Whether it’s David Bowie and Mick Jagger joining forces to create Dancing In The Street or Ben and Jerry’s teaming up with Tony’s Chocolonely for a brand new ice cream flavour, it’s pretty evident that the public love collabs. Take something you love, mix it with something else you love and the end result is often wacky, brilliant and sometimes even better than the original. But, what are the collabs that really stand out? And why do some work and others fail?
Barbie X Everything – Creating Hype
It’s 2023, the year of the Barbie movie and there couldn’t be a better example of how successful collaborations can garner hype than this. A genius example of using collaborations as a marketing tool, Barbie had already established thirty-plus collaborations before the film was even available to the public. Barbie X Airbnb allowed guests to stay in a real life version of the Malibu DreamHouse; Barbie X OPI created a brand new nail polish shade for viewers to wear to the cinema; Barbie X Impala Skate released the same skates that Barbie and Ken wore in the movie. By the time the film was out, the excitement was at an all time maximum, largely because of all the outside conversation created by these collaborations.
Slingo – Combining the Classics
Sometimes the best collaborations happen when you combine two of the classics and that’s exactly why Slingo works so well. Incorporating elements from both slots and bingo, this exciting type of game was created in 1994 and has been popular ever since. Showing that effective mixes don’t need to be short lived – like some collaborations – you can still find plenty of the latest slingo bingo games online. Not created to build hype like Barbie but rather to create a long standing product, Slingo can teach us a lot about the longevity behind a good product or game.
McDonald’s X Palace – A Lukewarm Collab
Unfortunately however, not all collaborations are destined to succeed and that can be seen clearly through the Mcdonald’s X Palace collab that came out this year. Aiming to draw in skate lovers through the tongue in cheek clothing collection which featured both brands logo, the collaboration was not met with a warm reception. Unlike Barbie’s well thought out pairings, many Palace fans pointed out the lack of congruence between Mcdonald’s and the skate brand, noting that skateboarding is supposed to have a rebellious nature that the burger brand simply does not.
High Fashion Crocs – A Bizzare Collab
And finally, sometimes collabs are just unusual and created to start conversation. Described as a ‘polarizing’ pairing, it’s hard to think of a stranger collaboration than the Balenciaga Crocs which first appeared in 2017. Combining the high fashion brand with the famously down to earth shoe brand, this is definitely an unusual mix, best evidenced through the high heeled Balenciaga Crocs that caused plenty of heated debate. Almost instantly sold out, this is the perfect example of how sometimes an unexpected collaboration is the most successful, especially if you are aiming for virality.
