We Fixed It, You're Welcome - Brand Collabs: Overplayed or Worth the Hype?

Episode Date: June 16, 2026

Brand collaborations are everywhere right now. But for every Swatch x AP with overwhelming demand, there are examples like Nike x Tiffany that leave everyone wondering why those brands aligned. In this episode, Aaron, Melissa, and Chino break down the biggest brand collabs in recent history, figure out what separates the legendary ones from the cautionary tales, and build a framework to predict which ones will actually work. What We Cover Why brands are obsessed with collabs and why consumers are starting to get tired of them The Swatch x Audemars Piguet launch that caused mall shutdowns and $25,000 resale prices What makes a collab feel culturally necessary versus just a marketing stunt Nike x Air Jordan — how the original celebrity collab still dominates decades later Nike x Tiffany — two iconic brands, one massive execution failure Adidas x Yeezy — $2 billion made, a very public breakup, and why Adidas is still profiting Pepsi x Kendall Jenner — what happens when a brand collab completely misreads the room Supreme x Louis Vuitton — the collab that redefined streetwear and luxury forever McDonald's Happy Meal collabs — why they keep getting it right over and over HM and Target designer drops — when doing collabs too often kills the excitement The secondary resale market — is it a bug or a feature of a great collab? Aaron's risk framework for predicting whether a brand collab will succeed or fail The Collab Risk Framework (Our Fix) Formalize the unofficial — if customers are already doing it themselves, own it. Lowest risk, built to last. (Taco Bell x Doritos) Combine shared capabilities — two brands each bring a unique strength the other doesn't have. When done right, something magnetic happens. (Swatch x AP, Supreme x LV) Shared audience + shared sensibility — the Venn diagram has to be big enough. If it's too small, the market will tell you the hard way. (Nike x Tiffany failed this test) Curation and scarcity — making something too available kills the desire. The limited nature has to be real and protected. Brands and Collabs Mentioned Swatch x Audemars Piguet (AP) Nike x Air Jordan Nike x Tiffany Adidas x Yeezy (Kanye West) Pepsi x Kendall Jenner Supreme x Louis Vuitton McDonald's x Cactus Plant Flea Market McDonald's x Korean Demon Hunters McDonald's x Pokemon, Beanie Babies, Minions HM x Balmain Target x Kate Spade, Diane von Furstenberg, Karl Lagerfeld, Mossimo Coca-Cola x Oreo Pepsi x Peeps Nike x Toy Story 5 J.Crew x Costco Key Takeaways Scarcity is the most powerful tool in a brand collab. If everyone can get it, nobody wants it. The Venn diagram of your two audiences has to be big. A small overlap means a small result. Execution matters as much as the idea. A great concept with poor delivery (Nike x Tiffany) will still fail. Doing collabs too frequently kills the excitement. The magic is in the rarity. Celebrity collabs carry more risk than brand-to-brand collabs. Brands are predictable. People are not. The secondary resale market is now a built-in part of any major collab launch. Brands need a plan for it. Connect With the Show Subscribe for more deep dives where we fix big business problems with fresh perspectives. • Website – www.wefixeditpod.com • Follow us on: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wefixeditpod LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/wefixeditpod YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@WeFixedItPod If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends! Keep listening to find out how we fix companies and put them back better than we found them. Disclaimer A quick disclaimer. We are going into this somewhat cold and nothing we say should be construed as legal advice, financial advice or anything that would get us in trouble. These are our views and opinions. We’re here to ask the kinds of questions everyone’s thinking, have an engaging conversation and maybe come to some conclusions that we feel are worth exploring. By the end, if we fixed it, you’re welcome. All trademarks, IP and brand elements discussed are property of their respective owners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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along for the ride, and we try to put them back better than we found them. Let's call this out. A brand on its own can get a little stale. Even if you're a fan or a loyal customer, once you buy what they have to sell, you might be good for a while. You might even start to tune that brand out. But guess what? Brands hate that. Brands want your attention 24-7. They crave it. They'll do anything for it. Enter brand collaborations, where one brand teams up with another brand to make something together. Suddenly, there's a spectacle. There's something new to see, and more importantly, something new to buy. Have I bought a Coca-Cola that tastes like an Oreo?

Yes. Have I bought Oreos that tastes like Coca-Cola? Also, yes. Don't judge, so did a lot of people. But for every brand crossover that makes an impact, there are dozens of tryhards that just don't connect, or they seem to exist just for the novelty and shock factor. And now every brand out there seems to be pairing up with every other brand. Well, she know Melissa and I are going to try to figure out why some brand crossovers are successful

and how to keep the next one because there will be a next one from becoming a cautionary tale. That's going to be our fix. And in order to do that, we're going to need to know more. Melissa, what do you have for us? Well, brand collaborations became powerful because they offer surprise, access, and social currency all at once. In fashion, for example, sneakers, food, and luxury collabs have evolved from rare crossovers into a standard marketing playbook, so consumers can now recognize that formula fairly quickly. That's where the fatigue starts. Brand fatigue research indicates that over exposure can reduce trust and engagement. And broader advertising fatigue research shows that people become apathetic when brands repeat the same tactics too often.

