Most promotions involve giving away some of your margin in the form of discounts, cheap interest rates, competition prizes or premiums. Extra business should more than pay for this, but there’s no getting around the initial investment. Joint promotions involve sharing that cost with someone else. No company or charity wants to do this for you without getting something in return: the secret of joint promotions is establishing a mutually beneficial partnership.A joint promotion is excellent for a start up – entrepreneurs please note. The new service or product is ‘piggy backed’ onto the larger, established, brand-recognized company products or services, and both gain from the association. There are benefits in using established customer lists (which may be shared for future use as well), such as the existing brand’s presumed endorsement and using the marketing expertise of the partner. Joint promotions are defined by two fundamental factors: they bring together organizations in different markets that share a common set of customers, and they give participants a real commercial benefit that each side is anxious to realize for the other.