21 Examples of Profitable Co-Branding Partnerships (And Why They’re So Efficient)

Everybody has loyalties to their favourite manufacturers, however there is a good probability your favourite merchandise end result from two separate manufacturers working collectively.

One in every of my very own beloved childhood reminiscences was a product of co-branding: Betty Crocker partnered with Hershey’s to incorporate chocolate syrup in its signature brownie recipe.

There’s one thing good about that co-branded product: It is a enjoyable option to marry two traditional manufacturers into one scrumptious expertise for followers of baking and chocolate alike. In truth, these manufacturers nonetheless create new co-branded merchandise to today.

Co-branding may be an efficient option to construct enterprise, enhance consciousness, and break into new markets, and for a partnership to actually work, it needs to be a win-win for all gamers within the sport. Each audiences want to seek out worth — like chocolate-loving followers of Betty Crocker and Hershey’s.

There are a ton of nice examples of co-branding partnerships on the market. To point out you what makes them so profitable, we have curated a listing of examples of nice co-branding partnerships to encourage you.

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1. GoPro & Pink Bull

Co-Branding Marketing campaign: Stratos

GoPro does not simply promote moveable cameras, and Pink Bull does not simply promote power drinks. As an alternative, each have established themselves as life-style manufacturers — particularly, a life-style that is action-packed, adventurous, fearless, and normally fairly excessive. These shared values make them an ideal pairing for co-branding campaigns, particularly these surrounding motion sports activities.

To make the partnership work, GoPro equips athletes and adventurers from all over the world with the instruments and funding to seize issues like races, stunts, and motion sport occasions on video — from the athlete’s perspective. On the identical time, Pink Bull makes use of its expertise and fame to run and sponsor these occasions.

“GoPro digicam expertise is permitting us to enrich the programming by delivering new athlete views which have by no means been seen earlier than,” stated Sean Eggert, Pink Bull’s director of sports activities advertising and marketing. The collaboration permits unique GoPro content material to boost each corporations’ progress.

Why the Stratos Co-Branding Marketing campaign Works

Whereas GoPro and Pink Bull have collaborated on many occasions and initiatives collectively, maybe the most important collaboration stunt they’ve completed was “Stratos,” by which Felix Baumgartner jumped from an area pod greater than 24 miles above Earth’s floor with a GoPro strapped to his individual. Not solely did Baumgartner set three world information that day, however he additionally embodied the worth of reimagining human potential that outline each GoPro and Pink Bull.

2. Rachel Comey, Victor Glemaud, Sandy Liang, Nili Lotan & Goal

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Excessive-Finish Trend

Anybody who’s designer-conscious is aware of excessive vogue and Goal aren’t precisely the identical caliber relating to high quality. Attire by designers like Sandy Liang go for round $600, whereas clothes offered by Goal go for extra like $35 a pair. See what I imply?

However that discrepancy in pricing is precisely why these designers and Goal model determined to companion with each other. To assist its model positioning as fashionable and trendy, Goal has paired with high-end vogue designers Rachel Comey, Victor Glemaud, Sandy Liang, and Nili Lotan to supply unique branded objects for a restricted time.

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Why Goal Co-Branding Marketing campaign Works

On this change, the high-end designers can expose their title to a brand new technology of potential customers, who will more and more aspire to personal extra items from these high-end collections whereas furthering the concept Goal could be a retailer to seek out fashion-forward clothes.

3. Joybird & Sherwin-Williams

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Being Boldly Unique

The Joybird house life-style model and paint firm Sherwin-Williams did a co-branding marketing campaign after they partnered collectively to curate an eclectic assortment of house furnishings and colour palettes.

Collectively, the 2 manufacturers created an unique product line of paints and room design inspiration that helped clients simply choose paint colours to enrich their furnishings selections.

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Why the Sherwin-Williams Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

These two companies noticed the chance to run a marketing campaign that uncovered their product and copywriting to model new audiences. This intersection of goal demographics might have introduced in new enterprise for one another and will have paved the way in which for future co-branding collaborations if confirmed mutually helpful.

4. Casper & West Elm

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Check a Casper Mattress

You could have already heard of Casper — a web based mattress and bedding model promoting mattresses in a field.

Enter West Elm, a high-end furnishings firm. Casper and West Elm partnered so consumers might check out the comfortable mattress earlier than buying — and so West Elm might promote its stylish bed room furnishings.

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Why the West Elm Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

That is one other instance of a mutually helpful co-branding partnership. It helps each manufacturers attraction to a broader group of consumers — in spite of everything, Casper does not promote furnishings, and West Elm does not promote mattresses. It additionally supplies consumers with choices — to attempt a mattress earlier than shopping for or to really feel what it might be like sleeping in a mattress body.

