Partnerships that include exciting solutions can turn a promotion into a major earned media moment that drives viewership, and customer acquisition.

Promotions aren't new. We know that 1+1=3 when brands work with IPs. But now more than ever, we have the ability to amplify those efforts by incorporating multiple consumer touchpoints into our plans. Eye-catching activations that involve creative concepts, physical or digital experiences, influencers, publicity, paid media, and more make our partnerships feel fresh.

More isn't necessarily better, but the right marketing mix can drive a partnership into the zeitgeist, allowing both to speak to a new consumer, using customized messaging via new channels while incorporating innovative tactics in unexpected places. This also allows us to test-and-learn new approaches. At AGM, we take a layered approach to partnerships, amplifying the results ten-fold and creating something worth talking about.

Simple isn't always better either!

Yes, a simple, turnkey promotion can yield great results. We seek not to reinvent but to enhance. We ask ourselves how we can speak to consumers to drive additional engagement, create a compelling reason for media to cover the story, and manifest a creative execution. Ultimately, our goal is to spark a reaction so consumers share, post, tweet, and further engage.

Thinking beyond a basic promotion

We approach partnerships with earned media in mind. The core questions we seek to answer include:

• What do we want people to remember about the partnership when all is said and done?
• How do we get there?
• What's the creative hook to incentivize consumer involvement/ engagement?
• Which IP, brand, or category will help us succeed?
• How do we create an unexpected activation to get people talking?

Layering in excitement

Whether it be a shared social media sweepstakes, an in-store takeover, a product placement, or a red-carpet moment, adding supplemental touch points to a standard activation boosts performance time and time again.

Our Strawberry Shortcake Fruitastic Takeover from 2022 is a great example of how layers create excitement. We incorporated not one, not two, but four elements to create a larger consumer moment. We secured three fruit partners with Sunkist citrus, Naturipe berries, and Envy apples. However, without a retailer, we had no way to put our program directly into the hands of the consumer at brick and mortar stores, so we created a national trade publicity campaign to share the idea with the retailers. As a result of that carefully placed press, retailers bought in. From there, we locked in four major North American retailers to create major in-store activations with fun Strawberry Shortcake visuals and sweepstakes. We amplified that moment via a family-focused influencer and digital media campaign. The efforts were such a success that several of the brands and retailers returned for a second year. Ultimately, a huge number of consumers engaged with the IP through the various touch points, driving awareness for the IP.

In conclusion

We take an integrated approach to marketing to bring the right capabilities to a partnership. Incorporating an additional marketing touch point can be as simple as creating a physical brand experience to support a social media promotion or placing a product in a film. It can also mean going all in to create a 360° moment with significant, multi-channel support. The idea is to choose when and what will drive a more engaging consumer experience.

Want to know more about our partnerships and how we create earned media moments? Get in touch here.