Off again, on again

By the time you read this, the Coalition may be back together. Or still going their separate ways. At this point, who knows.

While many political commentators said the opposition needed to find a way of appealing to young people, no one meant by copying their lovelorn teenage angst.

And yet, here we are, emo music blaring in oversized headphones, entering another party room to figure out whether they’re meant to be or will be spending some time working on themselves.

Perhaps they’d be better following some classic dating advice that the best way to get over someone is to get under…way with a post-election policy review.

But if broader cultural trends are anything to go by, it’ll be the latest example of a marriage of convenience.

This week saw Sesame Street saved from Trump’s cuts by a global deal with Netflix. No one wants to see the end of the cultural institution, certainly not without a satisfactory conclusion to Elmo’s years-long battle with Rocco.

The year has already seen a host of iconic collabs. Who could forget biscuit brand, Crumbl, partnering to create “personalised cookie flavours from the Kardashian-Jenners’ palate” or Gelato Messina teaming up with condiment brand, Lee Kum Kee, to launch an ice cream with soy sauce.

Brand partnerships are everywhere - music, fashion, finance, and even sausage rolls. For many organisations it makes sense, immediately tapping a market that either naturally extends their own or breaks new ground with a trusted buddy.

But as these alliances become more common, boundaries are being pushed to cling onto audience interest. That sausage roll example is a 22 carat gold-plated collection of Greggs-inspired jewellery. 

It may well pay to treat a brand partnership like any other union. 

The honeymoon phase of product synergy (whether food, fads, or nuclear power plants) fades, leaving consumers to rapidly move on. Alignment of values, on the other hand, is a match made in ROI heaven.