Terry post:Much as been written about the persuading customers to become brand ambassadors for a given companies product line.
A few years ago the clothing brand Quicksilver featured an outrageous video of surfers tossing dynamite into a river and then surfing the waves downstream. While innovative and an instant viral video, it did little to cause individual consumers to more closely identify with the product. It was sensational but did not customers to align with the brand.
Gatoraide a manufacturer of sports drinks, "...tweets good luck messages to star athletes..." and "...Girls Intelligence Agency...gives them free products...(to) organize a slumber party with their friends to try them out..." (Source: The Economist).
My favorite example of brand ambassadorship has to do with Eagle Outfitters on New York's Time Square where they employ a huge multi-story LED display to flash pictures of anyone who buys their products. This instant, albeit brief, celebrity enables the buyers to get pictures of themselves on the huge screen and then to share the images with their friends.
The Wine Industry has not been all that innovative with creating unique examples of brand identity. If you are aware of unique techniques being used in the Wine Industry to more closely align vintners with the buying public: I'd love to hear about it.
~ Terry
Source: "Hidden Persuaders II", The Economist, , September 24, 2011, p. 80.
I've taken the idea of brand ambassadorship to a different level by recruiting fans of our winery to become off-site brand ambassadors for tastings at retailers. In exchange for their time and energy in promoting our winery they receive special wine service education, perks for helping out ("I work for Wine"), t-shirts, bonuses around the winery and our appreciation.
ReplyDeleteIt's a wine-wine situation - they get the perks of being an insider and we get extra help from folks who are seriously behind our brand. And it really enhances my ability to be in multiple stores at once. It used to be it was only me at a single store on any given night -- now, it is me, my team of volunteer ambassadors, in several stores on many nights.
So far so good!
BJ