So Swatch's Royal Pop launch shows that a collab can still defauch. by the odds. Swatch said the watch was sold only in selected stores starting May 16th, 2026, and Reuters reported that the watches were priced around $400 to $420, which is really high for a first watch, with complete sets later selling for over $25,000 on Stock X, which is resale. The launch created a complete scene, too. It was reported that about 20 of Swatch's 220 global stores experienced complete chaos. I know that happened in my state. Coverage from other outlets described crowds, closure, store level disruptions, you know, the lines were just flooding the malls, you couldn't even get in, that kind of thing. That said, the longer term question, I think,

is whether Swatch really created that lasting brand value or just short-term noise. And I think, Aaron, you just mentioned that. You know, CNN reported that the collab produced huge attention and a market pulse, but the real test is whether it deepens loyalty and future demand and mostly feeds, does it just mostly feed resale, which is really what is doing right now and create a spectacle. Swatch isn't the only one that changed the game. Supreme and Louis Vuitton made streetwear and luxury feel like a cultural event. McDonald's and Cactus plant flea market turn nostalgia and scarcity into a real moment. H&M has designer collabs. I know Target has done this. designer collabs that making fashion feel both accessible and exclusive at the same time.

And who hasn't had one of the Dorito version tacos at Taco Belt, right? So again, there are collabs at work. Each has worked for different reasons. And it's also not just to make chaos. So the real question is, how do brands break through when consumers have seen the playbook too many times? How do you create something fresh, meaningful? and worth caring about again. And panel, let's talk about it. I'm sure I know Chino, I know you have thoughts. Erin, you as well.

I will say, I think that the swatch times AP collab is brilliant. You know, we talk a lot about brand fatigue over these like marketing kind of, it feels like a scheme. But this one hit. And I think the reason is because AP watches, you know, they can run up to $500,000. So they are, it's not even like a Rolex, which again, I wouldn't mind a Rolex. It is way, way, way, way out of read for the everyday person. And so when Swatch was able to bring in one of the most luxury brand as a watch for a collab,

this is why I think it went bananas in terms of the public like need and want for this. you see in the malls and just like the mayhem that it created. And I think that again, for Swatch, it definitely increased, you know, sales deeply, right? Swatch is now a name in the last two or three weeks. I kind of forgot about Swatch and it's come back. And I think it's been an incredible marketing strategy for them. As we mentioned, not everyone hits, but I think this, they've done it right. and I would love to kind of dive deep into the why because not everybody is able to do

collapse the same way with the same punch. Yeah, I think that like the interesting thing about swatch too is like brands need to measure these things more than just sales, right? And so I think, you know, you brought a really great point in that, you know, these were two brands that have fundamentally the same foundation, which is watches, right? So really what Swatch and AP need to look at is the sell-through, the brand lift, the repeat purchase intent, you know, the media quality, whether the collab really created that right kind of secondary market signal, which it has. The point is to know whether you've created more than just a moment, but kind of a relationship and more than just a spike that, you know, a viral moment that's going to go away. So that raw sellout and frenzy mattered at swatch.

They showed demand, but the more strategic question is whether that will help to build upon the heat and the right audience to kind of get swatch going. And I think that swatch is really trying to reinvent itself over time because I actually have a swatch and I love it. And I've had swatches for many, many years since the very beginning. And I think that they, I have seen them get more sophisticated in their, you know, it used to be the plastic $20 watch that you could, you know, throw away kind of feeling, like throw away fashion. And I love that over time, you know, it's gotten, like I said, more sophisticated in the mechanism, in the, in the materials and in these partnerships. This partnership was huge, Chino, to your point, because this is, I'm a. an item that is so scarce in terms of the ability for the normal consumer to actually purchase, that they have done an amazing job by really kind of creating a frenzy around like,

look it, we just took the highest brand watch and we're creating something different. And like, you know, it was mayhem here in my city. You know, like, you know, they had to actually shut the entire mall down because people broke in trying to line before the mall was even open, right? So it would, you know, I was like, wow, like, you know, and when I look at it, I was like, okay, but I wasn't like, personally, I was like, wow, that's something I really want. I, you know, I actually, there are other swatches that I actually preferred. But I think that that's a, it's a great thing that it will get people looking at swatches in a different way. Yeah, Melissa, I remember those, the plastic swatches,

from like elementary school days. But even then it seemed to be like there was such a variety of designs. And, you know, yeah, they were cheaper and more of a more of a accessible price point, which made it appealing for kids. But like I said, there was a variety of designs. There wasn't quite a scarcity. But, you know, there was an appeal to, wait, you have that one and I've got this one. And there was comparisons.

