In a world of experiences collaboration is king, says Chris Booker, director of new business and marketing, TRO.
Every week a new brand collaboration hits the headlines. Barbie was the star of last summer, with high profile partnerships and associated activations seemingly popping up on a daily basis. Netflix have done similar, leveraging their IP for maximum impact in culture. When done right, it’s a win-win for all involved, with each party tapping into the other’s audiences, brand equity and expertise to extend the story, driving reach and also revenue.
Pop-ups and live experiences are becoming an increasingly important part of this play, as brands put participation front and centre. It’s no surprise, in a world of clickbait and doomscrolling, experiential techniques cut through the clutter and drive deeper connections. Stories can be extended into real life, with worlds built for audiences to explore and immerse themselves in, which in turn can create more relatable content that resonates. It’s an approach as relevant to the B2B world as it is for B2C.
The upshot of this shift is the need for closer collaboration in the agency world too, both between and within individual marketing disciplines. Translating a creative idea into a deliverable live experience is a lot easier in a PowerPoint presentation than it is in real life. Capturing the right content, ensuring the right coverage, integrating the latest technologies… you get the idea. The best brands know this and ensure agency teams and specialists are integrated from the very start, to ensure feasibility, efficiency and to maximise impact. But, too often, siloed thinking pervades, with the right partners brought in at the wrong moment, or not at all in some cases.
Another side to this is the pace of change in technology. With new innovations and products continually hitting the market, it’s harder than ever to stay on top of the latest developments – even for agencies, let along clients, who are under more pressure than ever before. Rather than playing catch-up, brands, agencies and suppliers need to play better together.
We see both sides of the coin at TRO. As a full-service agency, we get to conduct the orchestra, if you will, and are working more collaboratively than ever before with a diverse array of creative technologists, experiential media partners and sustainability experts to create culturally relevant ideas with impact. But with expert, in-house departments including staffing, design and production, we also see the good and the bad when it comes to plugging in as more of a service provider.
Our point of view is clear. Collaboration is a supercharger. Just like in culture, those who embrace and harness the power of partnerships will win out.
