPS AND THEIR ACTIVATIONS!

Today, marketing strategies often focus on partnerships and their activations. The goal: to use the image and reputation of a brand, event, athlete, club, etc., and its communication channels to amplify a message. But partnerships mean activation, aka specific and targeted operational actions. There is only one goal: to engage the customer/target audience through tailored interaction that conveys meaning and shared values.

Why use partnerships?

Partnerships are an integral part of brand communication strategies. This effective promotional technique (sometimes more affordable than media budgets) can enable you to rapidly develop your business, raise awareness of your brand among a previously untapped target audience, or even launch a new product to potential new consumers.

But gone are the days of “sideline logo” partnerships without an associated activation strategy. Your targets expect you to tell a story, to offer well-crafted storytelling, to propose experiences... In short, they want your presence to have meaning and to bring added value!

That said, partnerships are not as easy to set up as one might think... And it is not uncommon to see them fail, often because they are poorly defined or planned at the outset. Agence I.S offers you its expertise and some advice on how to make your partnership a success.

Define the main areas of focus for your partnership

If you want to embark on an effective partnership project, ask yourself the necessary questions to get off to a good start from the outset:

• What type of partnership do you want to set up (visibility, financial, material exchange, cross-visibility, cross-activation, etc.)? There are many areas of partnership, and they must cover strategic, budgetary, and operational aspects.
• What do you want to achieve from this partnership? Increase your brand awareness, expand your customer base, boost your revenue, etc.?
• What communication focus do I want to emphasize in this partnership?
• What internal and external resources do I need to call upon to set it up?
• How am I going to activate this partnership? (Logo presence, integrated communication actions, event activation, etc.)
• What existing partnership proposals are there? How will I evaluate them?

But as the word partnership suggests, it is about establishing relationships and close collaboration with a counterpart. So first of all, make yourself attractive! Highlight what you can offer your future partner and the type of cooperation you are looking for. They need to quickly see the benefits of partnering with you.

The search for partnerships involves various steps that can be time-consuming. You need to identify the best potential partners for your project, your targets, your values, etc. You need to be able to identify their ability to mobilize their community in a way that benefits you.

The value of marketing activation for your partnership

As mentioned above, the days of partnerships without associated activation are over! Do you want to make a lasting impression? Do you want your targets to remember the name of your brand, your company, your products, etc.? Marketing activation is essential for reaching a target audience that may be impervious to your traditional campaigns. To do this, play on emotions by making a lasting impression with an experience that brings extra soul to your partner.

This will create a positive aura around your message and further strengthen the bond you establish with your target audience.

Some ideas for activating a partnership

• Contests
• Booths
• Additional services
• Exclusive products
• Commercial discounts
• Loyalty programs
• Goodies...

There are many ideas for activating a partnership, but keep in mind that a successful partnership will be one that plays on emotions, surprise, recognition... All of which must be shareable on social media! Be as “Instagrammable” as possible for physical activations. However, creating and bringing together the elements and conditions favorable to a very strong audience takes some work...

So if you are looking to form a partnership in the world of sport and/or implement associated marketing activations, Agence I.S (an event and marketing communications agency based in the Paris region) specializes in advising, supporting, and managing this type of project through its IS Sport and IS Brand divisions. Whether your project is local, national, or international, if you have an idea, we can answer your questions and support you in bringing it to fruition...