And I can't get the one that you have. You know what I mean? Like it wasn't a scarcity necessarily. But the sheer variety. variety made each one feel like kind of its own, its own unique, ownable keepsake or, you know what I mean? Like wearable art or something. There was some kind of cachet to it, even back in the day.

So pairing up with another company that has just that elevation and that out of reach aspect, it kind of makes sense. Like there's something inherently correct to this one. And I would say, too, just to add on that, Aaron, like what I love about this collection, going back to what you were talking about, the different colors, they emulated that. So it still remains swatch to its core where it's like, you know, you can have, you know, I can be a blue, you can be a yellow, you can be a red, like you had the variety. And then you paired that with the luxury scarcity mindset that AP brings.

And so I think for both brands, because again, I know everyone's focused on swatch and it's, you know, bringing swatch back. But for AP, you got to ask, you know, why would they, you know, this huge luxury unattainable watch, you know, for the CEO there, is it cheapening your brand? And I don't think this does that. I think for both brands, it actually played really, really well because you had the scarcity, again, and that's what the hype is. There's only a few of these release. They're probably not going to do another one of these. So again, the resale market is, I'm sure, going to continue to skyrocket for AP, and that's what they do. But then again, you stay true to the swatch

brand of the colors and the collection. And so I think, again, you know, 10 out of 10 across the board. Yeah, well, and that's the worst case scenario, you know, like of a brand collab is you both come out looking worse for it, you know, if people realize swatch can't go up market, and then they drag another company down with them, and then all of a sudden it just seems too attainable and they lose their premium aspect, then they diluted both brands. So that's what everybody is, that would enter into this kind of partnership would be cautioned about is, you know, what's the ultimate effect of this and what, let's play out the worst case scenario. You know, what happens if this goes horribly wrong?

Because we've seen it go horribly wrong. Well, and also the idea around repeating the playbook too often, right? I think that's one of the things that it's interesting because I think about Target and its partnerships with designers. Like the first time it did the Mossimo brand, a collab, and that, That was like the same type of thing where it was selling out immediately. They've done Kate Spay. They've done Diane Von Furseberg.

And now they're still doing those things. But I feel like there's less engagement. I know Target has its own issues anyway. But I think that like I don't really hear about people like getting up at 4 a.m. to get like that scarf. And I have to say I was one of those people to get that scarf because I wanted it. But like now, if you look, they're continually doing like two or three collabs a year, like big ones. And I wonder if it's kind of gotten to a point where it's a little tired.

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I think too, like for Swatch, it was the novelty of this of this collab, which is why people are running because they're like, oh, this may never happen again. And I hope it doesn't, at least for maybe they do it every 10 years or something just to like bring it back. But when you look at Target and these very specific luxury items, like other places as well, it gets boring. It gets trite. You know, you see it with shoes sometimes too. It's like you'll collab with even a celebrity or an influencer, you know, hair products and all of these different things. And it's great. But as a consumer, it doesn't make it stand out than anything else because it's just the same product.

that are pushed just within, you know, this marketing, you know, rap of it's a collab. But, you know, when you look at going back to Target, if it's three times a year, you're not like, okay, I'm going to rush to get it. It'll probably still be there after this opens up. And I think there's the other piece there, too, that having it always on doesn't always work. When these collabs started, you know, with the big X between a brand and our brand, there's something that felt like taboo or transgressive about it. like, wait, are we allowed to do this?

Because brands used to be such a fixed entity. You know, and yes, you could go to McDonald's and get a McFlurry and there'd be Oreos or Eminems on it. But you didn't think of that about that as a big, I've got to be aware, hyper aware as a consumer and as a fan of these brands that they're doing this collaboration. But then you see, you know, Pepsi did a line of Pepsi with peeps, you know, the marshmallow Easter peeps flavor, you know, and they've got to do a big push on that like we all have to know that Pepsi and peps are together whether we buy it or not

that's up to us but it's when it's happening with that frequency and that regularity like the swatch thing like you said maybe is a once once every 10 years they can't overwrite it and we're all going to run out and buy a swatch for 10 times more than we typically buy it all the time but something like a Pepsi or a Taco Bell like you mentioned they have to do these now that the the playbooks out there. They kind of have to do these always on, we're going to shock you again. Guess who we're partnering with. It's just, it's part of the standard marketing playbook now. Yeah. And I also think it's really focusing on real customers and what they want and what they're looking for. So that customer insight is so important, especially when you're trying to build

these collaborations and not just partnering with people, just ring them. And I'm not saying that any of those are random. They're very obviously well thought out. But the strongest collabs have a reason, right? The why of why they exist, a clear point of view, a post-launch plan probably that turns that attention into that loyalty and that community and also kind of can have this repetitive behavior. I think that a good test about whether a collaboration will still make sense is if you removed all the hype. Swatch worked because it combined status, scarcity, design in a way that created that real moment. But again, the longer term value question is whether the brand is going to be able to continue to convert that. And I believe it will in a moment into trust and future

demand. Because I think that what it has done is open that door to folks that maybe were on the higher end of the watch, you know, having a watch as an accessory and, you know, investment. we could do a whole podcast on that. There's a whole group of those folks that will then start exploring the swatches. And like, Aaron, to your point, being able to get your hands on a swatch that we had in high school is probably worth a lot of money these days, right? You know, I have a funny swatch story on my honeymoon. This is a long time ago, 35 years ago. My husband and I both had swatches.

