COLLABORATION between brands is becoming a popular trend as new strategies are devised to engage with and gain new customers.

Apple and Nike, Mini and Puma are just a few of the large brands making use of collective powers.

By recognising the commercial benefits of cross-brand partnerships, a business has the capability to raise its company profile outside of its existing reach.

When searching for the ideal brand mate opposites certainly do attract – by using each company’s different equities, the impact of a new association has the power to create intrigue and generate awareness and further brand visibility to attract a more diverse range of consumers.

Rovio Entertainment, the creator of the hugely popular mobile phone game Angry Birds, has elevated the concept of clever brand collaboration.

Since its 2009 launch, Angry Birds has sold more than 350m copies and has quickly become one of Finland’s proudest exports.

This month, Finnair capitalised on the game’s popularity, launching a co-branded Angry Birds flight, offering its customers the chance to game at 35,000 feet.

High street giant Starbucks is also in talks with Rovio to introduce the game into its outlets.

By putting up electronic displays in store, mobile phone gamers can play whilst enjoying a coffee.

Starbucks hopes that the partnership will bring its brand into the social networking arena gaining new and repeat customers while Rovio wants to use the coffee brand as a platform to spring into the mass market. Successful co-branding offers a win-win situation for both brands involved. The same rules apply even if they are put into practice on a smaller scale for SMEs.

A new collaboration that infiltrates the mass market can generate an enormous amount of brand-centric communications. Partnerships have the ability to generate fresh discussions about a brand.

Companies that have a successful co-brand strategy and a legitimate fit with the product being offered have the potential to improve existing associations, increase their consumer base, and increase profits to be mutually beneficial.

For brands in need of revitalisation, a raise in public awareness or change in association, a successful co-brand strategy can perform wonders in a relatively short space of time.

INTERNET entrepreneur Ben Hatton is founder and managing director of Liverpool agency Rippleffect. Link to Rippleffect on Twitter @rippleffected