Business Etiquette IP Holders Must Know When Collaborating with Multiple Brands

Creating good IP and becoming IP that brand partners want to return to are slightly different stories.

When brand partners select collaboration partners, they do not look only at IP recognition and follower numbers.

We also place importance on evaluating whether the collaboration process was smooth, whether schedules and promises were kept, and whether communication was fast and efficient.

This aspect becomes even more important, especially if the IP is collaborating with multiple brands simultaneously.

This is because the collaboration process with one brand can affect the relationship with other brands, even if the IP holder did not intend it.

In fact, IP holders who have maintained long-term collaborations with various brands commonly have a few principles of etiquette.

In this post, I will summarize the basic manners you should definitely know when collaborating with various brands!

1️⃣ Check the collaboration and exclusivity clauses with competing brands first.

When collaborating with various brands, the first thing you need to check is the exclusivity clause.

Depending on the brand, the contract may include conditions such as 'restrictions on collaboration with brands in similar industries' or 'prohibition on collaboration with competing brands for a certain period.'

If you proceed with a collaboration with another brand without thoroughly reviewing the contract details, you may not only have to pay penalties for breach of contract but also suffer damage to your industry reputation.

In particular, if the fact of collaboration with a competitor is revealed belatedly, it can lead to trust issues, regardless of whether there is a breach of contract.

Even if an exclusive clause is not specified, it is not unconditionally free.

When two brands in the same industry collaborate at similar times, both brands may feel uncomfortable.

Even without codified regulations, it is recognized that "collaborating with brands in the same industry at a similar time is impolite," so if the industries of the collaborating brands overlap, it is advisable to choose only one brand.

2️⃣ You must maintain confidentiality under any circumstances.

As you collaborate and repeat the process, you naturally become close with the brand manager.

However, just because the relationship has become close, business boundaries should not become blurred.

For example, you can give examples such as, "When I discussed it with the OOO brand, they proposed a royalty of OO%..." or "We also received collaboration inquiries from competitors..."

Information such as which brands are being discussed for collaboration, the terms of the contract, and the level of royalties basically falls under the category of confidentiality.

Even if there is no NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) in the contract, it is common practice in the industry not to share it.

Moreover, brand partners are connected within a narrower network than expected.

Since casually spoken words can easily be conveyed through unexpected channels, it is essential to maintain confidentiality.

Ultimately, what matters is the attitude of maintaining trust, rather than the information itself.

The perception that you are someone who does not share a specific brand's story elsewhere leads to trust, and that trust leads to future collaboration opportunities.

3️⃣ We need to coordinate the timing of the collaboration release.

Just because a collaboration contract has been finalized or the results of the collaboration (merchandise, space, etc.) have been completed does not mean that they can be immediately revealed on social media.

The brand may be going through internal approval procedures for the deliverables or preparing to release them in accordance with a separate marketing campaign schedule.

In this situation, if the IP holder releases the results first, the brand partner's prepared plans will go awry.

Conversely, IP holders must also coordinate the promotional content upload schedule with brand partners to ensure that their prepared content plans are not disrupted.

If the merchandise sales plans or event promotion schedules prepared by the IP holder overlap, it may result in losses for both the IP holder and the brand partner.

So, it is good to think of the process of promoting the results of the collaboration to the public as part of the collaboration as well.

Since brand collaborations are a win-win for both IP holders and brand partners, it is considered good business etiquette to coordinate promotion and release schedules together.

4️⃣ If collaboration schedules overlap, you need criteria for setting priorities.

When working on multiple collaborations simultaneously, schedules often overlap.

In this case, rather than deciding which brand collaboration to pursue first based solely on the order in which you were contacted, it is better to establish criteria in advance.

For example, you can use brand awareness, collaboration schedules, and contract schedules as criteria.

The important thing is to have the attitude of sharing the situation with your brand partner as quickly and honestly as possible and finding alternatives when you suddenly need to postpone or change the schedule of either party.

How you convey the fact that the schedule has changed determines the temperature of the relationship, rather than the fact itself.

Common characteristics of IP holders who successfully maintain collaborations with various brands

Collaborating with multiple brands simultaneously also means that you are growing as an IP holder.

That is a sign that it is being recognized in the market.

However, you must not forget that increasing the number of collaborations and building trust are separate issues.

IP holders who maintain successful long-term collaborations do not stop at simply creating good content; they also grow the way they manage the entire collaboration.

Checking exclusivity clauses, confidentiality, worldview consistency, timing of collaboration disclosures, and priority management—these five items are basic manners necessary to maintain a long-term business relationship, even if they are not written in the contract.

Ultimately, the IP holder that brands want to work with again is not just someone who produces good results, but someone who is good to work with.

Innerbooth supports necessary features, such as step-by-step guides and collaboration chat notifications, to help IP holders systematically manage various collaborations without missing anything.

As collaborations become more frequent, we hope you will try Innerbooth to handle the aspects that are difficult to manage alone✨