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Warning: Reading this blog post might make you hungry. It might also make you a better marketer.
There are a lot of ingredients that go into the recipe of for a successful marketing campaign: quality content, intuitive UX, strong POD; but there’s one requirement that no company ever should (or can) ignore. And that’s their consumers.
Ah yes, the very people who pay to keep you in business. The same people who have made the conscious decision to support you over your competitors. It would be foolish to ignore, or even worse, outright insult those loyal, dependable patrons, yes?
Ferrero, the makers of the spreadable sensation known as Nutella, didn’t think so. In fact, they thought the best way to “thank” their most dedicated fan and customer was by slapping her with a cease-and-desist letter. Sara Rosso, founder of World Nutella Day and probably the single greatest source of free promotion Nutella has (hopefully, had), was asked to take down the website and social media accounts she created for the holiday. She chose not to post the cease-and-desist letter online, but apparently it had something to do with an unauthorized use of their intellectual property and trademarks.
What they call “unauthorized use,” we call free advertising. It could have meant an increase in sales and a renewed online presence; a step towards building a brand ambassador program, a concept we’ve talked about quite a bit.
Brand ambassadors are consumers that promote for you. They love your product or service so much that they “buy in” to the culture by telling their friends, sharing your social media posts, and interacting with your company on a reoccurring basis. It’s a way to advertise your company for the people, by the people.
Oreo’s Daily Twist campaign took them 100 days, four agencies, and round-the-clock monitoring and interaction in order to grow their Facebook reach by 150%. And they had to pay for that! Ferrero probably had the opportunity to cash in on similar results without much effort or much cash on its part.
Luckily, Rosso and Ferrero were able to work out some an agreement and World Nutella Day will live on. But will Nutella’s fandom? While the hazelnut spread is still undeniably delicious, many fans will probably still taste the unsavory tinge of backstabbing for years to come. Here are a few examples of fans feeling betrayed, some more so than others:
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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
And just in case you were wondering what tasty chocolate spread you are going to turn to now, here’s a Colorado native alternative that another Nutella-betrayed fan even mentioned:
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So how can your business avoid a social media frenzy, ensure your consumers feel appreciated, and potentially even get some free marketing out of it? We thought you’d never ask.
Promote Your Company Culture
In order to create brand ambassadors, you need to give them something to buy into. A company culture that embodies what your company stands for, why it does what it does, and promotes a better lifestyle through adopting the culture is just the ticket.
Apple has done a phenomenal job of cultivating a following based on minimalism and artistry. Moleskine encourages a culture of ideas, scribbles, and as they put it, “nomadic” and “legendary.” How would your brand ambassadors tag themselves?
Stay Up On Current Events
You probably already know that creating content on a regular basis is one way into the hearts and minds of consumers and search engines. However, what you say is even more important than how often you say it. Inserting your brand into current events, local and worldwide, helps your customers feel that culture you’re trying to create.
I already mentioned Oreo’s Daily Twist campaign, which is IMHO the next benchmark by which all companies should measure the success of their social media campaigns. Oreo’s quick and sharp response to the Super Bowl blackout was retweeted 15,000 times and gave them 8,000 new Twitter followers and 34,000 new Instagram followers.
How quickly you respond to not only current events, but also mentions and other social interactions, will translate one of two ways to your customers: be quick and your consumers know you’re there and you care or take your time and you just might find your international hazelnut chocolate spread that’s been around since 1964 being passed over for a small Colorado company that hasn’t even been around for a decade.
Reward Your Ambassadors
Your brand ambassadors are taking time out of their personal lives to promote your product, your company, your service, etc. Sure, they’re doing it as a labor of love, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a pat on the back. They certainly don’t deserve a cease-and-desist letter!
As you monitor mentions, retweets, social media shares, and so on, pick some lucky fans every so often and reward them with a freebie, some recognition, or some other token of your gratitude. If they were willing to promote your brand on their own accord, imagine how enthusiastic they’ll be once you publicly acknowledge them!
Let’s face it; your customers are your raison d’être. Acknowledge them, appreciate them, and they will gladly return the favor. And with all the social media tools and resources available today, creating brand ambassadors has probably never been easier.
What companies do you consider yourself a brand ambassador for? Comment below or tweet us!
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