Successful Co-Branding Examples: Partnerships to Help You Scale

Why These Successful Co-Branding Examples Should Matter

You’ve probably got your hands full with your impending global expansion. Optimizing listings, conducting inventory forecasts, fixing your budget. So, the thought of co branding is probably the last thing on your mind, not with all those balls you’re juggling in the air. But let’s put it this way – ever wonder why some brands feel instantly familiar, even in a new market? Ever wonder how a foreign brand feels like a household name from the very minute it launches? That’s because of great co-branding – and we’re going to provide you with co-branding examples to inspire you.

Amazon itself understands the power of co-branding. In 2014, Kishore Biryani, founder and CEO of Future Group, and Jeff Bezos himself, formed a business alliance with the goal of penetrating the Indian market. The World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews published a full study, but in a nutshell, Amazon had trouble dealing with India’s complex regulatory and infrastructural environment. Through a great co-branding effort with the local player, Amazon was able to scale rapidly in India, achieving both deep market penetration and significant brand trust among consumers who were previously underserved by traditional retail.

So, if Amazon can do it, so can you. Following are great examples of co-branding partnerships to inspire you. Believe us when we say that strategic co-branding can help you break into new international markets with more brand trust and cultural relevance, cutting your marketing and penetration efforts in half. Brand pairings can bridge culture and commerce – and make your brand a household name much faster.

Let’s get started.

Interested in branding content? Read all about the best and the worst localization examples from global brands.

---

Co-Branding Strategies Can Help You Go Global

When you expand your selling business globally, you’re not just translating languages from one thing to another. You’re entering a new culture, mindset, and consumer expectation.

Co-branding happens when two or more brands form a strategic partnership. The success of one brand leads to the success of the other. An effective co-branding campaign can build your business, boost awareness, and break into new markets. The best co-branding partnerships are when all the players in the partnership win.

To put it simply: when you’re expanding to a new country, you don’t have brand awareness. Yet. You don’t know the customers. Yet. Finding a co-branding partner – someone whose product or service complements yours and adds value to what you already offer – and has presence in the hearts and minds of your target customer – can boost your efforts significantly.

Co-branding offers:

• Instant familiarity via trusted local brand association

• Shared audience equity: access each other’s customers

• Cultural relevance without starting from zero

Need proof? A great example of a co-branding partnership was the alliance between FMCG powerhouses Oreo and Milka. The two brands joined forces to create the Milka Oreo Chocolate Bar. The two companies already had their own steady following, but Oreo needed to penetrate the EU market. Enter Milka – a trusted local brand known for its smooth Alpine chocolate. The result was a delectable dessert, and Oreo cemented its reputation in the continent. (Source: BVLVL)

In short, when going global, look for a local brand to collaborate with. Your success is their success and vice versa. It’s a win-win proposition.

---

What Makes a Good Global Brand Partnership

So, how do you find a partner brand in a new market? Here’s a checklist:

• Shared values—but different strengths
  A successful partnership starts with aligned beliefs—think sustainability, innovation, or quality—but each brand should bring something unique to the table. One might offer cutting-edge tech, the other cultural cachet or retail infrastructure. For example – Louis Vuitton and BMW. Both powerhouses in the luxury market, but offering different product lines.

• Complementary offerings (not direct competition)
  Co-branding works best when the products or services enhance each other. You’re not going to compete against your partner brand; your offerings should boost one another. Consider the partnership between two toy industry greats: Hasbro and Mattel combined forces to make PLAY-DOH Barbie sets, Transformers-themed UNO games, and so many more. Check out how happy both companies are with this genius co-branding partnership on Forbes.

• Overlapping or synergistic customer bases
  While audiences don’t need to be identical, there should be meaningful crossover or a logical link. The goal is to tap into each other’s trust equity and broaden reach without alienating core users. You’ll see this illustrated to perfection with the partnership between Taco Bell and Doritos. Both delicious in their own right, the two brands collaborated to create various menu items, including the Doritos Locos Tacos – Taco Bell fillings in Doritos-flavored shells. Our stomachs love them, our diets do not.

