9 KILLER STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP EXAMPLES v.7

@DisruptiveDave

Startups and big brands doing it right by leveraging shared audiences.

READ ON

WHAT: Date-seekers can now display their favorite artists on the matchmaking app, and potential mates can bounce right to Spotify to check out their songs. WHY: In two of the most competitive markets – music streaming and datings apps – any edge can be a difference maker in the user acquisition game. WHO WINS: A rare product integration that benefits both sides almost equally, though Bumble gets a bit more here. Shared music tastes must be a significant driver of potential mate attraction and an easy conversation starter, giving Bumble an excellent new product feature it didn’t have to build itself. Spotify gets more exposure for itself and its artists beyond its platform. WATCH FOR: There are infinite uses for displaying and sharing music outside of streaming services, so watch for more of these API integrations to enhance existing products and expose streaming services to more fans.

Bumble & Spotify

source: http://bit.ly/29bdmYS

WHAT: Through “Uber Offers” the car request app brings special promotions to its users from local merchants along with discounted Uber rides. WHY: Never satisfied with just car rides, Uber sees an opportunity in commerce happening before/after pick-ups, and product purveyors get access to a huge network with tons of relevant data on its consumers. WHO WINS: First it’ll be the local merchants who get valuable ad space towards a captive audience. But if Uber can make this work, it’ll represent another significant revenue stream. WATCH FOR: Uber is a global-but-also-hyperlocal service and the prospect to capitalize on its physical presence to affect local commerce is very intriguing.

Uber & Local Merchants

source: http://tcrn.ch/298I1Vp

WHAT: The online lending startup is now offering to finance your trips and events through Expedia and Eventbrite. WHY: Why not? Affirm gets presented to potential new customers in an ideal use case environment and Expedia / Eventbrite give their users another option to make buying even easier. WHO WON: Affirm gets the nod here because this is the type of product integration every startup aims for. Exposure plus real revenue potential. WATCH FOR: Will this work? I’m not sure if flights and festival tickets have ever been offered on a multi-month payment plan. Could be a game changer or could fall flat and fail to move the needle for Affirm.

Expedia & Affirm

source: http://bit.ly/29aNBoG

WHAT: Curators and brand partners who create Twitter Moments can now build tweetable playlists through a Soundcloud integration. WHY: Their longstanding relationship aside (Twitter recently invested $70mm in the streaming service), Twitter has been in a user engagement slump and its new Moments feature hasn’t saved the day, so why not try everything? WHO WINS: Sure, Twitter gets a neat new feature, but most of its users can’t create these tweetable playlists, as they are only for Moments partners. Soundcloud, on the other hand, expands its distribution outside the platform as it enters the monthly subscription battle with Spotify and Apple Music. WATCH FOR: Google does it, Facebook does it, Snapchat does it, now music streaming sites are doing it – figuring out how to get your embeddable content outside your own platform is a modern day distribution gold crown.

Twitter & SoundCloud

source: http://tcrn.ch/298knsf

WHAT: The ad-blocking company created a new product with the “microdonations service” to make it easier for free content creators to get paid by viewers online. WHY: Everybody hates interruptive online ads but nobody seems willing to pay for what is now free content (somewhere around 25% of internet users say they employ an ad blocker). This move gives AdBlock some good PR with the publishers who rail against it and Flattr is all of a sudden something we are hearing about. WHO WINS: Beyond the positive pub, AdBlock seems to be testing new revenue streams as it may move from just “ad blocking” to more of a “content consuming experience” aid. Flattr gets to be associated with a big brand and apparently received some investment money from AdBlock as well. WATCH FOR: Content creators and publishers are approaching desperate times right now and the idea of a ubiquitous product like AdBlock coming to their aid is intriguing, to say the least. But will microdonations be enough to keep these sites afloat?

AdBlock & Flattr

source: http://bit.ly/29btQN4

WHAT: Pandora’s ad-free service is now available to Uber drivers (and by extension, riders) in the Uber driver app. WHY: I can only assume Pandora pushed for this one hard and probably made an offer Uber couldn’t refuse. Seems a little short-changed that this is only for drivers, not passengers, but Uber has been adding to its driver perks heavily the last year. WHO WINS: Pandora gets its foot in the door with the ride hailing king, which is important because… WATCH FOR: …the online radio brand is set to launch an on-demand service towards the end of 2016 and will need all the competitive edges it can get. However, Spotify already offers on-demand streaming inside the Uber app.

Pandora & Uber

source: http://bit.ly/296eXcd

WHAT: Mailchimp partnered with the media company’s new TV vertical Viceland to produce films about its customers for placement online and on cable. WHY: Mailchimp gets access to storytellers and production capabilities and Viceland gets a legit brand as an advertiser on its journey to make TV matter again. WHO WINS: I think they both get something out of this without giving up too much. Mailchimp probably got a deep discount since Viceland is so new and unproven along with content it can use through its own channels to promote its email service. WATCH FOR: Viceland is trying to shake up the traditional 30-second TV spot by creating these longer pieces for brands that could be labeled as “native content for television.” Interested to see if they are successful.

Mailchimp & Vice

source: http://bit.ly/29bAcQ2

WHAT: The grocery delivery service is integrating into Food Network’s web and TV properties to make it easier for viewers to make its recipes at home. WHY: Instacart may be looking to expand its service and add new revenue streams and Food Network thrives on having a presence in the actual kitchens of its viewers (presumably backed by the brands who make these ingredients…). WHO WINS: Does the Food Network demographic really have crossover with new on-demand services like Instacart? I know my mom isn’t likely to try this. Instacart wins for brand exposure. WATCH FOR: Will any significant numbers be generated out of this partnership? I don’t know. I do, however, like the cross-platform and online-to-real-world aspect of this deal.

Instacart & Food Network

source: http://bit.ly/29aOVrW

WHAT: Musicians now have free access to Landr’s digital mastering app when posting tracks directly to SoundCloud. WHY: For SoundCloud, higher quality songs on its platform and a free service for its users. For Landr, solid brand association and new customer leads. WHO WINS: Landr could get a steady stream of its target market trialing its product. For SoundCloud, this might be more of an artist relations move, as it’s taken a beating as of late for removing music from the site over licensing issues. WATCH FOR: The challenge with these types of deals is lack of ongoing promotion. If SoundCloud doesn’t consistently make noise about this offer, Landr won’t get the traffic it expects.

SoundCloud & Landr

source: http://bit.ly/29d5qlM

Head of Growth, Audiokite Research

Dave Marcello

startupgrowthguy.com @DisruptiveDave