Partners are often found in unexpected places - Notonthehighstreet.com found theirs on the Underground. They recently sponsored the Baby on Board badge and created a bespoke catalogue as part of a partnership with TFL.

Sometimes your perfect partner can be from the other side of the tracks. In July last year Sotheby’s, the high-end auction house partnered with eBay, home of the 99p bid. “Sotheby’s is one of the most respected names in the world. When you combine its inventory with eBay’s technology platform and global reach, we can give people access to the world’s finest, most inspiring items – anytime, anywhere and from any device,” said Devin Wenig, President of eBay Marketplaces.

Great partners complement each other by bringing something equally important to the relationship. To quote IBM on their recent partnership with Apple, “It brings together the analytics and enterprise-scale computing of IBM with the elegant user experience of iPhone and iPad to deliver a new level of value for businesses.”

Brands have more to bring to partnerships than they used to – a community of users, social media followers or even their own content platforms. By teaming up with Spotify, Uber has enabled customers to choose the soundtrack to their ride whilst growing both communities. This month Uber aligned with UN Women, pledging to create 1m jobs for women drivers by 2020. A move that not only grows the brand on a global scale but also accelerates the economic opportunity for this gender.

A successful relationship is not always obvious on the surface, it’s what’s underneath that really counts. A partnership built on truth and authenticity rather than money can make both brands stronger together.

Read on for examples…