From conceptualization to actualization.
Shifting the business paradigm from competition to collaboration with each new partnership.
Complementary Connections
Complementary Connections was founded by Meg Reilly under the concept of building business through strategic partnerships. The company began with a partnership between a national magazine and a regional supermarket, and has since evolved to serving the collaborative needs of the international sailing industry.
The Vision
The vision is simple but profound: to shift the business paradigm from competition to collaboration with each new partnership. This strategy has led to many value-in-kind partnerships for the Canadian Ocean Racing team such as Helly Hansen, Navionics and Evolution Sails. The Complementary Connections approach has also yielded great success for Offshore Sailing School in Summer 2016, spearheading initiatives such as the School’s partnerships with America’s Cup, IMOCA Ocean Masters and Liberty Science Center.
The Process
Complementary Connections handles all new business, partnership negotiations and relationships, strategy and execution of joint-marketing campaigns and events. New clients all go through a “Brand Asset Evaluation”, which is a detailed assessment of a brand’s assets and how the brand can leverage these assets in new partnerships. Clients will receive a recommended proposal of potential partners, campaigns and events that will help build business and achieve brand objectives.
The idea is that brands will exchange assets, reducing their own marketing investments by capitalizing on their own assets and adding new ones through strategic partnerships. Brands are able to then organically grow their circle of influence through appropriate brand association. Collaboration > Competition.
Meg Reilly 