5. Kanye & Adidas

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Yeezy

Kanye West, finest identified for his Grammy-winning rap albums, partnered with Adidas to develop a high-end footwear line known as Yeezy. The mixture of Kanye’s private model and Adidas’ rising streetwear section has made for sturdy firm earnings and model progress because it was launched.

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Why the West Elm Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

Kanye’s superstar attraction advantages Adidas by creating buzz round its attire, and the athletic-wear model provides Kanye a well-established platform to construct his high-end clothes line. One of many strongest attracts of Yeezy — and most notably its sneakers — is its exclusivity: Kanye’s superstar standing, extraordinarily scarce roll-outs, and the excessive price ticket make the fortunate few to personal Yeezy sneakers really feel a bit of well-known by affiliation.

Adidas’ co-branding relationship with Kanye and the ensuing cult-like Yeezy following led to a stellar 12 months for the corporate: in 2019, Adidas’ internet revenue climbed 19.5% to $1.9 billion.

6. BMW & Louis Vuitton

Co-branding Marketing campaign: The Artwork of Journey

Automobile producer BMW and designer Louis Vuitton might not be the obvious pairings. But when you concentrate on it, they’ve a couple of vital issues in frequent. For those who concentrate on Louis Vuitton’s signature baggage traces, they’re each within the enterprise of journey. They each worth luxurious. And at last, they’re each well-known, conventional manufacturers which can be identified for high-quality craftsmanship.

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These shared values are precisely why this co-branding marketing campaign makes a lot sense. Of their partnership, BMW created a sports activities automotive mannequin known as the BMW i8, whereas Louis Vuitton designed an unique, four-piece set of suitcases and baggage that match completely into the automotive’s rear parcel shelf.

Though the four-piece baggage set goes for a whopping $20,000, the value is correct for the goal buyer, because the BMW i8 begins at $135,700. A value like that sort of makes that baggage set seem to be a drop within the bucket.

Not solely does the baggage match completely size-wise, however its design and look match completely with BMW’s picture: glossy, masculine, and high-quality. Seems each the baggage and a few components of the automotive’s inside use carbon fiber, strong-yet-light composite materials.

Why the Louis Vuitton Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

Each manufacturers knew their goal market desired luxurious and meticulous craftsmanship. By promoting complimentary high-quality merchandise, the manufacturers efficiently garnered consideration from respective loyal clients.

7. Starbucks & Spotify

Co-branding Marketing campaign: First-of-Its-Type Music Ecosystem

Starbucks scaled up a premium espresso store expertise into a large international model, utilizing music to create an ambiance round its espresso. Spotify, a music streaming platform, has powered virtually 25 billion hours of listening worldwide. Starbucks and Spotify cast an revolutionary co-branding partnership to construct a “music ecosystem”, providing artists higher entry to Starbucks customers and giving Starbuck entry to Spotify’s expansive discography.

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Why the Spotify Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

Via the initiative, Starbucks workers get a Spotify premium subscription, with which they will curate playlists (that patrons can entry by means of the Starbucks Cellular App) to play all through the day within the store. This music ecosystem is designed to develop the coffeehouse atmosphere that Starbucks is understood for whereas giving artists higher publicity to Starbucks clients.

The “musical-ecosystem” partnership is mutually helpful, permitting the businesses to succeed in the opposite’s viewers with out sacrificing their model.

8. Apple & MasterCard

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Apple Pay

Typically, co-branding partnerships aren’t simply cool initiatives between two corporations — they really have sensible worth when the businesses work collectively.

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When Apple launched the Apple Pay app, the model successfully modified how folks carry out transactions. This app permits folks to retailer their credit score or debit card information on their cellphone, to allow them to use them with out bodily having the cardboard with them. However for this app to succeed, it wants bank card corporations to combine with this expertise. By the identical token, bank card corporations additionally face extra competitors themselves if they are not suitable with the most recent client buying instrument.

Why the Mastercard Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

To get out forward of its competitors, MasterCard turned the primary bank card firm to permit its customers to retailer their credit score and debit playing cards on Apple Pay. MasterCard not solely confirmed assist of a serious client tech developer on this partnership — it advanced together with its personal clients in how they select to make purchases on the counter.

9. Airbnb & Flipboard

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Experiences

You have in all probability heard of Airbnb, the room-sharing software that permits you to discover handy lodging hosted by actual folks. However its latest companion, Flipboard, won’t have been in your radar till now.

