I believe how something makes you feel is one of the strongest and most compelling memories you can make.
It’s this belief that’s fueled my love of working in experiential marketing for a little over 10 years, the last four of which has seen me head up the Staffing team at Because.
I’d previously always thought that having staff communicate a brand’s message directly was beneficial – but only since working closely with our talented pool of brand ambassadors have I truly recognised just how important their influence is in making consumers feel inspired to love a brand.
It is their passion that turns conversations into long-lasting relationships. In the same spirit, when the field staff I work with feel valued and respected, there is no limit to what they can do to make a live brand experiences truly unforgettable.
A new type of ambassador
Gone are the days where the only people working in promo are a rabble of hard up students, aspiring actors or struggling musicians. The growth and success of the industry means more people than ever – and from more diverse backgrounds – are now working as freelance brand ambassadors.
With more access to speak with aspiring staff via the ever-increasing number of social media platforms, it means agencies have the opportunity to grow their databases significantly and with little cost.
Taking a more boutique approach, I turn away volume and instead work hard to focus my time on picking out the best talent. I am looking for quality, committed event professionals who love what they do and bring the right skills and experience to impress us, our clients and the consumers they reach.
The face of your brand (literally)
The impact a brand ambassador has on creating a memorable experience is enormous. Great staff can make or break your event, so in my opinion they should form a key part of any experiential planning process. They represent a physical extension of a brand and should epitomise everything the brand stands for.
It take brands months of hard work to conceptualise the engagement mechanic, build a stand, plan logistics and craft the perfect key message. So why wouldn’t you invest the same time and energy selecting the right face and personality to represent your brand at a live engagement?
The need for an in-house staffing team
As we’re part of an in-house staffing team, we have a solid understanding of exactly what makes as experiential campaign effective. We can ensure the staffing element of every campaign is considered thoroughly, from conception to evaluation, by working collaboratively with the wider agency team.
Our field staff tell us they like the clear and concise way we communicate with them and that they appreciate that we listen and take their ideas onboard and provide personalised feedback. It’s because we are an in-house team that allows for this beneficial flow of knowledge between everyone involved, which helps contribute to making a campaign successful.
The importance of building loyalty with brand ambassadors
Our staffing team is passionate, knowledgeable and have built great working relationships with all our brand ambassadors. They are dedicated to supporting our field staff and that means we have a reputation for being a great agency to work with.
We have built a loyal base of exceptional staff offer the years, but earning loyalty is no easy feat. We engage regularly with our staff, we understand what is important to them and how best to motivate them.
Like anyone who gives 100%, staff want to feel valued. Whilst simple in theory, by taking the time to recognise performance, giving them feedback and sometimes even treating them to an unexpected surprise goes a long way to show them we appreciate their efforts.
Happy brand ambassadors that feel valued and appreciated will – not surprisingly – be more effective at their job and, as a result, at driving brand loyalty with consumers.Learning from the way we treat our staff, they in turn ensure our experiential is meaningful and magical.
Want to learn more about how to create meaningful and magical brand experiences? Download our free eBook about the power of brand experience for tips, tricks and advice from the experts.