How to Choose the Best Co-Branding Partnership

Partnering with another company to co-brand with means deciding on exactly the kind of company that would best represent your brand. Corporate branding partnerships should be a mutually beneficial experience for both companies involved, so to find one that you trust to efficiently and effectively produce promotional merchandise that exceeds simply satisfactory standards allows you to control how your brand is perceived, achieves a wider potential customer outreach, and increases the diversity of your target demographic.

Branding and appearance

Seeking out branded promotional merchandise that positively reflects and suits the style of your organisation is a crucial step in the process of choosing corporate branding. For example, an organisation in the fitness industry may choose to partner with an activewear brand or sports accessories retailer. Opting for a relevant brand that complements the aesthetics of your own products can really reinforce the presentation of your merchandise and the goals of the company.

It should be taken into consideration whether your choice of branded promotional products should be catered towards the needs and interest of your employees, clientele or both. Some personalised merchandising in the workplace could pertain to anyone involved as long as the product is versatile enough to be of interest to the vast majority - something practical with a unique, positive twist to it can be just enough to pique the interest of potential customers whilst remaining useful enough to not go to waste.

Ethics and values

Sharing similar values and ethics is essential for a successful marketing merchandise partnership. Differing views on ethical practices can cause a rift between two organisations working together, particularly if you are committed to a specific mission or exact goals. For a more harmonious process and a better chance of achieving your desired result, research into the ethics and values of your potential promotional merchandise company and ensure they align with your own company’s objectives. 

Companies that don’t take a clear stance on environmental and social concerns such as waste recycling and carbon output or employee wellbeing and customer satisfaction could imply that this is not an issue from their perspective or that their views are somewhat unconventional and unlikely to align with your own. Even so, this does not mean they are no longer a viable option, but be sure to reach out to the company before choosing to partner with them and discuss any dealbreaking issues you would like to be considered.

Cost effectiveness

Considering budget and cost prior to speaking with a potential partner can be slightly less straightforward since many manufacturers of corporate merchandise will adjust their pricing according to the design and volume of the order within wholesale. Decide roughly how many items of corporate branded merchandise you require and what type of product would suit you best and then make contact with the chosen brand. You might find that trying a sample helps as you can decide whether or not the promotional merchandise is right for you before committing to an order and if it is, there is a possibility that a slightly higher volume is more cost effective and a plausible idea once you know the product is suitable. Be sure to take into account shipping costs as well, although these are unlikely to differ between varying order quantities unless it’s a particularly large volume.

Company reputation

The reputation of your company will rely heavily on the ultimate decision for your company branded merchandise. Being associated with a brand that is viewed negatively by consumers due to poor service, quality or ethical standards will ward off potential customers, so look into what others think of the brand and how it is reviewed. Researching who they have partnered with in the past and how effective this was for their business can you give you some insight into whether or not to consider producing advertising merchandise with them. Note whether any of their own corporate branded gifts in retail have been popular with consumers and make yourself aware of any frequent reports of faults in the item or service.

If CSR is important to your company, strong moral values will be a top priority. Reviewing the ethical practises and commitments of the organisation you consider for your personalised merchandise is essential to make sure they align with your CSR goals. Look for brands dedicated to corporate social responsibility that demonstrate strong accountability in regard to their social and environmental impacts, avoiding those that fail to identify moral obstacles and work to resolve them. Employee rights, ethically sourced materials, energy efficient production and shipping, and proper waste management (minimising waste, recycling, responsible disposal etc.) are all factors to take into account when choosing a manufacturer for your custom business merchandise.

Discuss goals

A corporate branding partnership should always benefit both parties for it to be truly worthwhile. Finding out more about how they plan to approach the design process and the general idea of how it’s done can help you envision what your desired result is and if this manufacturer is the right one for you. Make the company aware of your design ideas and be clear about your end goals so you can work together to achieve the best possible promotional merchandise.

S’wheat Reusable Water Bottles

S’wheat offers high quality, laser engraved co-branding on our unique plant based products. We use a strong blend of bamboo fibre and wheat straw to create this innovative material, which is free from pesticides, BPA, melamine, and it’s naturally antibacterial. Our ethically sourced materials are put through an energy efficient manufacturing process to create our classic reusable bottle, and now our other newest products too! 

At S’wheat, we keep sustainability and a circular economy at the forefront of our mission, so we make sure to use biodegradable materials for our products, recyclable materials in packaging, and we keep our manufacturers close by so as to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible. Wheat straw is naturally durable, lightweight, and resilient, but on top of all this, wheat actually absorbs more carbon that it releases during photosynthesis, so through this, and our other ethical practises, we have attained carbon neutrality.

Partnering with a social enterprise that is committed to sustainability will show that your business is one with corporate social responsibility in mind and is dedicated to working with companies that make affordable, practical, visually pleasing, yet eco-friendly products.

Our Eco-Friendly Co-branding Process:

Choose Your Bottle: Choose from our four distinct colours: Pink, Blue, Green and Oat or we can work on a new custom colour for you to create your own custom branded reusable bottle.

Send Us Your Logo: Email us your logo file and we will create a mock up image for you so we can review your design before moving forward with production.

Engraving: We are proud to partner with a UK based company leading the way in high quality laser engraving and together, we brand your bottles.

Impact: With every S'wheat bottle corporate branded order we plant at least one hundred trackable native trees in your company's name, remove plastic from the oceans, donate profits to protect sea life and provide a report to showcase all of this. We are a carbon neutral company and a certified social enterprise.