With the month of love well underway, and Valentine's day just around the corner, we decided to bring out our sponsorship Cupid - you know, the God of affection that pierces the heart with an arrow, causing individuals to fall in love. But, we are shooting our arrows at brands and creators.
At ThoughtLeaders, we’ve run hundreds of YouTube sponsorships for many well-known brands and popular YouTubers. But, there are a few brand-creator collaborations our media buying team dream about but, have yet to see. Our cupid bows are set and we are hoping to create some matches made in heaven…or YouTube.
Here are brands and creator “matches” we’d love to see collaborate together:
Yes Theory’s theory is that “life’s greatest moments and deepest connections exist outside your comfort zone”. The group of guys that make up ‘Yes Theory’ complete insane challenges, push their bodies to the limit and travel around the world.
Since starting their YouTube channel in 2014, Yes Theory has collaborated with over 50 brands - including, Skillshare, Morning Brew, Audible, IMDB, Google Pixel, and Omaze. But, the brand that Alan would love to see partner with this YouTube channel is National Geographic. According to Alan, “I think both publisher and brand share the same values and core traditions. It will be nice to see some collaborations between them - bringing Nat Geo’s experience and knowledge and combining it with Yes Theory’s freshness and style”.
SORTEDfood, which was started simply by a group of friends in London, quickly grew into an online food community that focuses on “turning chef’s knowledge into useful tips and tricks to help ‘normals’ cook better and spend less every week”.
From taste testing all kinds of foods and cooking challenges to chef reviews and cooking battles, SORTEDfood has collaborated with many relevant brands, including Kenwood, Risdon & Risdon, Picky Wicky, and Heinz. However, they have yet to partner up with Munk Pack - Keto granola bar brand. Jenny mentioned that “SORTEDfood is constantly trying to get people to eat healthier, and that's also the goal of Munk Pack’s products”
We’re predicting it now - keep an eye out for an upcoming video of SORTEDfood taste testing Munk Pack’s keto bars.
That’s right, not only does one of the best surrealist film directors of all time have a YouTube channel, but he is also quite the active uploader. David Lynch posts two videos a day - one being the daily weather report that he gives by looking outside his window and the other being a video of him holding a jar of numbers 1-10 and randomly choosing one which he deems "The Number of the Day".
Up until now, David Lynch hasn’t done any sponsorships on his YouTube channel (not that he really needs to). But, if he were to give brand partnerships a try, Max would love to see David Lynch collaborate with Liquid Death Mountain Water - a canned water company.
When it comes to sponsorships, Liquid Death is open to very unique, flexible forms of integrations. They have partnered up with Steve-O’s Wild Ride, Theo Von, and Harry Jowsey. The brand even sponsored a DJ set from Marc Rebillet. With David Lynch’s surrealist background and absurd videos about the weather & numbers of the day, he could easily create a unique promotion for Liquid Death.
Stephanie Soo has become a household name thanks to her incredible ability to chow down mouthwatering meals while telling true crime tales. The hungry YouTuber, who has over 2.6 M subscribers, has managed to seamlessly integrate with quite a few brands - HelloFresh, Athletic Greens, Simple Health, Casetify, Scentbird, NongShim, and Grammarly.
Clearly, this YouTuber knows how to integrate with both food-based brands and companies far from food. So, it would be interesting to see how Stephanie Soo creatively partners with Kamikoto - top quality Japanese steel knives. What’s for sure, this sponsorship could creep-ily combine the channels food and true crime aspect,
If you are in dire need of a laugh, definitely check out Julie Nolke. The actress, writer, and comedian shares hilarious skits on her YouTube channel. Although her videos are quite short, ranging between 2 minutes to 6 minutes, this YouTuber manages to sneak in brand sponsorships. In the past, she has partnered up with BetterHelp, Skillshare, Surfshark, Squarespace, Magic Spoon, and HelloFresh.
When asked about her dream collaboration, Adin easily replied - Julie Nolke and Kekao, a craft chocolate bar subscription box. Why? Well, what’s better than your favorite YouTuber promoting your favorite food! What’s for sure, Julie Nolke would hilariously promote the sponsorship chocolate brand and make all her viewers crave the treat (thankfully, Kekao delivers straight to your doorstep).
When we aren’t running thousands of ads for brands and creators, we enjoy watching our favorite YouTubers (especially when they seamlessly integrate with companies we love!).
What YouTube creator and brand collaboration would you love to see? Let us know!