Agree, however many, many companies are using their ambassador and influencer programs to replace other programs, often because they think it means they can carry lower head counts. These are often the same brands or senior execs that think that one of social media's chief benefits is that it's 'free'.
In the world of sponsorship, the rule of thumb is that the activation of a sponsorship property should cost at least 1-2x the rights fees you paid (and in some instances, far more than 1-2x). A successful ambassador program should be the same, however many brands look at it as a way to defer responsibility and costs for message making to the grassroots level, which also allows for small incursions into gaining market share and exposure via sales at reduced margins.
That may sound cynical, but I've seen it in no uncertain terms over and over again. The over reliance on numbers and KPIs from boards of directors and the C-suite leads to manager-level marketers doing everything to create numbers and quantifiable results, but often that impedes meaningful brand building and good relationships with customers. It turns out that sales aren't everything after all.
Jan. 12, 2023, 5:09 p.m. - Pete Roggeman
Agree, however many, many companies are using their ambassador and influencer programs to replace other programs, often because they think it means they can carry lower head counts. These are often the same brands or senior execs that think that one of social media's chief benefits is that it's 'free'. In the world of sponsorship, the rule of thumb is that the activation of a sponsorship property should cost at least 1-2x the rights fees you paid (and in some instances, far more than 1-2x). A successful ambassador program should be the same, however many brands look at it as a way to defer responsibility and costs for message making to the grassroots level, which also allows for small incursions into gaining market share and exposure via sales at reduced margins. That may sound cynical, but I've seen it in no uncertain terms over and over again. The over reliance on numbers and KPIs from boards of directors and the C-suite leads to manager-level marketers doing everything to create numbers and quantifiable results, but often that impedes meaningful brand building and good relationships with customers. It turns out that sales aren't everything after all.