In today's market, brands utilize a plethora of strategies to maintain engagement with their followers and ensure the loyalty of their fans. According to Forbes, the measure of success is not based on viewer count, but rather the engagement of the followers and that the engagement being enough to be considered community. Engaged followers yield far greater benefits than mere viewers, including potential growth for co-marketing.

Allied’s Take

Building community through co-marketing, especially brand partnerships can lead to successes via:

• Increased brand awareness for both brands
• Providing incentive/access for followers
• Providing the opportunity for community

Community on a Cruise Line

This year, Allied secured a partnership for our client, Holland America Line and the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, Audible. This partnership marked Audible’s first venture with a cruise line offering Holland guests access to try the service free for two months. The key to building community through this partnership is inviting guests to participate in the monthly book club, while on or off board.

• Audible curated travel destination themed playlists of content for Holland guests
• While in their staterooms, Holland guests can enjoy the Audible offerings from their TVs, which include sleep meditations, language classes and more to complement their travels
• The Book Club focus brings best-sellers and Audible Originals to Holland guests, providing them with content to discuss with their fellow avid travelers

A Premium Match

Through the strategic pairing of two high-end brands, bringing new customers to Audible and fresh content to Holland's guests, Allied successfully enhanced the sense of community vs. focusing on reach or impressions by incorporating elements of storytelling and travel with an exclusive offer. Want to learn more about our approach to partnerships? Get in touch.