Co-marketing: bundling brands in one in-store campaign

Co-marketing in an in-store campaign means two or more brands share one message, one media plan and usually one offer. Co-marketing is familiar from product partnerships and joint promotions. On counter screens, it often takes the form of a pairing: chips and salsa, coffee and a pastry, a phone and a charger. Done well, it gives shoppers a simple idea and gives each brand a share of a stronger campaign.

Done poorly, it becomes a crowded frame and a dispute over who gets credit.

Which pairings make sense?

Ones shoppers already make. Products that are naturally bought together, such as a snack and a drink, a breakfast item and coffee, or a device and an accessory, make intuitive pairings. The ad reinforces something people already do.

Ones where both products are in the store. A co-marketing ad works only if shoppers can find both items. Check that the stores in the campaign carry both, ideally near each other.

Ones where the brands fit. Two brands with very different tones or audiences can clash in a shared frame. The pairing should feel natural to the shopper, not just convenient for the budget.

What rules and approvals should be agreed?

Before anything else, the brands should agree on the message, the offer, the stores, the timing and who approves the creative. Each brand will have its own guidelines for logos, colors and claims. Both sets need to be respected.

Legal review applies to both. Any offer or claim should be accurate for both products, and each brand's legal team should sign off.

Agree on what happens if something changes. If one product goes out of stock or one brand wants to end early, the plan should say what happens next.

How should costs and credit be split?

Up front and in writing. Common approaches include splitting media costs equally, splitting by each brand's share of the offer, or having one brand lead and the other contribute. Any of these can work if both sides agree before the campaign.

Credit follows the same logic. Agree how results will be reported. Will each brand see its own sales results, the combined results or both? Clarity here prevents arguments afterward.

And agree on the creative hierarchy. Which brand appears first, and how much space does each get? Settling this early saves rounds of revision.

How should the campaign be planned?

As a single campaign. One brief, one set of stores, one flight. NRS Digital Media campaigns can be activated by audience index, retail channel, SKU level, or geography down to the zip code, which lets a co-marketing campaign focus on stores that carry both products.

With clean creative. Two brands on one frame need a simple layout: both packs clearly shown, one shared line, one offer. Resist adding separate messages for each brand.

With supply planning for both. If the campaign drives demand for the pair, both products need to stay in stock. Coordinate with each brand's distributors.

How should co-marketing be measured?

For each product and for the pair. Compare sales of both items in advertised stores with similar stores over the same period. Look at each product's results separately, and at whether sales of the two moved together.

Be fair in reporting. If one product responded more than the other, report it honestly. Future pairings depend on both brands trusting the results. For help planning a co-marketing campaign, contact the NRS Digital Media team, and see the NRS Digital Media site for an overview.