• Strong local credibility from at least one partner
  Entering a new region? Partnering with a well-known local brand can fast-track awareness, reduce skepticism, and signal trust—especially in markets where brand familiarity heavily influences buying behavior. Take the example of Farm Rio, a line of colorful Brazilian clothing and footwear. It’s been around for more than 2 decades. It was able to penetrate the USA through collaborations with global brands, such as Levi’s, to build awareness. The result? A revenue spike of 217% for sales outside of Brazil in the first 6 months of 2020! (Source: Vogue Business)

• Seamless UX across platforms, languages, and visuals
  From landing pages to checkout, consumers should feel like they’re engaging with one unified experience. That’s where thoughtful localization—beyond translation—becomes critical. Think about the partnership between Glossier and Sephora. Announced in July 2022, Glossier launched its products in 600 Sephora stores across the USA and Canada, as well as online and on the Sephora app. (Source: Retail TouchPoints)

How to Find the Right Co-Branding Partnership (and Avoid the Wrong One)

Now that you know what would make a good co-branding partner, here’s a To Do list for you:

Research their audience, tone, cultural relevance

Who’s the brand talking to? How are they talking to them? What kind of cultural or regional values do they represent? Let’s say you’re selling skincare supplements, and want to penetrate the Korean skincare market. What’s your brand personality? Does it rely on expert opinions, scientific facts and studies, and the like? You probably wouldn’t want to partner with another brand whose personality is more playful, youthful, and fun.

Look through customer reviews, social content, and ad campaigns in your target region, and ask yourself – if your customers saw the partnership would they say, “Oh, that makes sense,” or would they be confused?

Avoid mismatches (luxury + discount rarely works)

The only time we’ve seen this work is when Balenciaga and Crocs formed a partnership to create high-heeled Crocs clogs. This Vogue columnist may have thought they were comfortable, but even she couldn’t deny how nasty they looked. Pairing brands with wildly different price points, tones, or audiences often backfires. It can alienate loyal customers or confuse new ones.

Unless you’ve got the advertising teams behind Balenciaga and Crocs, or even the genius behind the Target-Isaac Mizrahi partnership, we’d recommend playing it safe, and looking for a partnership with someone whose target market matches yours in spending power.

Test via soft launches or influencer-led collaborations

You don’t need to launch a global campaign from day one. Smart co-branding often starts with a soft rollout, such as limited edition bundles, Instagram giveaways, or product seeding to influencers in the target market.

MAC Cosmetics led with this example to penetrate the Arab market. The makeup giant teamed up with 7 Arab influencers, known as the MAC Middle East Crew, who created their very own lipstick shades. Diederik Koenders, MAC Cosmetics VP of Integrated Communications and Content, called the collaboration a “meaningful relationship” that resulted in “a win-win situation for the creator, as well as for MAC.” Together, MAC worked with the ME Crew to create content to resonate with Arabian audiences. (Source: Glossy)

Keep messaging aligned, KPIs transparent

What does success look like for both brands? Is it social buzz, website traffic, or actual revenue growth in a new region? Agree on what you’re tracking before you launch, and align on how often you’ll report and adapt.

When rideshare app Uber partnered with music streaming platform Spotify, they were clear on the metrics: enhance the Uber ride experience by letting riders control music, increasing ride satisfaction and Spotify usage during trips. Uber measured user engagement via ride songs played and session duration, while Spotify tracked rider-initiated streams and playlist creation directly tied to Uber sessions. Both brands engaged in mutual goal-setting, shared dashboards, and iterative check-ins to keep the partnership focused, flexible, and effective. (Source: Mindmatrix)

Protect both brands’ equity through smart collaboration—not take over

Successful co-branding partnerships happen when both voices are equally loud. No brand tries to take over the other. You could say it’s “business bromance,” as both companies make a distinct effort to protect one another.

Take a look at the partnership between GoPro and Red Bull. Felix Baumgartner jumped from a space pod – more than 24 miles above Earth – with a GoPro strapped on. He set 3 world records – and “embodied the value of reimagining human potential that define both GoPro and Red Bull” (source: Up-Rev). You didn’t see GoPro try to be Red Bull. Red Bull didn’t try to be GoPro. They combined their brains and marketing efforts to produce co-branding initiatives that were nothing short of historical.

 

---

5 Real-World Co-Branding Examples That Worked Internationally

We’ve provided a couple of examples of successful co-branding partnerships already throughout this blog – but what’s the harm in giving even more?

Here are some of our favorite co-branding examples. Just remember, you don’t have to be a big brand in order to excel; you can use the strategies and tactics employed by these brands to spur your own efforts. We assure you – a co-branding partnership between two complementary brands will help you expand your reach to a new country much faster with a lot more efficacy.

Check through this list of co-branding examples – if the big guys can do it, so can you.