We thought, you know, we're backpacking. around Europe, you don't want to have something that could get stolen. And we were in Rome and a guy tried to take the watch off my husband's arm and like would not let go of his arm while we were walking. You know, we were walking around. And I was like, what is he trying to get? Like he not his wallet. You know, it was the swatch. So, you know, I think it, they have created more of a moment. And this is a collab that will probably benefit them just. as much as, you know, I'm not sure AP needs it. To your point, you know, that, you know, they're selling these huge watches. But, you know, it also brings a whole different marketplace to them, right? So, obviously, Swatch and AP have done a really great job.

But I want to talk about a brand that we know and love that is renowned for all of their collaborations, Nike. You know, we look at their collaboration with Michael Jordan that is still going strong. Like my entire existence, you know, people. have been running for the different Jordans and you know this Nike is a brand that you know historically speaking has done collaborations well but they missed and back in 2023 they did a collaboration with Tiffany which a lot of consumers and fans were really excited about Nike similar to Swatch you know for the everyday person attainable pricing Tiffany's again

very luxury, it can go slightly attainable to hyper luxury. And so for a lot of fans, they were excited to see these two come together. And, you know, when you had the beautiful Tiffany Blue Box,

everybody was excited. I remember watching many TikTok videos and, you know, unwrapping videos of the box. And, you know, the problem was that was as good as it got. The actual execution of the shoe really fell flat.

You had the iconic Nike Air Jordans with a tiny little Tiffany Blue swoosh and a silver tag. And it just, you know, people were like, this tiny little swoosh was what we were paying all this money for and what we were hyped about. And, you know, again, for both brands, not great. it actually filled miserably. And I don't think they're going to collaborate again. And it just reminds us of the need to make sure that when we are doing these collaborations, that the execution and standards still needs to be held by both brand. And so I'm not sure if it was on the Nike side or if it was Tiffany side,

but it was a big miss. And I think if they did more focus groups, you know, anyone would have looked at it and said, we need more Tiffany Blue. that's what we're paying for. That's a collab. And so, yeah, example of not a great collab. Yeah, they tried. You have to keep trying. But like mostly, I think that's interesting, but most of what you were saying about the intersection of consumers like with Taco Bell. Like it probably, I bet they did their market research, but it probably wasn't that bigger reach to figure that Taco Bell customers also like Doritos. So maybe that Venn diagram is pretty big.

You know, with Tiffany and Nike, maybe not so big. You know, maybe they found out the hard way once it was out in the universe, but maybe it's a much smaller overlap than they wanted to expect, even if trending or market signals dictated otherwise, like sometimes you have to go full-fledged into a launch and drop it and then say, who's picking it up? And people don't. Like, there's questions to ask on the other side of it.

But yeah, you have to try. Well, and, you know, I think that you, you know, I love that you brought this up as kind of one of those failed collabs. And I think it is true because, like, Aaron, the Venn diagram of Tiffany and Nike, it's very small. Right. And so they had the sneaker, you know, with the little swoosh, with the blue. Okay. Great.

That's Nike. And then they also had, I think they also had two other items that I recall seeing somewhere, like a whistle. like a silver yeah silver tag like it was like a tag silver tag yeah and silver plated whistle which is very Tiffany-esque but like is that really

something that a Nike customer you know really wants you know you got soccer moms and you know I'm not really sure that that was the right type of collab that but sports collabs have always worked well when there's like celebrity attachment

and the question is also when that goes south because of something happening. Like we can definitely talk about Yeezy, Kanye West, and Adidas, one of the most successful collabs for Adidas ever. They said they get over $2 billion off of that. And then when he started going off the rails for all his different reasons and they broke up, you know, it was, you know, it was unfortunate because it really was something that they could not have foreseen.

I think that when they, you know, came together, he had his own clothing line. He was, he's still one of the most popular rappers out there. He's a, he's a huge celebrity, and he brought a lot to them and made Adidas streetwear seem very hit, very cool, right? And he, you know, sold out all of his stuff. So I think that's one of those interesting collabs

where, you know, you don't even realize what's around the corner. And something can really devastate that in the long run. And it's that sour note that it ends with, right? You know, so I'm sure Edegis is like, oh, maybe we should stick to sports people, right? You know, or, you know, even though sports people are not without, you know, their own issues as well. So, again, I feel like that's a weird collab that was very successful and then kind of broke apart really in the public that. I got to jump in you too because it's actually this one is a interesting one and you know

