Fuel Effective Co-Branding Strategy

A sports entertainment venue collaborated with W5 to identify opportunities for building brand synergy with a partner brand offering sports equipment and apparel. The client sought to understand how to create a unified presence in consumers’ minds between brands and identify opportunities to offer co-branded product lines and experiences.

APPROACH

W5 conducted two iterative phases of research utilizing co-creation focus groups to gain insight into opportunities for the brands to further enmesh and partner together. First, online virtual focus groups with frequent guests assessed brand perceptions, captured awareness of existing category brand synergy, brainstormed opportunities for further partnership, and ranked ideas based on appeal. W5 utilized an online visual workspace to capture, organize, and rank these ideas.

Armed with this knowledge, W5 conducted an additional round of co-creation focus groups with staff members to float guests’ ideas, assess their viability, and capture additional feedback and opportunities for brand collaboration.

RESULTS

The research allowed W5 to effectively create a co-creation space for both guests and employees to voice new, creative ideas for the brands to combine their respective strengths. The visual workspace enabled W5 to come away with a strategic blueprint for future brand collaboration, including product development and placement, co-branded venue events, and community sponsorships. Opportunities were further organized into a hierarchical map of current, near-future and long-term brand partnership options.