How can you get fans of your brand (or company or country) to promote all the benefits of what you have to offer? How about a phone number?
The Swedish tourist bureau decided to get a phone number for the country. When you call it, you are put through to a random Swede who has signed up to talk to people about the country. They will share stories about wonderful places to hike, to eat or to see great music.
Brand Ambassador programs are nothing new. But finding a clever and simple way to access these brand sponsors is a tactical trick. Sure, you can videotape people saying wonderful things about your offering. But the chance to speak to a REAL HUMAN BEING is awesome. Awe some.
Brand Ambassadors
Here are some thoughts on how you can leverage this idea for your product.
- Create some special community group of your top fans.
- Give them advance access to new products, services or news events
- Ask them if they would be willing to share stories through their social media networks, through phone calls or even text
- Reward these uber-fans with special samples that they can share with their friends, family and like-minded connections
- You can pay ambassadors (or just cover out of pocket expenses), but you want them to be an extension of your marketing so keep it real and authentic
- Word of mouth can be an enormously powerful force to help share ideas about new products/services
The Swedish tourist bureau campaign did several important things:
- It was different in a meaningful way. If I am thinking of traveling overseas, what better way to tell me about a place than to speak with a native of the country.
- It was simple to execute. Once a database of names and phone numbers existed, randomly sending phone calls to cell phones was easy to execute.
- Although it is unknown the number of calls completed, the genius is that it communicates the message – hey, we are so proud of our country, everyone loves to brag about it. It doesn’t matter if there are 100 or 100,000 calls – what matters is the impression it leaves in the mind of those considering a trip to Sweden. It is one step beyond a Trip Advisor or other sites that rate products and services.
How could a brand ambassador program help you ignite excitement about your offering?
Check out this cool video about the Swedish ambassador program:
Could you use some help developing a brand ambassador program? Let’s talk. Text me at 919 720 0995.
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/en/sweden-flag-hand-national-fingers-983435/
Hat tip to Mark Schaefer for sharing this article from Ad Week.
