The event brought together marketing and branding experts to explore how brand collaborations can drive growth and relevance in a constantly evolving market.
Telefónica’s Diagonal One Tower hosted a new edition of the Branding Observatory, a benchmark event for marketing and branding professionals. This event is organised annually by the Asociación de Marketing de España (AMKT) (Spanish Marketing Association), the Foro de Marcas Renombradas Españolas (FMRE) (Leading Brands of Spain Forum), GfK – An NIQ Company, PONS IP and Summa Branding. The Barcelona edition was organised in collaboration with Telefónica.
This year the central theme was brand collaboration, a key strategy in the current landscape for brands seeking to be relevant and connect with new audiences. Professionals from companies such as ARPA EMC, Mango, Telefónica, Tea Shop, Summa Branding and GfK – An NIQ Company discussed the challenges and opportunities presented by these alliances, highlighting their ability to generate value and connect more deeply with consumers.
The event was hosted by Conrad Llorens, founder and CEO of Summa Branding, who welcomed the attendees, explaining why brand collaboration is the theme of this year’s Branding Observatory. “Brand collaboration is a strategy increasingly used by brands, as it allows them to enrich their narrative, enter new territories and interact with new communities. At a time when territories are more liquid and it is more difficult to connect, collaboration with other brands can provide a boost that would otherwise be very difficult to achieve,” he explained.
Next, Víctor Aguado, Telefónica’s Brand Research and Positioning Manager, gave a lecture in which he highlighted the importance of collaborations for Telefónica throughout its 100-year history. “Since our beginnings, we have understood that true progress is not achieved alone, but by joining forces with others to multiply our strengths. Today, more than ever, in an interconnected world, brand and sector collaboration is essential to meet the challenges of the future. When we work together, we not only innovate, but we also create a positive impact that transcends barriers and generates a more connected and humane world,” he said.
Keys to cobranding: the challenge of planning
Javier Gómez Mora, Head of Brand & Customer Experience at GfK – An NIQ Company presented ‘Challenging boundaries: keys to successful brand collaboration’. In his
lecture, he highlighted that cobranding is one of the key factors that will determine the development of the advertising market in the coming years. Based on a survey of a panel of 112 Marketing Directors, Gómez Mora revealed that in Spain, 15% of the marketing budget is allocated to brand collaborations, with the main objective of strengthening the brand (61%) and increasing sales (55%).
However, 63% of branding collaborations in Spain do not achieve their objectives, something that occurs in both SMEs and large companies. Why? The CMOs interviewed clearly agree: there is a lack of analysis and planning. “The key is to segment the audience of both brands before collaborating. If they are complementary, go ahead. If they are not, it’s better to keep looking and also analysing,” said Gómez Mora.
Fusing DNA to stand out in the market
Continuing with the conference, Rafa Soto, Head of Creative and Experience at Summa, gave his lecture entitled ‘Fusing DNA. The new path to relevance,’ in which he explained how brands can create relevance by combining their identities. Soto explained that, in collaborating, brands must look for more than just product alignment, saying that “it is increasingly difficult for brands to surprise us. We know the brands separately, but we don’t know what to expect from combining them,” he said.
He gave as an example the collaboration between Nike and Lego, which generated an Air Jordan collection the design of which fused the style of both brands, or the case of Bentley and Macallan, which created a whisky valued at $50,000. For Soto, these types of alliances “generate greater interest, reach new audiences in addition to their own, and allow brands to express themselves through dialogue with other brands.”
Dialogues with brands: Tea Shop, Mango and ARPA EMC
The event also offered a space for interviews with a panel of experts including representatives of well-known Spanish companies. Ana María Avilés Pinto. Marketing Director of Tea Shop, spoke with Ana López de Castro, Director of Marketing, Culture and People at PONS IP, about the legal challenges that arise in brand collaborations, especially in the coordination between the legal and marketing departments. Avilés Pinto stressed that “the legal team and the marketing team must go hand in hand at all times, and especially in collaboration projects with third party brands in cobranding projects. Before going to the market, we must measure the risks well and provide adequate legal coverage with strong contracts that include branding aspects, but also business aspects. Beyond a label with two brands and a pretty and shared packaging, as a company you also need to be shielded and work with the maximum legal guarantees, which is what our legal team always provides us with.”


In turn, Blanca Muñiz, Chief Brand Officer at Mango, spoke with Tamara Pirojkova, Marketing Director at FMRE. Muñiz explained that “Mango is a brand loved all over the world. For 40 years we have been inspiring people on all five continents with our unique fashion proposal, committed to design, innovation and sustainability as fundamental pillars. And our ambition is to continue growing to consolidate our position as one of the largest fashion companies in the world.”
Finally, Teresa Berdié, Marketing and Communication Director at ARPA EMC, spoke with Montse de Luis, Marketing and Communication Director at AMKT. Berdié emphasised the power of collaborations to have a greater social impact. “At ARPA we believe in the power of collaboration. Through the co-creation of projects with other entities, we drive innovation and find more efficient and sustainable solutions for our clients. Our mission goes beyond simply providing services. By collaborating with other organisations, we expand our reach and generate a more meaningful positive social impact. Together, we are transforming lives,” she explained.
To close the event, Conrad Llorens offered the attendees the main conclusions of this edition:
- In a context of high pressure for growth objectives, cobranding is emerging as a relevant strategy for companies.
- In Spain, 63% of companies recognise that they have a high level of knowledge and experience in brand collaborations, and the Marketing department plays a central role in the process of exploration, planning and decision-making in short-, medium- and long-term alliances.
- Before establishing brand collaborations, it is necessary to conduct an analysis and planning to achieve the desired objectives. The key is to segment the audience of both brands before collaborating.
- A collaboration goes far beyond product alignment: aligning values will make it possible to reach new audiences and territories that a brand could not reach on its own.
The day was rounded off with a networking cocktail, where attendees had the opportunity to share impressions and delve further into the ideas discussed throughout the day.