Picture this: You're scrolling through social media when suddenly you see someone wearing Crocs that look exactly like Krispy Kreme donuts, complete with sprinkles and that iconic glazed finish. Your first thought? "I need those." Your second thought? "How did they even think of this?"
Welcome to the wonderful, weird, and wildly profitable world of co-branded products – where two brands join forces to create something so unexpectedly perfect that consumers can't help but take notice (and open their wallets).
Co-branding isn't about slapping two logos together and hoping for the best. It's strategic brand alchemy that, when done right, creates products that are greater than the sum of their parts. These collaborations can transform sleepy brands into cultural phenomena, introduce products to entirely new audiences, and generate the kind of buzz that money usually can't buy.
Why Co-Branded Products Are Marketing Gold
Instant Street Cred When two beloved brands team up, they're essentially vouching for each other. It's like having your coolest friend introduce you to their coolest friend – suddenly you're all part of the same cool club.
Double the Fan Base, Double the Fun Each brand brings their army of loyal customers to the party. The result? A product launch that feels more like a cultural event than a typical retail release.
Social Media Magic Co-branded products are inherently shareable. They're conversation starters, Instagram moments, and TikTok trends waiting to happen. In our attention economy, that kind of organic engagement is priceless.
The Novelty Factor Unexpected combinations create genuine surprise and delight. When consumers see something they've never imagined before, they're compelled to learn more – and often, to buy.
Real-World Success Stories That Prove the Strategy Works
Crocs x Haribo
Let's start with a collaboration that perfectly embodies the "weird but it works" philosophy of co-branding. In March 2025, Crocs and Haribo created a limited-edition Classic Clog inspired by the iconic Goldbears gummy candies, featuring a translucent, gummy-inspired design that literally looks good enough to eat.
The shoes feature a translucent material that mimics the look of gummy bears, complete with exclusive Goldbears Jibbitz charms and an embossed sole with playful Goldbears details.
The Magic: This collaboration captures "the childlike happiness and nostalgia of everyone's favorite gummi bears" while combining it with Crocs' signature comfort and practicality. The shoes are genuinely fun conversation starters that bring joy to everyday footwear.
Results: The collab drove significant buzz on Instagram and TikTok. Crocs has seen collaborations drive massive growth in the past years, with revenue surging 64% in Q1 2021 to $460 million, largely due to celebrity and brand partnerships that sell out in minutes. The company's collaboration strategy has been so successful that it triggered an 18% increase in average order value and double-digit increases in Jibbitz sales.
McDonald's x Travis Scott Meal
When McDonald's collaborated with rapper Travis Scott to create "The Travis Scott Meal" in 2020, they weren't just selling a burger combo - they were selling culture. The meal featured Scott's regular McDonald's order: a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, and lettuce, plus a Sprite and BBQ sauce for dipping fries.
But here's where it gets interesting: McDonald's also created exclusive merchandise including T-shirts, hoodies, and even a chicken nugget-shaped body pillow, all co-branded with Travis Scott's Cactus Jack brand.
The Magic: This collaboration worked because it felt authentic. Scott genuinely loved McDonald's, and the partnership celebrated that personal connection while creating limited-edition products that fans could actually own.
Results: The collaboration was so successful it caused ingredient shortages within just 8 days of launch, helped drive McDonald's to a 4.6% increase in quarterly sales (reversing an 8.7% decline from the previous quarter), and crashed the McDonald's app due to overwhelming demand. Quarter Pounder sales doubled, and over 1.5 billion Twitter impressions were recorded in the campaign’s first month. The merchandise sold out instantly and created a thriving resale market, with Travis Scott reportedly earning $20 million total from the entire partnership.
Supreme x Oreo
Supreme, the streetwear brand known for making everything cool (and expensive), partnered with Oreo in 2020 to create red Supreme-branded Oreo cookies. Yes, you read that right – they made the cookies red to match Supreme's signature color scheme.
The collaboration included special packaging with Supreme's iconic box logo and sold the cookies in three-packs for $8 (compared to regular Oreos at about $3). What made this particularly brilliant was that Supreme treated Oreos with the same reverence they give to high-fashion collaborations.
The Magic: Supreme elevated an everyday snack to luxury status simply by association. The collaboration played with the absurdity of making cookies "exclusive" while celebrating both brands' cult followings.
Results: The cookies sold out immediately, with resellers asking up to $200 (!!) per pack. The collaboration generated massive media coverage and social media buzz, introducing Supreme to cookie lovers and Oreo to hypebeast culture.
