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When Brand Ambassador Influencer Marketing Goes Against Your Brand
Brand ambassadors are an effective method for marketing when used correctly.
< Brand Ambassador Marketing (Source: Euractiv) >
The term traditionally referred to celebrities that were being paid to endorse a product but has since evolved to include influencers and any individual who embodies a company’s values and promotes its vision. The right brand ambassador can be an invaluable asset, significantly enhancing brand visibility, credibility, and customer loyalty.
< Brand Ambassador Marketing Success Cases (Source: MBAESG)>
However, there is more to both influencer and brand ambassador marketing than just paying individuals to say a few good words about your product. Such a careless approach is a shortcut to failure and disappointing campaign results. One of the biggest mistakes is choosing the wrong influencer, while can cost the company a lot of money and even some of their loyal customers.
But there is a way to prevent these mishaps from happening. Read on for a list of fails that serve as key learning points for what to be aware of when carrying out brand ambassador or influencer marketing.
1. Leaving Out the Mandatory Facts : Diclegis x Kim Kardashian
When working with influencers and brand ambassadors for promotion of pharmaceutical products, it can be trickier, thus requires more care. This is because advertising rules mean that medicines and drugs are required to provide information on potential side effects, with failure to comply resulting in regulatory action if the post is not removed or corrected.
< Diclegis x Kim Kardashian (Source: Forbes) >
In 2015, Kim Kardashian landed in hot water when she promoted Diclegis, a morning sickness drug, without listing any of the side effects. The FDA immediately pounced, issuing a warning letter to the brand demanding reparations.
Learning Points
The use of celebrities in pharma marketing is a double-edged sword, as it can offer immediate name recognition and buzz, but can also present risks to a brand’s reputation, as well as trigger increased scrutiny from the FDA and FTC around endorsements.
The better option here would have been to source a health focused influencer or brand ambassadors in the medical field who would have used their expertise to build authenticity and sense of trust. Instead, all they got was a posed photo and ad caption without the key medical facts. On top of being a bad campaign, it was unethical advertising and medical practice.
While you may know the regulated guidelines, your influencer or ambassador may not, so it is important to provide a list of details that need to be included in the post to avoid putting consumers at risk. Partnering with influencers is just like any other business relationship, so it is important to iron out the legalities to make sure no one gets in trouble.
2. Zero Authenticity : Adidas x Naomi Campbell
Next is a posting caption fail from model Naomi Campbell for Adidas, who fell victim to a copy and paste mishap.
< Adidas x Naomi Campbell (Source: Mirror) >
When carrying out a sponsored post for the brand, she copied and pasted the full message without removing the posting instructions first. It is an embarrassing mistake that caused fans to mock both Naomi and Adidas, making not only her look foolish, but also negatively affect Adidas through loss of reputation and bad press. Some even made an interesting point when they questioned if this error is truly an accident or a trick to bring more attention to the brand. Whether such mistakes are intentional or not, it can be agreed that posts like this would add zero or very little positive value to the brand’s image.
< Bootea x Scott Disick (Source: US Magazine) >
This may seem like a one-time occurrence but happens more often than you would think. Reality star Scott Disick also made the same mistake with a sponsored post from Bootea, a diet tea that relies heavily on celebrity endorsement for its sales.
Learning Points
To prevent this mistake from occurring, give your brand influencer guidelines for their post instead of a perfectly crafted caption. It’s also important to choose influencers who will pay attention to the guidelines you provide. Align your brand with influencers who fit your products, not just those with high follower counts. Choosing brand influencers who care means you are choosing people who will value making quality, carefully curated content for your sponsorship over making easy money.
3. Zero aligning with audience : Volvo x Chriselle Lim
One major mistake that many brands have made in the past is the fact that the influencer's previous content has very little in common with the product they are endorsing. This was the case for high fashion, beauty, and mommy blogger Chriselle Lim when she did a sponsored post for Volvo.
< Volvo x Chriselle Lim (Source: PapillonPR) >
Volvo wanted to encourage people to make changes in their lives, promoting an eco-friendly car wash solution. Aside from the very obviously staged picture and scripted caption, the biggest issue with this endorsement was the fact that Chriselle's feed featured lifestyle, beauty and photography content, which made this post stand out in a bad way. Volvo had no place on this feed as Chriselle had rarely, if ever, posted about or show an interest in cars nor an eco-friendly lifestyle before the partnership was announced, casting doubt over the authenticity of the ad and whether Volvo had done enough research before choosing to partner with her. The major point here is that the brand being endorsed, and the influencer or ambassador’s posting content must share common grand. This is how you will begin to appeal to a great deal of their followers.
Learning Points
< Gymshark Ambassadors (Source: Shopify) >
Celebrities may guarantee likes, but the problems mentioned above occur more often than you think, and they may be slow in responding to the client feedback. On the other hand, smaller influencers are typically knowledgeable in their niche and spend tons of time creating content on social media, so they are more likely to create sponsored content relevant to their audience. Brands don’t also need to risk sudden scandals that lead to huge penalty fees and brand defamation.
Avocado Giant has a dedicated team with years of expertise, committed to connecting you with influencers and ambassadors who align with your brand. If you’re curious about influencer or brand marketing and think it could benefit your business, get in touch with us!
< Micro Influencer Ambassador Marketing (Source: Joinstatus) >
Celebrities may guarantee likes, but the problems mentioned above occur more often than you think, and they may be slow in responding to the client feedback. On the other hand, smaller influencers are typically knowledgeable in their niche and spend tons of time creating content on social media, so they are more likely to create sponsored content relevant to their audience. Brands don’t also need to risk sudden scandals that lead to huge penalty fees and brand defamation.
Avocado Giant has a dedicated team with years of expertise, committed to connecting you with influencers and ambassadors who align with your brand. If you’re curious about influencer or brand marketing and think it could benefit your business, get in touch with us!
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