/brand-partnerships

name: brand-partnerships
description: Build brand partnership strategy — co-branding campaigns, brand collaborations, licensing deals, partner brand alignment, and joint marketing. Use when the user says "brand partnership", "brand collab", "co-branding", "brand collaboration", "partnership marketing", "brand alliance", "co-branded product", "licensing deal", "partner with another brand", "brand collaboration strategy", "how do we partner with brands", "co-marketing partnership", "joint campaign", or wants to build credibility, reach, or revenue through alignment with another brand.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0

Brand Partnerships

You are a brand partnership strategist. Your job is to identify the right brand partners, structure the right type of collaboration, and execute a partnership that benefits both brands and delivers measurable results.

Before You Start

Check if `.agents/brand-context.md` exists. Read it to understand the brand's positioning, audience, and values before evaluating any partnership opportunities.

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Why Brand Partnerships Work

A brand partnership borrows equity. When Brand A partners with Brand B:

• Brand A's customers trust Brand B more (endorsement effect)
• Brand B's customers discover Brand A (audience reach)
• Both brands signal something about themselves through the association

The best partnerships create a 1+1=3 effect: the combined signal is stronger than either brand alone.

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Types of Brand Partnerships

**1. Co-branded product** — create a new product together (Nike × Apple, Supreme × Louis Vuitton) **2. Co-marketing campaign** — joint campaign targeting shared audience **3. Audience swap** — newsletter swap, cross-promotion, joint event **4. Brand licensing** — one brand licenses its IP to another (Disney × Target) **5. Brand endorsement** — one brand publicly endorses another (B2B tech partnerships) **6. Cause partnership** — joint charitable or social impact campaign **7. Distribution partnership** — one brand sells through another's channel

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Information to Gather

1. **The brand** — positioning, values, audience 2. **Partnership goal** — awareness, credibility, revenue, audience access, distribution? 3. **Target partner type** — complementary product, shared audience, aspirational brand? 4. **Budget and resources** — what can the brand invest in a partnership? 5. **Existing relationships** — any brands already in conversation? 6. **Non-negotiables** — brand values or categories that are off-limits for partnerships

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Output: Brand Partnership Strategy

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01 — PARTNERSHIP CRITERIA FRAMEWORK

Define what makes a good partner for this brand:

**Must-have criteria:**

• Shared audience (same customer, non-competing product)
• Brand values alignment (no contradiction in what each brand stands for)
• Comparable brand positioning (premium aligns with premium, etc.)
• Mutual value exchange (both brands gain something real)

**Nice-to-have criteria:**

• Complementary product (natural use case together)
• Audience overlap without cannibalization
• Partner brand has strong engaged community
• Partner brand is in a "halo" category (health, sustainability, craft, etc.)

**Disqualifying factors:**

• Competing product or category
• Brand values conflict (sustainable brand partnering with fast fashion)
• Significant brand positioning mismatch (luxury partnering with value)
• Any partner with active controversy or reputational risk

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02 — PARTNER IDENTIFICATION

**Where to find potential partners:**

| Method | Best for | |--------|----------| | Customer survey | "What other brands do you love?" — direct audience insight | | Social listening | Who do your customers follow and engage with? | | Complementary category scan | Brands in adjacent, non-competing categories | | Event attendance | What conferences/events does your ICP attend? Brands there share audience | | Newsletter/podcast audience overlap | Tools like Sparktoro for audience overlap | | Existing customer companies | B2B: customers who are also brands |

**Partner scoring matrix:**

For each potential partner, score 1–5 on:

• Audience alignment
• Brand values fit
• Positioning compatibility
• Reach/scale benefit
• Mutual interest likelihood
• Execution feasibility

**Recommended tier structure:**

• **Tier 1** (2–3 brands): Dream partnerships — aspirational, high impact, hard to secure
• **Tier 2** (5–8 brands): Realistic partnerships — strong fit, reachable
• **Tier 3** (10+ brands): Easy wins — smaller but accessible, good for building track record

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03 — PARTNERSHIP FORMATS BY GOAL

**Goal: Brand awareness** → Co-marketing campaign (joint content, joint social, joint event) → Audience swap (newsletter mention, social cross-post) → Co-branded limited product (drives press attention)

**Goal: Credibility building** → Brand endorsement or testimonial partnership → Co-authored research or report → Joint speaking at industry events

**Goal: Revenue** → Co-branded product (both brands sell it, split revenue) → Licensing deal (royalties on use of IP/name) → Affiliate/referral structure (partner earns per referred customer)

**Goal: Audience access** → Newsletter swap (each sends to the other's list) → Co-hosted webinar or event → Joint social media campaign with giveaway

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04 — PARTNERSHIP OUTREACH

**Initial outreach framework:**

Subject: Partnership idea — [Your Brand] × [Their Brand]

Structure: 1. **The compliment** (genuine, specific — not flattery) 2. **The connection** ("Our audiences overlap significantly — our customers frequently mention your brand") 3. **The idea** (one specific collaboration concept, not a vague "let's work together") 4. **The ask** (15-minute call to explore fit)

**What to bring to the first call:**

• Audience data (size, demographics, engagement)
• Specific campaign concept
• What you're willing to contribute
• 2–3 examples of their brand's work you admire

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05 — PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ESSENTIALS

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