to reach a bigger, broader audience – with double the reach and double the resources to support shared objectives. However in brand partnerships, one plus one doesn’t always equal two as the synergy of two brands can deliver more than you expected. But what is the secret sauce to a truly brilliant brand partnership? As we close the door on 2021, we wanted to reflect on the brand partnerships and customer experiences that stood out for us over the year, discuss what made them work and share some of the key lessons with other brand marketers.  Look for unexpected ways to turn up and give back  Providing something surprising or meaningful is far more likely to stand out amid the noise, generate talk and enhance or shift brand perception. For example, Guzman y Gomez’s recent delivery rider thank you campaign was a perfectly timed campaign that recognised the challenges faced by a key part of their value chain during the pandemic. The campaign, a partnership with Mount Franklin water, raised awareness of the importance of riders and riders’ positive impact on consumers. This benevolent campaign demonstrated how the Guzman y Gomez brand is more than just great food in an environment where brand authenticity is more important than ever.  Create engaging and shareable content  Content remains king – even for partnerships. Creating engaging content that is shareable and interesting will add value to your audience. Entertaining consumers or making them think twice will make your message and brand more memorable. Case in point, Deliveroo’s integration with MasterChef where customers could order dishes from the MasterChef kitchen directly via the Deliveroo app, or our Milky Lane and Amazon Prime promotion where customers could exclusively order Milky Lane’s new ‘Screaming Bloody Burger,’ which Milky Lane created for Prime’s release of the  ‘I know what you did last summer’ series.  Provide something customers will value Knowing what your customers want, and creating a partnership that delivers, is crucial. We saw this in our partnership with Arnott’s. As part of the partnership, we offered a complimentary packet of Tim Tams for customers who ordered breakfast, lunch or dinner via Deliveroo on World Chocolate Day. Who doesn’t like chocolate or want a packet of Tim Tams?  Deliver the truly unexpected  Like any relationship, partnerships can stray off the rails. While some even start off on the wrong foot, as our Head of Consumer Communications Joe Satari learnt, after the team at brewery Young Henrys launched “Deliver-Schoo”, delivering schooners to Sydney residents during lockdown – straying too close to our company name without first seeking permission.  Joe was given 24 hours to turn the surprise ‘partnership’ into something more positive. With incredible support from marketing and legal teams in Australia and the UK, what started at 8.30am as a legal death match had, by 4.30pm, become a bonafide partnership as we offered to supply Deliveroo credit to each of the campaign winners. After all, no pub visit is complete without some good grub. Deliveroo sent Young Henrys the first ever “cease and assist” letter. Deliveroo has since provided ongoing support for their activity, expanding the offer to Melbourne, reaching more customers and generating tonnes of positive media coverage. Align brand values  The glue that unites all of these campaigns is ultimately the importance of brand alignment. We see this in our partnership with Eat Up to feed hungry school kids or in the phenomenal results from our recent partnership with Hungry Jacks to provide free fries as a vaccine roll out incentive, an issue that has been crucial to the recovery of the hospitality sector.  Working with a values-aligned brand should be the number one criteria when assessing any partnership opportunity. As we kick off 2022, it is also a great time to reconsider what your brand stands for and reassess the current partnerships that you have in place.     If 2021 has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected – but this guide should help you assess potential partnerships and better predict which ones hold the right ingredients to have a positive and productive impact for your brand.