Topic: Collaborations
Context:
Skilling, re-skilling, thinking, re-thinking, never-thought-before, never-done-before initiatives are all on the cards for future. The agility and courage of the leadership in organizations is also going to be on test, more than ever before.
Current scenario
Whether it is equity collaboration of the biggies like Reliance and Facebook or strategic collaboration of ITC and Dominos, every single business is sitting on huge possibilities of such collaborations, hinged on establishing brand purpose and generating first-party data. We present some thought starters.
Opportunities:
- WeWork/Awfis can start providing just storage provisions (for those who are now thinking of WFH, but has accumulated stuff in office which cannot be moved home) and WFH suits, making use of the current home space, in collaboration with PepperFry/Godrej Interio.
- Philips/Havells – razors/trimmers (men’s personal grooming) can create an online collaboration of barbers who are out of job to offer real time tips and advices to people cutting hair, trimming beard at home, at a fee. Large part of the money generated can go to the barbers.
- Food delivery: A no contact packaging innovation, in collaboration with a small/medium packaging company; slip-on, slip-off, sealed and disposable outer cover. The delivery person pushes the original pack out, tearing the seal, making it unusable again and takes away this outer cover. Additional expenses can be recovered through an on-pack gaming/party innovation which brings the family together, in collaboration with a virtual gaming/event company.
- Any wellness brand could collaborate with therapists and coaches to offer virtual therapy to people who are feeling isolated, dealing with impact of job losses or relationship issues. Again, purpose, new stream of revenue and integration of a community that largely operates face to face currently and is scattered.
- Zomato/Swiggy could help digitize all their partner restaurants, convert their physical dining menu cards into digital, integrate the back end, even payment through the app itself and collaborate with a device manufacturer for sanitization of cutleries, proper hygiene training for staff and foot-operated handwash taps, to make the dining-in experience as contactless as possible and even earn a part of that revenue as well.
- Dettol/Domex/Lizol/Colin could set up a virtual training institute and provide safe-hygiene certification for the facility management/housekeeping/ hospitality staff, in collaboration with an upskilling online platform. In addition to new income and new employment opportunities, the brand can establish its purpose and build trust.
- ThomasCook/other tour operators can create home-cooked food trail (it is a habit now) special holidays within the residents’ states; food changes every 100 km, with all safety standards, in collaboration with a car brand (promoting personal mobility) where the trail is mapped including clean toilets en-route (State Government tie-up) anda brand in the hygiene category could provide a safety pack for every tour booked which could contain disposable toilet seats, seat sanitisers, hand sanitisers, gloves and wipes.
- Y&A Transformation can help, if needed, to make any of the above into a reality.