I would say with Yeezy put Adidas back on the map they were dying they were falling they best ever and what was interesting yes he was going through what he was going through he's a human being and people forget about that but um what's interesting and I think that again going back to your point Melissa on you know when you're working with humans you never know really what to expect right life happens things happens things happen happen, there's that aspect of it. And there's always a risk involved. But with the Adidas brand and partnership, what was interesting, even after the breakup,

they were still selling that stock really well. So for Adidas, actually, even after all of the, you know, quote unquote, like the drama around it, they were still making bank on, on, on, on, on, on, so it's an interesting one where, yes, they broke up, but the collaboration has still gone in. They're actually looking to release some unreleased, unreleased things back in 2026. Again, contractually, I don't know how that works when you break up with somebody from a collab, but Edithis is still profiting off of Kanye West. So that's just an interesting note on that. But I want to talk about another, you know, going into the similar family of Pepsi and Kendall Jenner, right? And so that was,

an interesting collab where, again, time and place and reading the room is always very important. And, you know, it was the time of 2020, a lot of civil unrest, you know, when it comes to things like Black Wise Matter, particularly in the U.S. and there was this ad, and I'm sure everyone is, our listeners have seen this, but just if you haven't, you know, it was Kendall Jenner, you know, at a protest and there were two different sides. and she picks up the Pepsi and says, you know, we should all just drink a Pepsi and everything should be fine, right? And there was huge backlash with that. It really did hurt Pepsi's numbers for Kendall Jenner as well.

She had to take a pause and it was quite hurtful because again, she's again still at the top of her game, but there was a lot of hate that came from that. And understandably, so when it comes to. just the lack of awareness in the room. And so I think that's a really good example of, you know, it hurt both brands. And obviously, they've all been able to recover since. But it was one that was incredibly insightful because there were not many collapse happening because it was also deep in COVID. Yeah. If I remember right, we had a guest that was associated with that commercial and out of a long track record of very successful other endeavors and they said yeah we we messed up

we were really wrong and they owned it um but yeah that that was it was totally off everything about it was off and we could do a whole other spin-off episode about the risk of just a celebrity endorser you know one person whether they're an influencer they are a celebrity like people like you said you know people have issues and people can be problematic for any number of reasons or they could just fell out of fashion in the moment. And then all of a sudden you put your entire stock into somebody that has no cultural currency anymore. So there's a lot of danger there versus maybe like these brand collab where if a brand's

been around for a good while or they've been around for decades and they're a name and you're a name, you know, maybe there's a little bit less risk there. Maybe less reward too, but potentially, but less risk in hitching your wagon to another established company where if it goes well. you all ride the way. But if it doesn't go well, you go back to business as usual. And people say, okay, that was an experiment. This episode is brought to you by L'Oreal Group.

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Just style you love and quality you can trust. Visit wayfair.ca.cair, every style, every home. Yeah, I think that's why from a CX perspective, I really focus on that you have to have your finger on the pulse of the consumer. So I think like one of the most positive and successful collabs would be Supreme and Louis Vuitton. And I think that that's a landmark collaboration because a fused street wear, which is super hot right now, right? And always has been, well, not always has been, but has been in the last generation. with luxury status, which in of itself, luxury status is his own thing, right?

And so it wasn't that it wasn't a shock at the time. It kind of was, right, because Supreme was kind of this like streetwear brand. And you think of Louis Vuitton and all the high fashion models and celebs that, you know, you know, kind of front that. But it created this really huge cultural moment. It helped to find a modern collab as something of its own, its own spectacle in this era. And I think it also lends to where Louis Vuitton is now. If I'm not incorrect, isn't Farrell their one of their head design. He's the creative director. Right. How did we go here to at this point where Farrell, this amazing musician and you know, is now, and producer is now, you know, here at the House of Louis Vuitton, right?

So, again, I feel like that is kind of keeping in the moment. And one of the things that I think we've said on this podcast so frequently about so many companies and so many areas around brand, around fixing things, is that you have to know your audience. And it's amazing to me that people don't really know what's going on. And, you know, like, I even think that probably Taco Bell had somebody on social media who saw, you know, people are putting Doritos in their tacos, right? You know what I mean? Like, so why aren't we doing that? And I think that's how some of these things come about is like, do you know what's going on out there? That's really something that could actually help you as a company. And I think that's where, you know, these collabs that do well, you know, again, I think. think the Yeezy and Adidas, Adidas needed something to get it out of its rut to your point, Chino, right? And they say, even after this broken relationship, 10% of their profits come from

Yeezy, Yeezy branded. And so that is amazing. Like so again, even though that was a failed partnership in the sense that like they broke up, it wasn't a failure for Adidas at all. No, not at all. And I think there's also another insight that I want to touch on too. And we talked about Supreme and Louis Vuitton. And there's an interesting. So Supreme as a brand, they were the anti-marketing. It was all about, you know, the skate culture, streetwear, where there were the drops. So again, it created a level of scarce to be the same thing with AP.

