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This is Contagious · May 19 · 41 min

Crazy brand collaborations are exploding: this is why they work

Pokemon. Meatball lollipops. 17th Century silk traders. In this episode, Contagious explores weird and wonderful brand collabs, why they’re so effective, how to use them as a shortcut to cultural relevance and which brands are doing them well. Discover the psychology behind ‘optimal incongruence’, how brands like Supreme and Crocs turned collaborations into a business model, and why technology has raised the cultural bar for collabs. Along the way, we dive into: The science behind why bizarre collaborations capture attention The rise of ‘luxury fan fiction’ and AI-generated fake collabs How music and fashion pioneered modern collaboration culture Why some collabs fail while others become cultural phenomena The most unlikely brand collabs, from logistics streetwear to cheese jewellery What are the hidden risks, failures and audience backlash brands often underestimate The connection between Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Betty Crocker and Rick Rubin If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

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Pokemon. Meatball lollipops. 17th Century silk traders. In this episode, Contagious explores weird and wonderful brand collabs, why they’re so effective, how to use them as a shortcut to cultural relevance and which brands are doing them well.  

Discover the psychology behind ‘optimal incongruence’, how brands like Supreme and Crocs turned collaborations into a business model, and why technology has raised the cultural bar for collabs.

Along the way, we dive into:

  • The science behind why bizarre collaborations capture attention
  • The rise of ‘luxury fan fiction’ and AI-generated fake collabs
  • How music and fashion pioneered modern collaboration culture
  • Why some collabs fail while others become cultural phenomena
  • The most unlikely brand collabs, from logistics streetwear to cheese jewellery
  • What are the hidden risks, failures and audience backlash brands often underestimate
  • The connection between Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Betty Crocker and Rick Rubin

If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

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