Leveraging strategic corporate partnerships to generate sales and share costs
Situation
A spirits company wanted to create a marketing campaign to build its brand positioning, and increase sales. However, the company had a limited advertising budget and wanted to leverage corporate trade to stretch its dollars.
Approach
Strategic partnerships are successful when the parties are more lucrative together than individually. Orchid Strategy Group worked with our client, their media vendors, and other potential partners. We conducted executive interviews to determine what offers and marketing assets our client could use to “trade” with potential corporate partners and identified that the client could contribute advertising space in retail point-of-purchase displays. Orchid Strategy Group then developed a creative campaign concept, where our client’s customers would be entered to win a vacation with entertainment and activities.
Solution
Orchid Strategy Group worked with our client’s radio vendors to promote the campaign through on-air mention, and in return, our client purchased radio advertising. Also, the radio vendor helped secure concert and comedy talent to entertain the vacation winners. In addition, we identified a travel partner that provided vacation packages in return for a mention in the radio spots and exposure on the retail point-of-purchase displays. The campaign leveraged the resources of the partnership to produce a strong consumer promotion.
Results
Each partner’s available resources were used to benefit the campaign and were more valuable as a whole than would have been separate. Our client’s advertising spend was within budget, yet generated consumer excitement that exceed their incremental advertising spend. This program laid the groundwork for a national program with a major cruise line.