Originally posted on LinkedIn by Roisin King

I am always asked “what do you mean exactly” when talking about collaboration. We know what it means but put it into the context of growing your business and thinking outside your box!

Example ! Example ! Example ! When you can’t afford to learn by doing, the next best option is to look at others’ experience to figure out whether something is beneficial and relevant enough for you to take on. This is exactly what I am planning to do in this blog – to paint a clearer picture of what collaboration is all about and to better yet demonstrate its practical application to the business world through specific examples

From the little guys

1. Lewis Road Creamery x Whittaker

On October, 2014, a 5-employee boutique New Zealand dairy company decided to add a twist to their fresh milk product by introducing a chocolate drink in partnership with a local renowned confectioner, Whittaker. Little did they know at the time that they was creating one of the most sought after drink in the country – “the Kiwi equivalent of the Cronut”. Before this unanticipated success, Lewis Road Creamery’s most well-known product was its butter. From the initial 1,000 litres per week, within weeks, they were making 40 times that volume in order to meet market demand for that little ‘heaven in a bottle’- chocolate milk.

 

2. Tile x Blunt

I never thought I would get excited about laying my hands on a new umbrella, but I did (and I had good reasons for that). The Blunt umbrella is no ordinary one. It is an ‘indestructible’ product with a locating device allowing me to find it instantly with just a push of button. Brilliant isn’t it?

In a market that already very saturated, who would have thought a company that sells umbrellas at $125+ could survive let alone be so successful? But Blunt – an Auckland based company, has done exactly just that.

Most of us knows the struggle of being unable to find the umbrella when it’s raining hard outside and ends up buying a new one only to find the other one sitting in the back of the car. Putting themselves in customers’ shoes, the team at Blunt in partnering with Tile, introduces the world’s first traceable umbrella. Not only does the product possess the outstanding aerodynamic robust canopy structure powered by Blunt but it also inherits Tile’s brilliant world-class tracking technology. Never worried about losing your umbrella again!

To the bigger ones

3. Biotherm x Renault

What do automobile and skincare have in common

It’s very hard to connect the dots. The brilliant team at Renault and Biotherm ( L’Oreal’s Luxury Product Division ) has taken collaboration to a whole new level where they bring together Renault’s expertise on car design and Biotherm’s knowledge on cellular mechanisms and aromatherapy to introduce a Spa Car – Zoe. This 100% electric car is aimed to provide drivers the absolute travel comfort and even positive enhancement to passengers’ health, particularly their skin. Indeed, Zoe’s smart air-conditioning systems can automatically adjust temperature, provide aromatherapy that fit drivers’ needs and eliminate skin dehydrating effects as well as filtering out toxic particles inside the car.

And the story of bringing Kiwi brands to the East.

4. New Zealand Post’s TMall

China is where everyone wants to be. While New Zealand brand image is very positively perceived over there, our physical remoteness often presents a significant barrier for Kiwi firms contemplating to enter this market. NZPost’s TMall project was born to address this. With the ambition to bring New Zealand’s brands closer to the Chinese customers and further strengthened the premium quality image of our product, NZPost along with Weta Workshop, Natural health product business Xtend Life and Hauora Honey, are currently selling their products directly to the Chinese consumers through their new storefront on Alibaba Groups’ TMall Global internet shopping website.

For a long time, the couriers and local delivery services has suffered a stagnant period of minimal growth and declining sales. Hence, by doing this, NZPost is able to drive sales for parcels and e-commerce. At the same time, their partners are able to “dip the toes in the water for very minimal risk”.