A Match Made in Heaven

Cover Art by Eman Azrak

Partnership marketing! It’s a buzzword that is commonly used in the marketing world, but what does it mean? Partnership marketing is when two (or more) companies collaborate on a campaign to boost awareness while highlighting brand attributes. Partnership marketing is diverse and can be utilized to dream up crazy collaborations. However, it is unlikely that marketing experts could have predicted the seemingly unimaginable cross-over between Juicy Couture and Kraft Foods. 

The “Mayo Couture” campaign plays on the idea of smooth, luxurious textures– a common trait of both Kraft Real Mayo and Juicy Couture’s tracksuits. “Velvety smooth DNA is something that is important to Juicy Couture and Kraft Real Mayo, making this partnership an unexpected yet natural fit”, reveals Bailey Schaefer, Senior Manager of Brand Partnerships at Authentic Brands Group. As part of the promotion, MayoCouture went live offering a deep blue velour tracksuit, paying homage to Kraft’s iconic dark blue branding. The velour fabric is known for being incredibly plush and buttery, mimicking velveteen. A bedazzled tube top displaying the words, “Mayo Couture” is also included, along with your very own jar of Kraft Real Mayo, specially branded with Juicy’s iconic gothic font:

Source: MayoCouture

Kraft is no stranger to playing with textures. The popular food brand differentiates its mayonnaise by claiming to be the “smooth and creamy” choice, being whipped over 400 times. If you don’t want to take Kraft’s word, take a look at the reviews. A comments section on food retailer Ralphs reveals: 

The Comeback Kids

Juicy Couture is no stranger to partnership marketing, as the brand has gone to great lengths to reclaim its relevance after years of financial hardship and obscurity. At the brand’s conception, Juicy’s high-price point and popularity with celebrities awarded the brand luxury status. However, in tandem with the financial crisis of 2008, Juicy Couture struggled to profit. According to Business Insider’s “The Rise and Fall of Juicy Couture”, “Sales fell 100% year-over-year in 2009. In 2010, the founders left the company citing a loss of ability to help their brand evolve”. Then, in 2013, Juicy Couture was sold to Authentic Brands Group, and consequently, all stores were shut down. ABG made a deal to sell Juicy-brand products at discount retailers. With Juicy gracing the shelves of Marshall’s, Kohl’s, and many other budget-friendly retail centers, the brand struggled to maintain its illusion of unattainability and high fashion.

However, since 2016, Juicy has worked its way back up the fashion ladder by initiating collaborations with popular fashion houses Ganni and Vetements. Strategic partnership marketing with other brands, along with celebrity endorsements from the original Juicy Couture ambassador, Paris Hilton, has allowed Juicy Couture to return to the high-end athleisure spotlight. 

While the main draw of this collaboration is the play on smooth textures, nostalgia also plays a major role here. With Y2K aesthetics resurfacing as a major trend over the past two years, Gen-Z and Millennial consumers have been flocking to purchase coordinated Juicy tracksuits much like those sported by celebrities almost twenty years ago. Similarly, Kraft is known for its strong nostalgic ties amongst Millenials and Gen-Z due to its popular boxed macaroni and cheese and other snack foods that were staples on the playground and in lunch boxes. 

If you feel like shelling out $150, this unique tracksuit and branded mayonnaise jar can be yours!