Flipboard is a information aggregator that collects information and topical content material that customers are sharing on social media, and permits you to “flip” by means of the fabric very similar to a social media feed. Properly, Airbnb just lately teamed up with Flipboard to create Experiences, which serve Airbnb customers with life-style content material tailor-made to their pursuits and shared by folks with comparable pursuits because the reader.

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Why the Flipboard Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

The continued marketing campaign just lately led to a different co-created product known as Journeys, which permits Airbnb customers to attach with hosts with frequent pursuits and truly e-book these experiences when touring. This partnership is a formidable instance of how companies can join their clients with data that caters to their particular person pursuits and drive product utilization because of this.

10. Uber & Spotify

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Soundtrack for Your Journey

Music-streaming app Spotify partnered with ride-hailing app Uber to create “a soundtrack to your trip.” It is a nice instance of a co-branding partnership between two very totally different merchandise with comparable targets— to earn extra customers.

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When riders are ready for an Uber trip, they’re prompted to attach with Spotify and change into the DJ of their journey. Customers can select from their very own playlists to find out what they’re going to take heed to.

Why the Spotify Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

This good co-branding partnership helps followers of Uber and Spotify alike take pleasure in higher experiences because of the app. They usually could be extra eager about selecting Uber and Spotify over opponents realizing they will take pleasure in their subsequent trip listening to their favourite tunes.

11. Levi’s & Pinterest

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Styled by Levi’s

Levi Strauss & Co. — one of many world’s oldest and most acknowledged jean manufacturers — just lately joined forces with Pinterest, a social platform the place customers pin posts they prefer to their person profiles.

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Individuals typically flip to Pinterest for vogue inspiration, making a co-branding partnership with Levi’s a pure partnership. Styled by Levi’s is a brand new initiative between Pinterest and Levi’s provides a “customized styling expertise,” or type insights tailor-made to every person’s tastes and preferences.

Why the Pinterest Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

The partnership provides an genuine and individualized model relationship, which is troublesome to return by in an more and more digital atmosphere. Pinterest provides Levi’s a number one social platform with tens of millions of customers eager about visible choices, and Levi’s meets these wants with digital personalization and visual-focused boards.

12. BuzzFeed & Greatest Mates Animal Society

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Emma Watson + Kittens

Some co-branding campaigns are extra difficult than others. This instance from BuzzFeed and Greatest Mates Animal Society is likely one of the easiest ones—and it reveals that an amazing co-branding effort does not should take months of planning or tens of millions of {dollars}.

For this marketing campaign, Greatest Mates Animal Society wished to leverage BuzzFeed’s readership of over 200 million folks.

To do that, they partnered with the parents at BuzzFeed to arrange and publish an article known as, “We Interviewed Emma Watson Whereas She Performed With Kittens And It Was Completely Lovable,” which you possibly can learn right here.

The article is precisely what it appears like: Harry Potter and Magnificence and the Beast star Emma Watson answered followers’ questions whereas she performed with cute kittens.

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Why the Greatest Mates Animal Society Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

The article ends with a CTA promoting that the kittens featured within the video are, in truth, adoptable — a win-win for each companions by utilizing superstar to garner consideration for clicks whereas offering extra publicity for animals in want of recent houses and donations.

13. CoverGirl & Lucasfilm

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Gentle Aspect and Darkish Aspect Make-up

Every time a brand new installment of the beloved “Star Wars” collection is launched in theaters, it causes international pandemonium. The discharge of “Star Wars: Episode VII The Power Awakens” in 2015 was no exception. The collection’ father or mother firm, Lucasfilm, partnered with CoverGirl to seize a broader viewers to get new and previous followers excited in regards to the film’s launch.

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You could be questioning, “What do “Star Wars” and make-up have in frequent?” And the cleverness of this partnership is obvious within the reply.

Up to now, space-age motion motion pictures have been virtually solely marketed and focused towards males and boys. However this present day, that is nonsense — as a result of folks of all genders may be eager about house exploration and make-up contouring alike.

The road was designed by famed make-up artist Pat McGrath, and it options two types: the Gentle Aspect and the Darkish Aspect, which loyal “Star Wars” followers will acknowledge as the edges of fine and evil within the motion pictures.

Why the Lucasfilm Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

This co-branding partnership was a win for each manufacturers. Lucasfilm captured extra consideration and bought CoverGirl consumers (a lot of whom are younger girls) excited in regards to the movie’s launch. And CoverGirl hopped on the “Star Wars” promoting bandwagon that took over the web, shops, and TV main as much as the movie’s launch.

