I’ve been thinking a lot about collaborative marketing lately, and how we can turn co-existing businesses more into partners and less about missing opportunities. I think there’s a great untapped market for someone that really wants to grab collaborative marketing and run with it.
For example – imagine you’re going on a trip. You have to fly to get there, so there are a few processes you need to go through before, during and after:
- Buying your ticket.
- Driving to the airport.
- In-flight activities.
- Hotel or accommodation when you land.
- Rental car.
These are just the basics – I’m sure there are a lot more depending on what your individual needs are.
Now.
Imagine if, instead of doing this all separately, there was some form of collaborative marketing behind it to make your life easier? I don’t know about you, but I know when my own life is made easy, I’m inclined to use the same service or product again. So.
Imagine if, when you buy your ticket (online or offline), the airline has a deal with all the major car hire firms like Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, etc. So, you buy your ticket and you have an option to hire your car at the same time. The rental firm then comes out and drops your car off. Or, better still, the airliner has a deal with airport cab firms to pick you up and take you to your flight.
Now, let’s also say that when you’re buying your ticket, you have the option of logging onto the booking site via Facebook Connect. If you’ve filled out your Movies and Music preferences on Facebook, the airline sees this. They then load this information into the media options available to your flight using something like iTunes. You can then watch your type of movies (if there’s a screen on the back of the seat in front of you), or your favourite music via an iTunes console.
With regards the hotel or accommodation, if you have to look after it and your company isn’t paying for it, again the airline has a partnership with hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and more, and not just the big ones but of all sizes. You fill out a short cheat sheet when buying your ticket and the most suitable three accommodations pop up.
And the rental firm that started it all off? They’re there (obviously) at the other end. But what they’ve done when you booked initially is ask what type of trip you’re having, yet also what kind of things you like to do when relaxing. So, when you pick up your car at the other side, the GPS is loaded with some destinations you might enjoy. And they’re tied in with local businesses that are part of the collaborative marketing approach of all the above.
Now, this is a pretty simple take on basic marketing 101. Yet, as an example of true collaborative marketing, it’s a start. What’s your take and whats the best examples of existing collaborative marketing between multiple businesses you’ve seen?
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Twitter: colbywg
A bakery in my hometown used to do collaborative marketing with a locally owned gym.
It’s like they …
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Twitter: colbywg
Oh I’m stupid. I used brackets “” to leave an emphasis. I thought it was like Facebook and the use of asterisks. Turns out it’s just HTML.
The last sentence is supposed to be, “It’s like they knew…”
That sounds interesting, Colby – what was the tie-in?
Twitter: colbywg
Wasn’t really a direct tie-in. It was more-or-less, “we’re going to advertise here, because you’re gonna fell bad about eating this delicious cake and want to work out.”, and vice versa.
I never saw it stated directly. But it was really funny. I spent some time working at that gym. Some people would finish their workout and go, “oo! bakery coupon! I deserve it now!”
When I say “some people”, I am included in that group
Ha, I like it – great initiative and works from both sides, so everyone wins. Cheers for sharing, mate.
Twitter: GlobalPatriot
I’ve often thought that the untapped market, especially where travel is concerned, is all about where you’re staying an a particular city. Once I express my preferences, it would be great to see specials from local restaurants or other service providers that cater to my whims, all within a few blocks of my hotel. Once I’ve booked my travel plans, they know when I’m getting in and where I’ll be sleeping!
Global Patriot´s most recent blog post …Sustainable Winegrowing – LangeTwins Winery
Great example Danny, since the travel industry probably has some of the best use stories in this area. I know that if I book on Delta, they show car rental options, hotels and sometimes recommended event tickets. Amex Travel does that too.
But I agree – increasing the capability in other industries by “smart” location driven information is an appealing market target. Some social media searches/tools making it a little easier.
Would love to get together with other folks to brainstorm ideas.
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Twitter: JulieWalraven
I love collaborative marketing, Danny… basically I love collaboration between any groups. I think we get so much more out of working together. My new blog/site is finally activating the Resources page. I never used it on the old site. But I find that there are so many people that I can recommend personally for the help they have given me or the work they have done, that I am starting the page. I think it will change in the future because Headway makes that so easy to add tabs and navigation.
But I also refer my clients to each other… I keep business cards by my desk for face-to-face clients to review and try to contact clients who are landed with ones that want to land in the same industry.
Life is much better with collaboration, isn’t it?
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Twitter: johnhaydon
Danny – Great post. As an FYI, Facebook is opening it’s email API so that companies will soon be able to collect emails simply by getting permission from Facebook users.
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Twitter: mschechter
It is an interesting look at how we can use existing technology to tie our marketing efforts together. Quite frankly, I don’t think we see enough of this on a low tech level. We all need to figure out how to work better with our partners to accomplish mutual goals.
We are all so afraid to share leads these days and we end up losing from that reluctance…
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Hi Danny- recall that we are creating a model to deliver the same travel collaborative model you are alluding to.. allowing consumers to drive the engine with opt in preferences, we engage with multiple airlines, airport retailers etc. to fulfill services and products.
The traditional loyalty programs miss the mark so badly! We are presenting in Edinburgh on the 18th on this very topic.(will look for the Drambuie)
http://www.airgatesolutions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108&Itemid=111
Here is a link to the agenda for those curious about the whole idea.
Great post Danny!
Radisson hotels have a joint venture with Select Comfort to outfit its hotels with Sleep Number beds. It gives Radisson a point of differentiation and Select Comfort gets a non-intrusive method to demonstrate the virtues of its mattress.
Twitter: resumesplanet
Well it all depends if such collaborative marketers give they 2 in 1 package at a reasonable price. For those who are still lazy would prefer such services and for those who are short on cash. They would go through smarter ways and ways to not use a car in the city.