Brands can stand for a lot on their own, but when they explore options and work together, their shared value can increase even more! We love bringing together impactful and innovative strategic partnerships to life. Below are some partnerships we admire, and a couple we helped build.
Spotify & ONE
At the time, ONE was trying to figure out how to reach the right influencers who would respond to their messaging about ending extreme poverty and preventable diseases. MSD, in conjunction with Juggernaut, worked with them to create partnerships like their arrangement with music streaming service, Spotify. Spotify and ONE seemed like unlikely partners, but we developed a strong partnership exchanging existing content and developing new content to reach larger audiences for both parties. With playlists of modern African music curated by people like Grammy award-winning artist Angelique Kidjo and vlogger Ikenna Azuike, both ONE and Spotify reached a new audience. Check out some of them here, here, and here!
Super Sprowtz & James Beard Foundation
Super Sprowtz is committed to raising awareness for healthy eating and getting children to love eating their vegetables. MSD is helping Super Sprowtz with content development as well as strategic partnerships. The James Beard Foundation and Super Sprowtz serve two very different demographics, which is exactly why we wanted to bring them together! Recently, collaboration included an appearance at the Kids’ Food Festival in Bryant Park, where the Super Sprowtz made a guest appearance in the James Beard Foundation Future Foodies Pavilion! We are still developing more integrations, like at the Enlightened Eaters Series. Check out Super Sprowtz here.
Ben & Jerry’s and Greyston Bakery
Almost everyone has heard of ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s and had a cup (or pint) of the Half-Baked flavor. However, most people don’t think about where the fudgy brownie bites in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream comes from. Greyston Bakery, based in Yonkers, New York, supplies the brownies for all of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. As a social enterprise, Greyston Bakery is committed to both creating award winning baked goods and serving its community by providing jobs through its open door hiring policy. Ben & Jerry’s not only gets the ingredients for their famed frozen treats, but passes along their values of linked prosperity to partner Greyston Bakery.
Stella Artois & Water.org
To raise awareness for the global water crisis, Stella Artois beer partnered with non-profit Water.org to launch the ‘Buy a Lady a Drink’ campaign. In addition to donating $1.2M to the cause, Stella Artois is also selling limited edition chalices featuring designs inspired by the cultures of 3 countries that Water.org serves: India, Honduras, and Ethiopia. Each sale funds 5 years of clean drinking water to women in the developing world. Water.org gains a high-profile ally in the mix, while Stella Artois contributes to its social impact in a way that is surprisingly relevant to their brand.
Snapchat and Square
Mobile payments are dominating the tech world right now, with Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and Venmo constantly being buzzed about. Square recognized the value of this and decided to swoop in on the consumer side by partnering with photo messaging app Snapchat to introduce Snapcash. A payment option available through Snapchat, Snapcash uses Square software to let users add a debit card, type a dollar amount in the chat feature, and instantly pay their friends in the app. Snapchat gains a social currency element creating a more cohesive user experience, while Square benefits from gaining additional users and increasing brand exposure.