14. Amazon & American Specific

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Amazon Enterprise American Specific Card

Ecommerce large Amazon is a international enterprise with tens of millions of customers and virtually two million companies that promote on their platform. Amazon is seeking to enhance the way in which small companies promote on their platform, so that they’ve partnered with American Specific on a co-branded bank card.

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Why the American Specific Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

The cardboard helped customers purchase items and providers and supply enhanced information insights on their buying exercise. American Specific and Amazon share a dedication to assist small companies develop within the U.S. and by combining their efforts, the 2 corporations had the chance to boost their efficiency whereas constructing model belief.

15. UNICEF & Goal

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Child Energy

When you’ve got the prospect to companion for a not-for-profit trigger, it will possibly repay in a number of methods.

Goal partnered with UNICEF on a marketing campaign known as Child Energy, which dedicated Goal to considered one of UNICEF’s sustainable improvement targets (SDGs). The retailer offered kid-friendly health trackers encouraging the wearer to finish varied health actions, which in the end helped ship meals packets to underprivileged youngsters worldwide.

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Why the Goal Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

By promoting this enjoyable, cheap health product, Goal encourages youngsters to embrace a wholesome life-style and makes use of children’ successes to produce underserved communities with the required sources. It is an ongoing partnership that generates consciousness of worldwide malnutrition, helps UNICEF meet its demanding SDGs, and opens up Goal to a demographic of households they may in any other case have had entry to.

16. Nike & Apple

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Nike+

Athletic model Nike and expertise large Apple have been working collectively because the early 2000s, when the primary line of iPods was launched.

The co-branding partnership began as a option to carry music from Apple to Nike clients’ exercises utilizing the ability of expertise: Nike+iPod created health trackers, sneakers, and clothes that tracked exercise whereas connecting folks to their tunes.

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The partnership has since advanced to change into Nike+ — which makes use of exercise monitoring expertise constructed into athletic clothes and equipment to sync with Apple iPhone apps to trace and report exercise information. Monitoring transmitters may be constructed into sneakers, armbands, and even basketballs to measure time, distance, coronary heart charge, and energy burned.

Why the Apple Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

It is a genius co-branding transfer that helps each events present a greater expertise to clients — and with the recognition of health monitoring expertise, Nike+ is forward of the curve by making it straightforward for athletes to trace whereas they play.

17. Bonne Belle & Dr. Pepper

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Flavored Lip Balm

Dr. Pepper-flavored lip balm. I imply, it is genius.

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Bonne Belle first debuted Lip Smacker, the world’s first flavored lip balm, in 1973, beginning with flavors like strawberry, lemon, and inexperienced apple. Simply two years later in 1975, the model cast its first taste partnership with the timeless Dr. Pepper model. The end result? A lip balm taste that is been well-known for many years amongst teenage women.

For those who assume the connection between lip balm and Dr. Pepper is a bit of skinny, take into account the copy on considered one of their classic adverts: “It’s the tremendous shiny lip gloss with lip-smacking taste… similar to the world’s most unique smooth drink.” And later, “From Bonne Belle in fact: the cosmetics firm that understands your style.”

Why the Dr. Pepper Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

Whilst you don’t consider taste and cosmetics, this marketing campaign works as a result of overlapping goal demographic customers can get excited to attempt an inexpensive and enjoyable product like Dr. Pepper lip gloss with ease.

Most Shocking Model Partnerships

Every now and then, we hear a few model partnership that we predict does not make any sense — nevertheless it leads to some extremely memorable, surprising campaigns. If you wish to broaden your horizons of who you must companion with, try these shocking co-marketing successes.

18. Burger King & McDonald’s

Co-branding Marketing campaign: A Day With out a Whopper

Sure. You learn that proper: Burger King and McDonald’s — two of the fiercest quick—meals trade opponents— joined collectively for a co-marketing marketing campaign in 2019. And, whereas we do not encourage competing manufacturers to do that — the marketing campaign was for an incredible trigger.

On the time, McDonald’s was donating $2 to childhood most cancers charities for each Huge Mac bought. So, Burger King labored with the competing fast-food chain to host “A Day With out a Whopper.”

For someday, Burger Kings throughout Argentina and different nations took the Whopper off their menu in an effort to encourage folks to purchase a Huge Mac from McDonald’s as a substitute.

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Why the McDonald’s Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

Though there have been some criticisms of the marketing campaign, as a result of it confused Burger King clients, it was an incredible instance of two competing manufacturers that labored collectively to assist a charity. Due to how they partnered up for a great trigger, audiences cherished the marketing campaign and buzzed about it all around the net.

