Co-Branding as a Tool for Strategic Brand Activation: How to Find the Ideal Partner - An Explanatory CaseStudy in the Fashion and Design Sector

Co-branding, generally referred to as thepairing of two brands in a marketing context, playsan important role when it comes to brand buildingand activation.Natalia Dorozala and Antonia Kohlbrenner show theimportance of partner selection in the context ofco-branding and explain that partner selectiondepends decisively on the different co-branding aimsand incorporates the crucial step when usingco-branding as a tool for strategic brand activation.Also, they demonstrate that the co-branding aim andthe corresponding partner lead to various types ofrelationships, which in this work, areanthropomorphized to connect the world of marketingand branding to real life. Finally, the authorsillustrate that fashion and design brands have provento be particularlyeligible as co-branding partners for brand activationdue to their innovative and trend-oriented nature.This is shown by case studies conducted about H&M,adidas, Philips, Sharp, BMW and Volkswagen includinginterviews with company representatives.