Not everybody can buy a 500K watch, right? And I think it's brilliant. If you're a brand that is a little more accessible, quote, unquote, quote, and if you're able to connect with something where it feels scarce, and I think why Louis Vuitton and Supreme, it was such a successful collaboration, is because Supreme brought the drops, Louis Vuitton but the luxury, and it provided an opportunity for consumers who, again, when we look at the Venn diagram, overlapped definitely a lot because of the scarcity and the luxury,

but I do think it built well for both brands. And you know, you go back to Swatch where, yeah, it's, you know, connecting to a brand like AP where you're able to create a moment

that people want and they feel like if I don't get it, I'm never going to get it. So I better, you know, spend $400 now and have something that I know in two or three years is going to resell so much further. And,

you know, now we're all going to be looking at Swatch in the same way. Louis Vuitton, you know, outside of their collaboration with Supreme and, you know, bringing on Farrell, who was, again, one of the first celebrities who really put Supreme on, you know, there is a connection there. So I think it's really insightful. And that scarcity is something that brands need to look at. Yeah. And Farrell makes sense. He's a style icon. And, you know, he's a trendsetter. So why not, you know, professionally bring him in and say, okay, you're in charge. That's, we talk about natural things. versus unnatural effects. That one works. And then Nike, the Air Jordan, and they made a movie, obviously it works and still working. But Nike's also doing, I saw a collab, I think it's Nike, with Toy Story 5. So you have adult size, they're adult size shoes that are, they look like Toy Story. Do we need it? People are going to probably line up and buy them, but was the market

asking for that, or is it something that is fabricating a moment, you know? Is it a, And is it just for resale? Is it going to propel the resale market? I feel like, you know, who's probably been the best at this is McDonald's. That's just real about collapse. So McDonald's uses these moments in time so well for their happy meals, right? Like every happy meal has a little prize in it. And the prize is relevant to the, to whatever.

And it's usually a collab with a movie. you know, Pokemon, whatever it might be, you know, and all of a sudden, you've got like people, my age,

who are out there buying happy meals because they want that one Pokemon, right? You know, and it's so funny because I've seen a lot of that on TikTok and things like that.

And I do think that they've gotten that right where it makes sense that they have these types of things in that collab, and they do it. And it's not just the toy, right?

It's not just a thing. But I know when they did, for example, they did a collab with the Korean demon hunters, right? And so they have like the two different sides had two different happy meals. So you could order one from the demon hunters. You could order the other one, which I forgot what that was. And they were different meals. One had chicken nuggets. One had a hammer, right, you know, whatever it might have been.

And they had different types of things and different boxes. And so again, I think that there's, there is a playbook to collaborations and how you actually, you know, do that. And, you know, to be fair, McDonald's is constantly every month. It's a new collab, right? And it and it's not just adding a toy or adding a sticker or, you know, a washable tattoo or whatever it into the box. It's actually looking at how can we make this an event, right? Yeah. So they're actually kind of leaning into, and that's across all consumers, right?

I think most people can afford to go to McDonald's. Yeah. And speaking of the moments, it's like creating collectibles, right? Like, you know, they did back in the day, I remember like Beanie babies when they were there and like the mini ones. And, you know, going back to like when I was in like high school age and the Minion movie came out and everyone was like going to McDonald's. I remember and getting all of these different. minions. And I know a friend that still has theirs on their keychain. And I remember we were out and about the park and someone was like, hey, is this a minion from back of the day? And it's

again, it's bringing subcultures together, which I think is also really important. And I think again, looking at that then diagram and seeing where it makes sense, McDonald's, you got an easy layup there because it's, you know, centered around children's movies and toys and what's in with the kids where with swatch and AP, you know, you're looking at who was buying swatches and who's talking so many rap songs, you know, pop smoke, you know, Kanye West and Jay-Z, you know, talking about their AP. So that's really what brought kind of the brand to like the everyday person in terms of the knowledge of them and now being able to bridge that, brilliant. Again, going back to Supreme and Louis Vuitton. And I think,

I think if you have that scarcity, going back to the playbook, you have the right insight as to like, would this make sense for our customers? I want to work for you too. And let's partner together there. And let's, you know, have a little date and see what happens here. And then also, like you said, Aaron, jumping in, right? You can't do it halfsies. Go out. Tiffany's.

Maybe try it again with Nike. More blue. Listen to what the customers are wanting. But I think clubs can be brilliant when they're not. not overdone. So let me ask you, because I've started to categorize the things we're talking about, and I'll bring that to the conversation in a minute. But when you take something that's, let's say, ultra luxury and something that's ultra attainable, and you mix those two together, at what point is it enough to own a little piece of something luxury? And you're good, you're good,

right? You check a box versus you become a consumer for that new luxury item. Does it, does it dematriculate? it like does it matter that they sold you something but do you you know what i mean like you got a little taste of louis baton because it was baked into something else are you good now or are you primed as a new potential target acquisition customer for louis baton like is that the start of your customer journey i would say you know louis baton like so you know McDonald's is really great because that's really a price point for everybody right that's what their whole business is built on where Libetton still is a luxury item. Even Supreme, their pricing is quite high.

