Cross promotion is an effective way for a business to expand its product into a new consumer market by riding on the coattails of an already-successful product. Cross promotion can work for any product, but it's important that a logical connection exists between the two products.
Peanut butter and jelly is probably the first cross-promoted product, and this pairing came as a result of consumer behavior, not marketing savvy. An MP3 player and free MP3 music is a natural cross-promotion pairing because the one uses the other to operate.
Cross Promotion Basics
Most people can think of at least one natural pairing of products in terms of routine usage, end benefits, or a totally new use that can be exploited via cross promotion. To initiate a cross-promotion partnership, contact the company's brand manager and reference the opportunities for joint promotion.
Barriers to Cross Promotion
Cross promotion may require new advertising, sales promotion, and perhaps even packaging changes. The majority of cross promotions get market awareness through packaging. All potential promotion initiatives represent potential, unplanned-marketing expenditures. There also has to be a give-and-take exchange in terms of what the other company benefits from the association.
Without a clear end benefit and rationale for possible additional money outlays, your cross-promotion idea might not be viewed as advantageous. Even with one company agreeing to foot the cross-promotional marketing bills, a company would still want to evaluate the impact of a marketing pairing on its consumer perceptions and its distribution partners. If the two products are not viewed as brand equals, a wonderful and natural opportunity to cross promote may not be realized.
Logic of Cross Promotions
Marketers can learn of noteworthy pairings through information gleaned in market research from consumers. Cross-promotional ideas often exist naturally, others need to be manufactured. Shampoo and conditioner is a natural cross-promotion idea. Toothpaste and toothbrush is another natural cross-promotional duo.
Manufacturing unnatural cross promotions is more of a challenge. Brands within the same company are more likely to cross-promote because the rationale for cross-promoting is an easier sale internally.
Cross-Promote for Awareness and Trial
Household product companies often cross-promote products to energize a mature brand such as shampoo by promoting it with a newer product entry such as a feminine-hygiene deodorant spray. Because the audience is the same, a cross promotion may work. Even here, pairings work best if there is some logic to their use.
Pairing shampoo with laundry detergent for example is a stretch however. Nevertheless, big companies often tie brands together, with the awareness and trial benefits of the pairing outweighing the logic of the duo.
Cross-Promote New Brands
Liquor companies often promote new flavors of an alcohol beverage through cross promotion. This is a very logical cross promotion of parent and child brands. Absolut Vodka introduced a number of brand flankers by packaging sample sizes with original Absolut. These pairings can be quite successful to create both awareness and trial for a new product introduction.
Tags: companies often, awareness trial, Cross promotion, Cross Promotion, cross promotion, cross promotions