Ben & Jerry's x Nike SB
Ben & Jerry's and Nike SB created the "Chunky Dunky" sneaker, inspired by Ben & Jerry's "Chunky Monkey" ice cream flavor. The shoes featured a tie-dye upper with cow print accents, meant to evoke the brand's Vermont dairy farm origins, plus blue sky and white cloud details on the outsole.
The collaboration included special packaging designed to look like a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, complete with nutrition facts that listed "sick style" and "fresh vibes" as ingredients.
The Magic: This collaboration worked because both brands share similar values around creativity, quality, and not taking themselves too seriously. The shoes told the story of Ben & Jerry's brand heritage while fitting perfectly into Nike SB's culture of artistic skateboarding shoes.
Results: The shoes became one of the most sought-after Nike SB releases ever, with resale prices reaching over $2,000. The collaboration strengthened both brands' positions in their respective markets while creating crossover appeal.
Taco Bell x Doritos
Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos represent one of the most successful ongoing co-branded product lines in fast food history. By replacing traditional taco shells with shells made from Nacho Cheese Doritos, Taco Bell created a product that perfectly married two beloved snack experiences.
The collaboration has expanded to include multiple Doritos flavors, from Cool Ranch to Flamin' Hot, each creating its own distinct product within the Taco Bell menu.
The Magic: This collaboration solved a real consumer desire – combining the satisfying crunch of Doritos with the convenience and portability of tacos. It was innovation through combination rather than complication.
Results: Doritos Locos Tacos generated over $1 billion in sales within their first year and helped drive Taco Bell to record profits. The product line has sold over 1.5 billion tacos since launch and remains one of Taco Bell's most popular menu items.
The Secret Sauce: What Makes Co-Branded Products Work
Find Your Brand Soulmate - The best collaborations happen between brands that share similar values or target audiences, even if their products are completely different. Crocs and Krispy Kreme both celebrate joy and indulgence. Supreme and Oreo both have cult followings obsessed with limited releases.
Embrace the Unexpected - Some of the most successful co-branded products come from completely unexpected pairings. When consumers see something they never imagined, it creates genuine surprise and delight that translates into social media gold.
Make It Limited - Scarcity drives desire. Limited-edition co-branded products create urgency and exclusivity that can turn a simple purchase into a must-have cultural moment.
Tell a Story - Great co-branded products don't just combine features – they combine narratives. The Travis Scott meal wasn't just food; it was a story about authenticity and personal taste.
Common Co-Branding Mistakes That Kill the Buzz
Forced Partnerships: When collaborations feel purely commercial rather than authentic, consumers can sense the cash grab from miles away.
Mismatched Audiences: Partnering with a brand whose customers have nothing in common with yours is like trying to mix oil and water – it just doesn't work.
Over-Complication: The best co-branded products are elegantly simple. When you have to explain why the collaboration makes sense, it probably doesn't.
Ignoring Social Media: In today's world, a co-branded product launch without a social media strategy is like throwing a party and forgetting to send invitations.
Measuring Success Beyond Sales Numbers
While sales figures are important, successful co-branded products create value that extends far beyond immediate revenue:
Brand Health: Track changes in brand perception, awareness, and consideration among both customer bases
Social Engagement: Monitor mentions, shares, user-generated content, and overall conversation volume
Cultural Impact: Assess whether the product becomes part of broader cultural conversations or trends
Customer Acquisition: Measure how many new customers each brand gains through the collaboration
Long-term Loyalty: Evaluate whether the collaboration strengthens existing customer relationships
The Future of Co-Branded Products
As consumers become increasingly sophisticated and brands fight for attention in crowded markets, co-branded products will likely become even more creative and unexpected. We're already seeing collaborations that span industries, cultures, and even generations.
The brands that will win are those that understand co-branding isn't just about combining products – it's about combining cultures, stories, and communities in ways that create genuine value and joy for consumers.
The Bottom Line
Co-branded products represent one of the most powerful tools in modern marketing because they tap into something fundamental about human nature: we love surprises, we love stories, and we love being part of something special.
When Crocs partnered with Krispy Kreme, they weren't just making shoes that looked like donuts. They were creating moments of joy, conversation starters, and reasons for people to smile. When Supreme made red Oreos, they weren't just selling cookies. They were selling the thrill of exclusivity and the satisfaction of being in on the joke.
The most successful co-branded products don't just combine features – they combine feelings. They make people feel clever for getting the reference, lucky for snagging a limited edition, and excited to be part of something bigger than themselves.
In a world where consumers are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages every day, co-branded products cut through the noise by being genuinely interesting, inherently shareable, and undeniably fun. And in the attention economy, fun isn't just nice to have – it's the ultimate competitive advantage.