But I want to talk about things like, you know, March, J, or not H&N, and their different collabs with various luxury retail items. And I remember when they did one with Balman, which again, out of reach, you know, for the everyday person. And I remember I was at, I just happened to be shopping at H&M. And I was like, why is it so crazy? And it was the,

It was the collab drop day. And I, you know, I didn't get someone took it from my hand, but there was this beautiful dress that I was like, wow, like I understand why. And, you know, maybe I wouldn't have been able to afford it at the time. Now, if I were to, you know, get my hands on a Belmont and if it was like, I'm going to, you know, maybe I have a wedding or, you know, a huge event, I'd probably would, you know, because I had a chance to touch it and feel it because I was never shopping there. And, you know, from that perspective, maybe it's not the customer right now, but maybe five or ten years down the line. Yeah, I do think it can start the customer journey there. Yeah, I was going to add to that, Chino, because I was thinking about like Target and M, for example, Carl Lagerford had a really successful drop there as well, is does it diminish the value of that brand in that house? versus it makes H&M look better.

It makes Target look way better, right? You know what I mean? But does it diminish, you know, like the brand itself? Like, I just wonder about like how careful those brands want to be because they don't want to end up being kind of like mid. Yeah. Part of what they are is, yeah, because, you know, you're like, you need to have an appointment to go in and buy, you know, this, whatever, you know,

it's not like just walking into H&M, right? Yeah, they can over dilute and get too accessible. And it's not quite a collab, but when you can bet buy J.Crew at Costco, you know, it's a different play. You're going mass market. And it doesn't mean you'll get the top of the line, J.Crew, whatever that is. You'll get, you know, the mass, mass produced J.Crew, the most mass produced thing they can make. But again, that might be smart.

That might be an entry point to say, well, okay, I got that one button up shirt at Costco. Now I like J. Crew. I didn't know. Let me go check out the J.Crew store. And you got me as a customer. It's someone who might never set foot in a J.Crew store on their website. And then something was put in front of them. And now you're training that customer behavior.

Yeah. And I like the idea also that like I think that when I've seen it work well, is when the collection is very curated, right? So it's very specific and it's very, it's probably pretty specific in that like, that's not something you're going to find in the actual store of Gucci or whatever. You know what I mean?

You're going to find it maybe at age and M, but you're not going to find it anywhere else. Like, because it's, you know, they're trying, they are trying to keep some separateness to that, to that actual brand. but again, I do, I was wondering about that because I did see like there were some real successful drops at H&M and I was like, H&M gets its own, you know, we can talk about fast fashion and everybody like that, you know, about that as well. But like, we're talking about collabs here. And I'm

like, you know, I feel like that's where you have to be super intentional about how you collab and what, you know, pieces you're going to drop so that, you know, Chino, you. you know, now you're like, huh, I never thought that maybe I would participate, you know, in this sort of way and actually purchase something from them or rented, you know, or whatever it might be. And I just going on that, and I think the solution is, because it's the question to everyone is like, AP, why? Why do this collaboration? And it's exactly the key here is the scarcity. You're making a swatch an AP only. It becomes a collectible item. Those minions were. collectible only to McDonald's and that's it and so because of that scarcity over time the hope like my Beanie Baby's sitting in my basement hopefully they're going to accrue some value there

it becomes more value and more valuable in the resale market and I think that is the play for AP and for swatch and it's the want to hit an AP and maybe you'll never get there but you You can taste it a little bit. And for AP, it's giving the mass market just a little taste. And it's also that collectible that, you know, again, it's not changing, I think, their bottom line. But it's, are we talking about Rolex? Are we talking about Petit Philippe? No, we're talking about APs right now.

So I think from both perspectives, again, still very brilliant. Well, okay. Yes, I buy that for sure. Let's fix it. I've been keeping track of everything we've been saying. I'm going to put these in some kind of categorization, and I'm going to try to put them in terms of risk management. And we can talk about reward too, but let's categorize the types of collaborations we're talking about.

So I'd say number one, the no-brainer one is formal, we'll call it formalizing something unofficial. Like Melissa, you were saying, okay, people put chips in there. They bring in their own chips for Taco Bell. and their Doritos, we're going to actually own that. You know, smores, we're going to own that we're going to create smores bars. We're going to do something that you like salsa on your chips. We're giving you salsa chips. You know, it's putting ownership around something that already exists and saying,

great, you do this. Now it's sanctioned. It's an official collab. Come get it. I think that's the lowest risk, probably the lowest excitement maybe, but it's built to last. then I would go to something, Chino, you were saying like shared capabilities. So we're really great at drops and instantaneous demand and scarcity. We're really great at high-end luxury.

