Food-Inspired Make Up, Aspen Hotels, and Airbnb Listings... The Collabs Edition 🍩💄
Issue #16. A casual newsletter on the ever-evolving world of consumer brands and trends.
Today’s issue is all about the magic of a good brand collaboration ✨
I first noticed the power of collaborations back when I was working at YouTube. A friend had connected a pro athlete and a fishing channel for a video… and it went viral.
Despite having no personal interest in sports or fish, I couldn't help but bask in the brilliance of it all.
While it might be hard to replicate a winning collaboration like that of 2008 Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, today we’re looking at a couple recent of collabs that got it right:
Rhode Skincare x Krispy Kreme
Just a few weeks ago, Rhode, a skincare brand founded by Hailey Bieber, launched a playful collaboration with Krispy Kreme, the widely-known American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain.
The brands came together to launch a limited-edition strawberry glaze peptide lip treatment inspired by Krispy Kreme's iconic 🍓 strawberry glaze donut.
As if that wasn’t enough, Krispy Kreme also relaunched its strawberry glaze donut for the first time since 2021 as part of the collab.
The collaboration coincided with the close of summer and was promoted on social and through influencers. They sold the lip treatment at select Krispy Kreme stores and sold first-come-first-serve Rhode strawberry boxes (similar to the ones given out to influencers in PR packages) to the first 100-ish customers.
Now, why did this work? Believe it or not, the beauty industry is packed with talk of food… and much of that talk is about donuts 🍩. Achieving a perfect, dewy look is referred to as a “glazed donut.”
By partnering with Rhode, Krispy Kreme was not only able to align themselves with the beauty industry, but they were able to associate their brand with these references.
As for Rhode, this was their first collaboration with a brand. Krispy Kreme, on the other hand, is an expert in the collaboration game having partnered with brands from Nike, to Human Made, to most recently Barbie. And with each collab, having a track record for selling out.
When it comes to collaborations, this one is exactly what I want to see from brands. A perfect execution, a novel yet relevant idea, and a clear and simple message that feels authentic to each respective brand.
Hotel Lobby Candle x Hotel Jerome
The Hotel Lobby Candle (HLC), a brand aimed at recreating that luxury-hotel-feeling while at home, worked with Aspen’s legendary Hotel Jerome to roll out their limited-edition candle, aptly named "Aspen" that bottles up the bougie mountain town aura.
While this collaboration may seem expected, almost predictable, I was actually completely taken back by it.
HLC is a young brand that launched in the middle of the pandemic and has a strong fanbase (their first launch ever sold out in 24 minutes, without any advertising, PR, or VC funding 🤯). However, they had yet to partner with an actual hotel…
On the other hand, Hotel Jerome was founded by Jerome Wheeler, then co-owner of Macy's, and built to resemble great European hotels such as Claridge's in London and the George-V in Paris. The hotel has been one of the most prestigious landmarks of Aspen since 1889 with a brand that represents loyalty, elegance, and well… money.
Yet, despite their traditional roots, they’re not new to brand partnership (see: MaxMara and Lindsey Thornburg to name a few). But it was surprising to me that they not only collaborated with HLC, but also were their first hotel collaboration… don’t get me wrong, the candles are priced at $56 a pop, but they’re not the first candle that comes to mind when I think “luxury.”
Now, I must say that I have so much respect for HLC for pulling off this collaboration. I love seeing an independent, woman-led brand break into this space. And with this milestone moment, they’ve formally associated themselves with an established luxury name in the hospitality space… a move that opens the door to more collaborations like it.
The question still stands as to what’s in it for Hotel Jerome. While the details of the candle are perfect like using Hotel Jerome’s quintessential wallpaper on the boxes 🤌… there had to be more to it.
At first, I thought they wanted access to the HLB’s young, vibrant, chronically online audience… but then I saw the bigger play.
We’re currently seeing a surge in the fragrance space (see the last issue for a refresher). If you look up anything from “home scent” to “perfumes” on Google Trends, you’ll see them all growing in popularity.
So, this move wasn’t just a collaboration with a candle company for Hotel Jerome. With this collaboration, Hotel Jerome defined itself as the official scent of Aspen, the entire destination, and not just a hotel in it.
Overall, I love what they’ve done with the partnership, the only thing I would’ve done differently is upped the price of this one candle to really make it exude Hotel Jerome luxury and position it as an elevated holiday gift.
House of Sunny x Airbnb
Last but not least, we have London fashion brand and Instagram darling, House of Sunny pairing up with Airbnb to create an immersive space inspired by House of Sunny's latest collection and launched right on time for London Fashion Week.
House of Sunny is known for its bold designs, colorful knits, and celebrity-worn dresses. They have gotten a lot of attention for their ability to generate excitement online and develop a strong, distinguishable brand identity. And the space reflected exactly that.
As part of the collaboration, some influencers were invited to stay the night, others were invited to stop by and see the space, and on the last day, one lucky guest was able to book a one-night stay there.
I love it when brands create memorable retail experiences that let customers completely immerse themselves in the brands’ universe. And while this is just a pop-up, it’s a clever way for House of Sunny to let its customers experience its latest collection in a truly unique way.
But the question still stands: why did Airbnb have to be a part of this activation? Why wouldn’t House of Sunny create this space without involving Airbnb?
My guess is budget. Creating a space like this isn’t the most cost-effective… Airbnb on the other hand, has large marketing budgets and has shown success in helping brands create distinctive spaces, most recently with the Barbie and Ken Dream House.
For Airbnb, partnering with fun, trendy brands allows it to remain part of the cultural conversation while positioning itself as the place to find truly rare experiences.
One fun thing Airbnb could’ve done alongside this launch is recommend additional listings that are relevant to House of Sunny. For example, Sunny (House of Sunny founder and CEO) once said, “I personally love mid-century modern houses” - so why not recommend additional stays under a section titled: “Sunny-approved listings”? A small touch like this could keep the narrative and relevance around Airbnb and the activation going.
The ish:
Fishwife (whom I’ve written about and love- check out the issue on them) launched tinned fish tongs.
Gweneth Paltrow delivered this ad for Seed with blatant background noise.
The bizarre concept of Mixie and Munchie - peak internet culture right here 👈 AND they even promoted the Telfar x Melissa collaboration recently.
That’s all for now, friends. As always, if you enjoyed this newsletter, please give it a like below 💖
See you next time!
-Dani