Levi Strauss & Co. with Pinterest

Given that people look for fashion inspiration on Pinterest, and Levi’s has been creating denimwear for years, this collaboration makes tons of sense. Pinterest provides the Levi’s brand with a social platform and millions of users, while Levi’s answers Pinterest’s audience’s needs through digital personalization and visual boards. Check out the Styled by Levi’s initiative, which even lets you customize your own jeans.

Apple Watch x Hermès

To quote Hermès: “The Apple and Hermès collaboration is the meeting of two cultures united by common values: the quest for excellence and authenticity.” Apple meanwhile celebrated the luxury brand in its own way, stating that the new collection of Hermès bands for Apple watches – which are eco-friendly and sustainable – “draws on the house’s rich history in textiles and craftsmanship.” The collaboration has even resulted in the Hermès Radial, an all-new watch face. (Source: WWD)

American Airlines x Citi AAdvantage Card

When credit card companies participate in the business of travel, magic ensues. American Airlines and Citi have been collaborating for around 40 years now, with Citi being the exclusive issuer of the AAdvantage card portfolio in the USA. Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, told Business Traveler that “this expanded partnership will unlock even more value and exciting new benefits for all of our customers in the future.” Now, that’s a match made in heaven the skies.

Dr. Pepper x Lip Smacker

Bonne Bell of Lip Smackers fame brought flavored lip balms to the market in the 1970s – but what really made waves was its partnership with the timeless Dr Pepper. According to Allure, a handshake deal between the two brands went on to become a bestselling flavor staple in the lip balm market for nearly 50 years, before its license expired in 2020. It wasn’t just a genius co-branding move; it made beauty history.

Nike x PlayStation

These two have a strong co-branding history. The collaboration began in 2006 with a PlayStation-inspired Air Force 1 shoe, featuring premium leather, purple laces, and the iconic PS logo. Since then, the partnership has continued with Paul George’s signature PG line, which regularly drops PlayStation-themed colorways inspired by controllers and console aesthetics. These designs often incorporate signature elements like button symbols and DualSense-inspired accents, and are usually timed around major PlayStation launches. The partnership remains ongoing, with the PG 5 “PlayStation 5” marking one of the latest fan-favorite editions.

---

The Benefits of Co-Branding as a Strategic Entry Tactic

Co-branding isn’t just about slapping two logos on a product. It’s a smart way to enter a new market with built-in trust.

If you’re planning to penetrate a market like Japan or the UAE, where relationships, reputation, and cultural nuance are key in driving purchase decisions, a brand collaboration is your best bet. These co-branding examples highlight how brands that target emerging customer segments abroad, such as Gen Z, boost each other’s efforts to spur on growth.

Strategic partnerships can be deployed in multiple ways, through limited-edition drops that create hype, pop-up stores or social media collaborations that drive engagement, or localized packaging and co-branded experiences that resonate on a deeper level.

The idea is to be where your customers are, and sometimes that with the help of a strategic partner. Just remember, co-branding is a strategic partnership. When one brand wins, so too does the other. The partnership helps both sides grow, scale, and evolve – while meeting customer expectations and elevating the customer experience.

A Note About These Co-Branding Examples from YLT Translations

Remember – localization doesn’t just mean translation. When pursuing a co-branding and co-marketing campaign across borders, localized product messaging and keywords must align with cultural expectations to truly connect. Sure, these real-world examples illustrate how brands collaborate to create something wonderful – but be sure you’re collaborating with the right one. A good co-branding partnership can boost your expansion efforts, but you still need to do the due diligence with your own localization efforts in order to establish a truly win-win arrangement.

---

Conclusion: Scale Smart, Not Solo

According to PR Newswire, 71% of consumers enjoy co-branded partnerships, and it’s easy to see why. When done right, co-branding creates stories that feel familiar yet fresh, tapping into existing trust while introducing something new. For brands entering international markets, it’s a shortcut to cultural relevance, emotional resonance, and brand recall that would otherwise take years to build.

Co-branding isn’t just another marketing campaign. Co-branding is a marketing strategy that paves the way for global brand storytelling. It assures your new customers that you understand them, and that you’re poised and ready to deliver what they need – in a new format, with true innovation, and potentially make history along the way.

Remember – YLT Translations is here for you with your global expansion. We’ve helped hundreds of sellers localize their brand messaging, product listings, and Amazon images. We believe in partnerships that respect both voice and context. It’s not just about bringing your brand to a new market; it’s about connecting with customers all over the globe, with a seamless combination of strategy and soul!

We hope you liked this glimpse into co-branding examples! Make sure you combine everything you learned here with the best-in-class eCommerce branding strategy lessons to really make an impact in your target country! Reach out if there’s anything we can help with!