Managing the Fiskateers Scissors Brand Ambassador Program with PR Firm Leader Geno Church

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Managing effective brand ambassador programs involves tapping into what your stakeholders and constituents are genuinely passionate about for product marketing purposes. So harnessing and amplifying the voices of Fiskateers – crafters who are also loyal brand advocates for the scissors company – was the objective of this brand ambassador program, launched and managed by their public relations firm under the auspices of Geno Church.

According to digital ambassador marketing expert Geno Church, the charismatic word-of-mouth Inspiration Officer at public relations firm Brains on Fire, it means rolling up your sleeves and discovering what will improve the lives of your online community through influencer marketing.

Why?

Because a true fan will propel and defend your reputation and promote your brand long after your strategic marketing communications campaign has subsided.

They have a sense of ownership and shared identity, and your success and their success are aligned. Drawing on his experience building a community of Fiskateers and reaching out to save teen smokers in South Carolina, Geno Church talks about igniting a community of brand ambassadors, the difference between passion conversations and product conversations, and his new book by the same name, Brands on Fire.  

This interview was recorded at the Public Relations Society of America International Conference in DC.

How PR Firms Manage Brand Ambassador Programs

01:37 Creating a community of responsible young people to combat teen smoking was a movement that changed Geno Church’s career ten years ago. Today, his message is that communications strategies shouldn’t focus on social media tactics and tools but on learning from people and empowering them to carry a message as brand ambassadors.

03:31 A look at why it isn’t sustainable to approach social media marketing communications the same way you approach mainstream marketing. Traditional media messages don’t ignite communities – the goal is to go directly to the person engaged in the conversation and they will discover how to become a brand ambassador.

05:11 A brand audit by scissors-maker Fiskars showed an emotional disconnect between the brand and its customers. Geno shares the out-of-the-box approach PR firm Brains on Fire used to ignite and engage the Fiskars community online and the non-traditional involvement required by the company’s in-house marketing team.

09:49 Understand the conversation going on in your community before you start thinking strategically or tactically. Why do your customers and employees value your brand? Before building a promotional digital ambassador program, uncover everything you can about how your consumers use your product.

11:06 The crucial differences between a strategic communications campaign and an influencer marketing movement.

12:27 A discussion about drivers that can activate a community and talking with a target community to identify how to promote the voices of brand ambassadors. The practice of focusing on the human element aspects of influencer engagement, whether online or off.

16:00 Discussion about using negative emotions to activate an army of goodwill ambassadors vs. positive emotions and the sustainability of both approaches.

17:17  How to build a sustainable brand ambassador program that stays positive and can police itself.

18:55 The differences between activating communities around policies and ideas vs. igniting communities for promoting and selling products. A discussion of Love146, an organization devoted to abolishing child sex slavery and exploitation.

22:22 Market research reveals how social media is used and viewed in different countries. Geno and Eric Schwartzman discuss fear and greed as motivators in mature markets vs. developing ones, including discussing challenging circumstances in Johannesburg, South Africa.

28:57 The methods for tapping passion in developing and maturing communities are different. Still, the igniting community always revolves around talking with people and walking with them to discover what they need and what value you can provide.

30:27 The role of community mentors and the value, importance, and methods for keeping brand ambassadors inspired, engaged, and motivated.

33:23 Geno’s hard-won advice on how to prepare for the world of parenting online.

37:19 End

Photo by Morgan Harris on Unsplash

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