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If 2024 has taught us anything about brand tie-ups, it’s that the more unlikely the collab, the better.
In the last eight months, we’ve seen brands partner on a variety of products, campaigns, and experiences. Polly Pocket has gone life-sized with Airbnb, Dunkin’ and Scrub Daddy forged an alliance to make cleaning fun, and Charlotte Tilbury made a curious move into the motorsports arena.
These tie-ups have the potential to spark viral moments, drive conversation, and widen brands’ customer base, as well as create excitement among existing ones. 71% of customers say they enjoy co-branded partnerships, according to B2B platform Visual Objects, so ADWEEK predicts you’ll see a few more of these before the year is out.
“[These collabs] aren’t for every brand or every day; they’re far narrower in scope and typically shorter in length than their larger mainstream counterparts that have broad appeal,” explains Ralph Filla, account director at experiential marketing agency Inspira Marketing Group.
“However, when they work, they work wonders to build strong emotional ties amid an authentic joining of companies.”
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the best weird and wonderful partnerships from 2024 so far.
1. Polly Pocket x Airbnb
To celebrate Polly Pocket’s 35th birthday, Mattel’s pocket-sized doll was granted Airbnb host status in August, opening the doors to a 42-ft tall vintage-themed, two-story Slumber Party Fun compact.
Designed by agency Verb, Polly’s life-size pad in her hometown of Littleton, Massachusetts is packed with nostalgic details to take guests back to their childhoods. It is only available for three one-night stays, from Sept. 12-14.
The collab marked an addition to Airbnb’s Icons category, a program dedicated to one-of-a-kind stays and experiences.
2. Fenty x Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics
Rihanna fans are still recovering from her 2023 Fenty x Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, where the artist applied two dabs of Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder to her cheeks before getting back on the mic.
Never one to miss a beat, the star recently signed a historic partnership with the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, boosting her billion-dollar fortune.
The linkup equipped 600 on-the-ground volunteers with kits and tutorials on how to do their makeup for the global event. Fenty Beauty also had makeup artists on-site to match volunteers to their foundation shade.
Fenty was an unanticipated addition to the Paris 2024 sponsor rollcall, joining the likes of LVMH and Coca-Cola on the podium.