I’ve long championed marketing partnerships that build brand awareness and credibility while spurring business growth. Partnerships are especially valuable in times of tightening budgets, allowing marketers to expand their reach at a fraction of the cost and to leverage outside resources.
My appreciation for these partnerships dates to the late ’90s, when I oversaw marketing at Regal Boats. One of my major goals was to build national brand awareness by partnering with leading advertisers. I researched top organizations and their advertising agencies, created custom pitches and focused on win-win propositions. Over time, I negotiated partnership and promotional agreements with several advertising behemoths, including GMC Trucks, which used Regal in its national advertising; Buick, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, which featured Regal in national promotions; and television shows such as Wheel of Fortune, which purchased and promoted Regal boats as grand prizes.
Before there were influencers, we created celebrity partnerships with Shaquille O’Neal, who was the rising rockstar of the National Basketball Association. Shaq took delivery of the newest and largest bowrider in the line, creating a tidal wave of news flanked by a national ad campaign. We also custom-painted a 32-foot Regal in garnet and gold, with the iconic Florida State University spear, for actor Burt Reynolds. That partnership earned national press, including an interview on Entertainment Tonight.
More recently, I found a synergy between Yamaha Marine Center of Jacksonville, Fla., and Florida Sportsman Radio Live. The dealership is the show’s title sponsor with advertising dominance and a highly targeted audience. The partnership also includes events and promotions.
Quarterly, there’s a free fishing seminar with a celebrity angler at the dealership showroom. A current promotion features a half-day fishing trip captained by show host Rick Ryals aboard a Solace sportfishing boat, the dealership’s newest brand. That contest hooks a smoking-hot database of sales prospects.
Today’s marketing partnerships can also include affiliate-based or influencer and ambassador programs with paid or commission-based content creators. Other options include product placement packages; cross-promotional or co-branded partnerships where parties collaborate on an initiative or product; and referral or loyalty/reward partner programs. Licensing partnerships are all the rage, while joint ventures include shared investments and profits. Channel partnerships continue to gain traction, giving smaller brands greater exposure through partner distribution networks. Nonprofit partnerships let for-profit organizations support an organization or cause while building goodwill.
One marine-industry nonprofit that has great success in this arena is the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, championed by Rachel Auslander, director of partnerships and development. Auslander was hired to focus on endemic and non-endemic marketing partnerships beyond RBFF’s traditional mix of government agencies and non-governmental organizations.
Auslander says RBFF reaches consumers in two ways: direct B2C through a consumer engagement team that manages integrated media partnerships with the likes of Forbes, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair and social media influencers. Indirectly, the RBFF targets B2B2C via a stakeholder engagement team with a co-branded content series, sponsorships and experiential media trips.
Part of Auslander’s strategy includes continually seeking new partners to meet campaign goals, or to deliver specific research findings. For example, RBFF recently partnered with Freedom Boat Club on a media experiential boating trip in Rhode Island. Participants rode aboard FBC boats and learned how the business model works. The outing captured the “affordable access” objective shared in RBFF’s recent Psychology of Churn research. Freedom Boat Club is creating an educational blog post for RBFF’s TakeMeFishing.org site, along with co-branded influencer social media content.
“At RBFF, we’re a small staff, so we want to ensure that partnerships we enter are going to tick multiple boxes, meaning there is more than one touchpoint or that the one activation has multiple uses,” Auslander says. “As an example, partnering on a one-day event might not be something we would do because of staffing, but if during that same event we were able to film some content that was needed on the TakeMeFishing website while extending awareness of TakeMeFishing and its resources to participants, plus providing co-branded giveaways, then that might be something we’d consider.
“Generally, when companies want to partner with us, they are looking to promote their product or service to our digital audience and associate their brand with a well-known and respected nonprofit,” she says. “Some companies may also come to the partnership with a ‘rising tides truly lift all boats’ mentality and know that their participation can help raise the profile of fishing and boating within the U.S., which will benefit their company in the long run.”
Auslander has learned that when pitching a partnership, it’s best to spend a lot of time asking questions and listening to the partner’s needs. “There is no ‘Partner With RBFF’ PowerPoint that is sent out to all prospective partners,” she says. “Each proposal or agreement is custom-built to meet the current needs of both parties.” That’s a good tip. Here are five more to prime the partnership pump.
• Research partnership options. Learn the differences and nuances between partnership models to determine what types are best for your organization.
• Pick partners wisely. A partner will directly reflect on your brand. Look for organizations with a look-alike audience and similar marketing goals. Ask about shared values, business ethics and culture, as well as previous partnership initiatives and outcomes. Get contacts and references.
If you are starting from scratch, search targeted keywords online. Check out trade-show directories, events and online forums. Study advertising to see which companies may already be involved in partnership initiatives. In my experience, media advertising representatives are great resources for partnership referrals and can often facilitate introductions. Likewise, Auslander suggests reaching out to knowledgeable colleagues for recommendations.
Peg Phillips, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council, has been engaged in marketing partnerships for more than 15 years. “Have an established mission and plan for success,” she says. “Then you can determine how different potential partners may become collaborators. Check social pages and websites to determine if the potential partner has a brand you admire, and guidelines that are aligned with your mission.”
• Create win-win-wins. Know from the start how an alliance will directly benefit your prospective partner. Partnerships only work when there are quantifiable benefits for both parties. Know how to position your company, product, service and brand so it is clearly advantageous to a potential partner.
Bullitage Media president and creative director Steven Bull launched Water Ways TV in Canada in 2022. He’s since negotiated annual marketing partnerships with Yamaha Canada and the tourism board Destination Ontario, among others. His strategy is straightforward: “To create a winning partnership, you must clearly understand what each side wants. I want money to pay for production and interesting content. Partners want to leverage our reach and credibility to get their message to boaters.”
• Document expectations and benchmarks. Once the marketing partnership terms are finalized, document all expectations, partner responsibilities and deliverables, and timetables. Bull says to spell out fees and expenses. Include goals and analytics that you will track and monitor to measure success.
• Confirm communication strategies. Strong partnerships require excellent two-way communications. Schedule regular meetings with staff to ensure all those who need to know are aware of the partnership’s progress.
If you decide to give partnerships a try, you’ll be far from alone. A 2022 survey by Demand Gen found that 96% of businesses expect to increase revenues from marketing programs within partner networks. That’s a statistic smart marketers can take to the bank.
