There’s been no shortage of amazing brand collaborations this year, such as the very recent Nespresso X David Beckham, Greggs X Primark, Palace X McDonald’s and so many more, so we thought it’d be a great idea to take a look at some of the best (and one not-so great) in today's article. 

Why do certain brands collaborate and why are they such a successful tactic for promotion? It’s simple: they either have a common objective or their values align for a specific purpose, whether that's for an event or a product which maximises promotion across both brands communities. 

Let’s take a look at five of the top brand collaborations we’ve seen in 2023.

David Beckham x Nespresso

On November 9 2023, Nespresso shared a 10-second video across socials, showing iconic footballer David Beckham making one of their famous espressos in a stylised video. The collaboration might seem unexpected at first - a fusion of the sports world and the realm of gourmet coffee. However, upon looking further, it becomes apparent that both Nespresso and David Beckham share a common thread of passion and precision in their respective fields. Nespresso - with its commitment to sourcing the finest coffee beans and employing state-of-the-art technology in its coffee machines, aligns seamlessly with Beckham's dedication to precision on the football field and his keen eye for style off it. We’re looking forward to seeing where this partnership goes.


Nike X Tiffany & Co

No one saw this one coming, but sportswear giant and luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co. decided to get together and reinvent the famous Air Force 1 with sleek suede instead of leather. Bringing Tiffany's iconic colour choice of turquoise to fill in the classic swoosh, sneakerheads went crazy for this anticipated release. The premium collab released their product on March 7th, with only 1,837 pairs up for grabs. Little stock? Yes. Without reason? Not at all. 1837 is the year Tiffany & Co. first opened their doors in New York City. This shows the release was more than just your average drop, but something more special. Will they team up again to make another iconic and snazzy product? We certainly hope so.


Greggs X Primark

Greggs getting a clothing line was definitely not on our 2023 bingo card, however, they came out swinging by partnering up with retail giant Primark. The collab started to quietly appear in stores with mannequins holding greggs iconic sausage rolls and steak bakes, followed by secretive social media teases to get their audiences talking and building up hype. Finally, Greggs and Primark both revealed what they had been working on, which was a range of jumpers, t-shirts and joggers that would end up nearly sold out in just 2 days. No one expected this collab but no one can deny it was a success, we can’t wait to see what they do next. 


Palace Skateboards X McDonald’s

Palace Skateboards is a London-based skateboarding brand that has a huge cult following due to its simplistic graphics, social media marketing, and world-famous collaborations such as CP Company, Umbro, and even Gucci, so it’s no surprise that fast-food giant McDonald’s was going to be on their radar at some point, and just so it happens, the summer of 23 was the year. 

Palace and McDonald’s both uploaded a small animation to their Instagram accounts, instantly fuelling speculation across social media about a collaboration between the two. This was just the beginning, as an NYC electronic billboard above McDonald’s showed a simple ad with the sentence broken into bullet points, just like Palace’s iconic product descriptions. 

The fashion line was released with a mixture of t-shirts, headwear, and skateboards, and the hype was real; however, what was going viral was the promo for McDonald’s “As Featured In..." meal, which celebrated McDonald’s history in cinema, with cups and packing listing the famous films the brand had starred in. This was definitely the wildest collaboration we saw this year, and we definitely want to see more of these types of team-ups in 2024.


New Balance X Miu Miu

These two brands are no strangers when it comes to collabs; in 2022, they featured a product on the runway at Paris Fashion Week, and for summer 2023 they were back with a new version of the iconic 574’s shoes. The collaboration introduces a collection that is equal parts sporty and luxurious. Classic New Balance received a high-fashion makeover, featuring unexpected materials, vibrant colour palettes, and bold design choices. The fusion of technical elements from New Balance with Miu Miu's innovative design approach results in shoes that are not only stylish but also functional. Will they be back for another in 2024? If they are, we’re looking forward to what they come up with.


A not-so-great collab: Balenciaga X Fortnite

We’ve been talking about all the great and amazing brand collaborations this year, but were there any that weren't so amazing? There have been a few, but one that caused a few raised eyebrows was luxury fashion house Balenciaga teaming up with Fortnite. Yes, the free online game. 

The game is well known for its collaborations with many other IP's; however, it’s never been with a fashion label or to the heights of Balenciaga; the products were in-game-paid cosmetics inspired by the fashion brand as they wanted to step into the meta-verse. However, later on, Balenciaga decided to bring the cosmetics into reality for a clothing line. It was safe to say that the audience of Fortnite didn’t find the real-life counterparts or their price tag appealing; this shows sometimes collabs can be a mismatch and not work out the way they were intended. That’s why it’s so important to make sure both brands' values and goals are aligned.


Conclusion

We’ve looked at some really amazing collaborations from this year, and it makes 2024 even more exciting given the possibilities of what can come from it. You can see how sharing common values can bring success to both brands and what it looks like if they don’t.

What next?

One important aspect of a collaboration is that both brands have common values, or they’ll quickly fall apart. Want to achieve strong brand values like these amazing brands? Check out our brand values mini-course. In this course, we cover everything you’ll ever need and more to define authentic brand values for your organisation and set you apart from your competition. Click here to find out more.

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