Why don't we combine our strengths together and see what we can come up with? I think that we've seen that play out time and again where that seems to work, where you take two compatible areas of expertise that no one company owns but together they become a powerhouse. And if they put that together, there's something magnetic happens and people are drawn to it. Then I would go to,

like a shared, if there's a shared audience, the Venn diagram, and or a shared sensibility, you're getting into more of a risk. You know, you're pretty, you're looking at maybe market tests

and social signals and stated behaviors, but are that, you, when you mix the two together and say, come buy it, are they actually going to? A shared audience helps, a shared brand sensibility and brand aesthetic,

and here's what we stand for helps. The two together helps to minimize the risk factor, but still there's something the market has to tell you whether it works once it's out. And then, so hopefully you have both. And then staying with the curated aspect of the collection, if it's too available and too accessible, then people aren't going to want it because it seems, especially if you take something that's on a,

attainable and make it very attainable. You just cannibalize your own, your own brand and your own company. So the curation matters, the scarcity matters. The only thing that I haven't accounted for and I don't know how to fix is how do you get these, these special items, if they're special, like really and they really have value and they're good. How do you get them in the hands of the people who really want them and will cherish them and not just drive a flourishing secondary market that's just wanting to. drive up prices and cash in. I don't have a fix for that. But, but, you know, with everything we're saying,

I think that's the right order for what we should be looking at in terms of collaborations. And if we can give some predictability to whether they work, I think that's the order we should be looking at that. Chino, what do you think about the fix? I think it's great. Again, you know, are you a dairy queen? Steady Eddie, you just want that Oreo, which please never get rid of. That's my very queen order. That's my go-to-one. You know, and I love that if you're going to do this constantly and it works that way, awesome. So there's that set of collab.

When we're talking about these, you know, never being done before collabs where you're bringing two brands and, you know, marrying them or taking them on a date for, you know, a few weeks or a month, I think what's going to make those brands and that collab last is the scarcity, the collectability of it all. Again, yes, the resale market is a part of that piece. And I think having that in your plan is important. And I think, you know, again, looking at the vendor diagram and seeing if it makes sense for your people and if it does on both ends, go for it and don't have asset when you do. I love it.

Melissa, what do you think? Did we fix it? I think we did. I think that you, I think that, again, understanding consumer insights, understanding what is. trending and what we have the palette for is really important. And I think that one of the things that I really do love is when people do take risks and that they, they create something that's unique and maybe a little bit of a surprise, but it's on trend to where things are going. And so I do think that when you've done that, you've created a strong narrative. You've

created a desire to be part of something and to purchase some product or service, that's the best way to move forward. I do think, Erin, you bring up a whole other thing that maybe we need to do a whole podcast on the secondary market because resale is huge right now. And I was laughing because I know we've talked about this ad nauseum, but like, you know, when you were talking about the resale, I was like, oh my God, it's almost like ticket master, right? You know, like we're having the same conversation about like, why are, you know, why are the bots buying everything? And, you know, and that's and, and the chaos that was created in those moments at the swatch stores, you know, really helped to create this like eruption of desire for this product, which was, is amazing.

But at the same time, now we're seeing it, you know, for sale, the $420 watch is now for sale for $20,000. on the second market, which gets to your point, Aaron, like, I could have gone and stood in line and then they shut them all down because there were so many people there, you know, and I didn't break in, so I don't get one. And so that is really disappointing. And I think that, you know, one of the things that I've researched, you know, other pundits have said that need to happen is somehow these brands actually collaborating also with the secondary market. And I understanding that that is actually something that's going on and not trying to fight it because

that is actually it is a thing right and so whether it's off you know making sure that it's authentic right like there's huge secondary market and then you can go buy something and then you find out it's not really a louie puton it's a blue photon you know i don't know proddo you know not prodda you know that kind of thing yeah so like Again, I feel like that's the kind of thing that, you know, again, maybe for another podcast, but I do think you bring up a watchout that is true. It ends up not being for everybody. Yeah, that would be a whole separate side topic is what to do about the secondary market.

And, you know, you don't want to make them go away. There's value, there's market value in resale. There's ecological reasons for keeping products around to fulfill their useful life. there's good, secondary markets out there, so let's not say go away, but we would need a whole separate conversation to figure out how to make them play

to play nice in this situation. Well, that's going to do it for our brand crossover edition. If we fixed it, you're welcome. You know, it occurred to me, we probably should have crossed over with another podcast for this one and brought some other people and they might have had more fixes for us,

but we may just have to revisit this topic again because, as I said, there's going to be more brand, collaborations. We didn't get to the stats, but the consumers like them, so they're just going to keep happening. And they won't all work. When they don't, those brands are going to need some help. And you know what we do. We just come in and fix them. To you, our listeners, our fixaholics, what's the most outrageous brand crossover you've been seeing lately? Let us know on social, where we fixed it pod. That's we fixed it pod. We can't wait to hear from you. And we will see you

next time. We hope you enjoyed this episode of We Fixed It, you're welcome. We go into every episode somewhat cold, and nothing we say should be construed as legal advice, financial advice, or anything that would get us in trouble. All trademarks, IP, and brand elements remain property of their respective owners.