19. Warby Parker & Arby’s

Co-branding Marketing campaign: The WArby Assortment

Warby Parker is understood for promoting inexpensive glasses at shops throughout the U.S. and thru almost totally digital becoming platforms. Arby’s is a restaurant chain identified for its slogan, “Now we have the meat!”

Trying on the two corporations, there’s not a lot that they’ve in frequent. However, this did not cease them from making a co-branded April Fools Day marketing campaign in 2018.

For the marketing campaign, the 2 manufacturers performed up the one main factor they’d in frequent — the truth that the phrase “Arby” was a part of each their names.

On April Idiot’s Day, Warby Parker guests might purchase Arby’s themed vogue objects, which have been a part of the cleverly-named WArby Assortment.

Based on Nylon, objects guests might purchase included a WArby’s T-shirt, baseball cap, and tote bag (which additionally stated, “Good To Meat You” on it). They might additionally purchase a pack of sandwich-themed microfiber cloths and glasses with a uncooked beef sample.

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In the meantime, Arby’s supplied meals with packing containers that had the WArby’s emblem on it in addition to onion rings with a field that learn “Onion Ring Monocle.”

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Why the Arby’s Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

This marketing campaign reveals that you do not essentially want an identical viewers demographic or a companion in an identical trade to create a marketing campaign that catches a big viewers’s consideration. Typically all you want is a humorousness and creativity.

20. Taco Bell & Doritos

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Doritos Locos Tacos

When the Doritos Locos Taco was first launched, it shortly turned one of many quick meals trade’s hottest and widely known objects. Frito-Lay took Taco Bell’s crunchy taco recipe and gave the Locos Taco its particular, signature twist: a Doritos shell. The 2 corporations wished to maintain the shell as near the unique tacky chips as attainable, utilizing the unique corn masa recipe and coating it in that particular nacho cheese mud.

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The taco was a direct and explosive success: Taco Bell offered an estimated 1 billion items the primary 12 months it was launched.

Why the Doritos Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

Taco Bell and Frito Lay marketed the Doritos Locos Taco by wrapping the taco in a traditional Doritos bag, reflecting the co-branding partnership and interesting to each manufacturers’ audiences. The Doritos Locos Taco’s extraordinary success is one more instance of why co-branding can enhance attain and gross sales for each manufacturers.

21. Tim and Eric & Purple

Co-branding Marketing campaign: Purple Boys

Tim and Eric (a.okay.a. Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim) are the comedic duo behind Grownup Swim reveals like Tim and Eric Superior Present, Nice Job!, Examine It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule, Tim & Eric’s Bedtime Tales, and Beef Home.

In the meantime, Purple, the corporate and HubSpot buyer identified for the favored Purple Mattress, typically launches distinctive promoting campaigns which have caught the attention of millennial and Gen-Z demographics.

It is sensible for a corporation to staff up with celebrities who can promote their product, Tim and Eric’s comedic type is extremely random and distinctive. Though they’re fairly hilarious, as a marketer, you would possibly marvel how one of these comedy type interprets right into a mattress advertising and marketing marketing campaign that truly generates income.

Whilst you would possibly assume Tim and Eric had uninteresting down their iconic routine to promote Purple merchandise, that is really fairly removed from the reality. In a video collection known as The Purple Boys, they really amped up their weird antics.

The storyline of Purple Boys episodes typically relate to a sleep-related ache level, such because the “Sunday Scaries.” Though the script and particular results are extremely random, the episodes virtually at all times finish with the Purple Boys supplying a sleep-deprived character with a Purple mattress.

To provide you a visible of what this off-the-wall comedy collection appears like, try this episode that facilities round a sleepy character named Joe Dunder:

Why the Purple Co-branding Marketing campaign Works

Though hiring actors is technically extra of a sponsorship than a partnership, this large-scale marketing campaign advantages each events. Whereas Tim and Eric might unfold consciousness of their comedy to Purple audiences, Tim and Eric followers would possibly watch these movies for leisure and find out about Purple’s merchandise alongside the way in which.

Making a Nice Co-Advertising and marketing Marketing campaign

Though you won’t have the finances of the manufacturers famous above, you possibly can be aware of them relating to their creativity, stage of storytelling, and the way they pooled their sources to attach their separate manufacturers in a mutually helpful manner.

As you seek for the very best co-marketing companion to your model and construct a profitable marketing campaign, we hope you discover some inspiration to your subsequent stellar launch.

Editor’s Notice: This text was initially revealed in September 2020 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.