The Perfect Partnerships

Whether it be salt and pepper, buckets and spades, hats and scarfs, some things are just meant to be together. Finding the perfect partnership can be wildly successful for a brand. It might be a big brand or a celebrity name, the right pairing can make a campaign memorable and, if done correctly, a huge success!

1. RL360 Youth Cycling League and Dot Tilbury MBE

Dot Tilbury is a national treasure on the Isle of Man. Best known for her ceaseless work supporting young Manx cyclists; Dot is a household name and is synonymous with the RL360 Youth Cycling League. The league began in 1992 and has seen many stars rise up through the ranks, including Matt Bostock, Tour de France legend Mark Cavendish and Lizzie Holden. 200-400 young riders race at the NSC each week, all under Dot’s watchful eye. Each year, Dot hosts a fantastic award ceremony for the young cyclists, but we all know that it’s Dot’s hard work and dedication that needs recognition. RL360 is very proud of our association with both Dot and the League.

2. Daley Thompson and Lucozade

Lucozade began as a well-known after illness recovery drink in 1927, bought for the days you were too sick to move off the couch. Cue Daley Thompson. In 1983, the two-time Olympic gold medallist was selected to switch Lucozade from a sick drink, to a sports drink in a huge rebrand. Lucozade wanted to be a recovery-fromexercise drink, getting that little bit extra out of your training session, increasing your lactic acid tolerance, gaining the edge on the opposition and winning. The iconic advert starring Thompson still sticks out for many people, focusing on the amber traffic light and iconic orange glass bottle.

3. Sir Lenny Henry and Premier Inn

Lenny Henry first brought you the ‘great night guarantee’ in 2008 when he became the voice and face of Britain’s biggest budget hotel operator Premier Inn. These adverts were great hits, showing the comfort, affordability and versatility of the hotels. Sir Lenny has starred in 14 adverts and he can still be found plugging the brand today. If you’re wondering the same as us, Sir Lenny Henry has been known to only use Premier Inn hotels, and did so for 5 months during his UK tour in 2011, visiting 56 hotels. If it’s good enough for Lenny Henry, chances are its good enough for you and me.

4. Coca Cola and McDonald’s

McDonald’s is Coca Cola’s largest restaurant customer. These iconic companies have been partners since 1955 when Ray Kroc bought the rights to expand McDonald’s across the United States and needed a beverage supplier. This turned out to be one of the best partnerships of all time and allowed both companies to grow and expand around the globe. Both companies claim neither one would be where they are today without the other. In 1993, Coke executives suggested that McDonald’s bundle its soda with a burger and fries for a promotion, creating the Extra Value Meal. Coke sales teams are prohibited from selling syrup to other restaurants for less than McDonald’s pays, even if that means losing business to competitors.

5. Post Malone and Crocs

For many years, Crocs have had a bad reputation for being an ugly shoe, however, there’s no denying that there’s been a huge resurgence of this rubber clog on the high street. Crocs appeal to people of all ages and gender due to being a comfortable, fashionable, customisable, fun shoe. Popularity has increased, mainly due to big name celebrities and designers who have collaborated with the ‘dad shoe’. In 2018, pop singer Post Malone brought Crocs to the stage and gained a lot of attention. Post Malone was the first celebrity to wear the shoe loud and proud, and now has five limited edition collaborations, the first of which sold out in ten minutes. Since then, big names such as Justin Bieber, Liberty London, Disney Hocus Pocus, Jimmy Kimmel, and many more have collaborated with the brand.

6. Gary Lineker and Walker’s crisps

If there is one thing the former Leicester City and England striker Gary Lineker did not expect to be known for, it was his love of crisps. Lineker has been the poster boy for Walker’s crisps since 1994 and has done over 150 adverts for them in this time. Lineker even had a timeless classic flavour renamed after him, the 'Salt and Lineker' crisps, first in 1996 and again in 2021. As the biggest crisp brand in the UK and Ireland, it might not surprise you to learn Gary reportedly earns an impressive £1.5m every year from this role.

8. Paddington Bear and HRH Queen Elizabeth

There is an unlikely connection between a small Peruvian bear in a blue coat and the Late Monarch, which dates back to 1986, when children’s author Michael Bond, wrote the book ‘Paddington at the Palace’. Fast forward to June 2022, when Paddington Bear helped the Queen launch her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with a cup of tea and a shared love for marmalade sandwiches. Paddington represents kindness, tolerance, kindness to strangers and politeness, all values the Queen embodied throughout her life. For many, when Queen Elizabeth passed away, it seemed fitting to leave Paddington Bear soft toys outside Buckingham Palace as many found comfort in the loveable brown bear. As a result, more than 1,000 Paddington Bear toys left in honour of the Queen were donated to a children’s charity.

9. Marcus Rashford MBE and FareShare

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, in March 2020, 25-yearold Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford set up a campaign to prevent children in England from going hungry. FareShare launched an urgent Covid-19 appeal calling for donations, food and volunteers, claiming that demand for food almost doubled within one month of the lockdown. Marcus became the ambassador of FareShare having said his own family relied on breakfast clubs, free school meals and at times, food banks. Marcus made several significant financial donations to help ensure vulnerable children could continue to access food, calling on his millions of followers to donate and support the cause. This allowed over 21 million meals for children and families to be distributed, as well as influence government policy that saw the voucher scheme extended over the summer holidays. Marcus Rashford, now MBE, is a national hero, recognised for his poverty activism as much as for his footballing talent.

7. James Bond and his Aston Martin

The perfect partnership between James Bond and his fully-loaded, tweaked and tricked-out Austin Martin is unmatched by any other film franchise. Aston Martin is a classic, luxury and timeless brand, matched perfectly with the personification of James Bond. The Aston Martin DB5 is the car that started it all when it debuted in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. The car made such an impression that it has since appeared in six more Bond films: Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall and Spectre. Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig have all driven at the wheel of the unmistakable 1960’s sports car. No Time To Die also featured an Aston Martin V8 Saloon which was both the fastest four-seat production car of its day and Britain’s first true ‘supercar ’. The Valhalla - Aston Martin’s revolutionary mid-engine sports car - also made a special cameo appearance in No Time To Die.

10. Nike and Michael Jordan

In 1984, Michael Jordan signed a 5-year deal with Nike, which was reportedly worth $2.5 million. A year later, Nike gave Jordan his own signature shoe and the Nike Air Jordan was born, a shoe so different to anything else on the market at the time that he was fined $5,000 every time he wore them in a game. Nike paid this fine on Jordan’s behalf because it was great marketing for the shoe, being photographed during iconic moments in Jordan’s career. Since then, there have been over 30 different signature Air Jordan’s in hundreds of different variations. Jordan’s brand is so successful that he’s now made more money through his personal brand then he ever made playing in the NBA. The first pair sold for $65, however nowadays, Air Jordans regularly sell for $200 or more a pair, with certain pairs fetching thousands. In 2016, the Jordan brand brought in $3 billion in revenue for Nike, which is 35% of the total company revenue.

Gallery presents the wedding of Mr and Mrs Bowen

The wedding day of Craig & Jo Bowen who tied the knot on the 14th of January 2023 at The Douglas Civil Registry with a reception for friends and family at the Douglas Old Friends Association.

Photographer: Callum Staley www.cjsphotography.co.im

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR WEDDING FEATURED, PLEASE CONTACT US ON WEDDINGS@GALLERY.CO.IM

Gallery presents the wedding of Mr and Mrs