When you think of a brand ambassador campaign, you probably think of either a) a Klout (or similar) perk that may garner no substantial reviews in return for the product or b) a disparate smattering of blog posts that become difficult to track and measure, and may have little actual influence apart from inbound links.
That's because while the concept of brand ambassador is still popular and relevant, determining ROI can be hard. Measurement is a cornerstone of IMC. How do you truly measure the reach of a brand ambassador campaign apart from determining which influencers send the most traffic? Things become a lot easier, and a lot more powerful, when you add additional channels like social to the mix.
That's why the #DysonDogs campaign is our IMC Campaign of the Month.
#DysonDogs, on the surface, may seem like any other brand ambassador concept. They've enlisted influential dogs - i.e. dogs with significant following on blogs, video, social media, etc. - to talk about their vacuums. Instead of leaving it up to the influencers (let's call them "dogfluencers," because why not?) to spread the word through their own networks of readers, followers and friends, Dyson gave them a good outlet to voice their opinions about the product - the #DysonDog hashtag campaign.
#DysonDog exists wherever hashtags work. A quick search of Twitter and Instagram, the obvious networks for the job, shows a plethora of pups posing with their new Dyson vacuums, along with grateful and pretty glowing reviews from their owners. Beyond dogfluencers, Dyson also capitalized on the #DysonDog hashtag to let people tag photos of their dogs with the vacuum's grooming tool at a "grooming parlor" set up at special events, like the Crufts Dog Show, one of the largest in the world. You may have noticed our IMC Campaign of the Month feature often involves live events. They really work, and yet are so often overlooked by brands in the digital era where everything is expected to be served up on a screen.
Along with the outreach to ambassadors and dogfluencers, Dyson created an easy-to-navigate, highly functional landing page for their vacuums to showcase the products and their effectiveness on dog hair. The landing page prominently features video, a cute advertisement that shows the vacuum handling the toughest messes dog owners encounter. Any time video ads are incorporated in a marketing campaign, their signal can be boosted beyond their initial reach on television, YouTube or anywhere else they may be displayed. People really like to see products in action, and Dyson has done this - as well as tug at the heartstrings of dog lovers who can relate to the circumstances in the video. All in few effective seconds that won't lose anybody's attention.
The end result of this tour de force of brand ambassador, social, event marketing and video advertising is a campaign that took on a life of its own as proud pet owners tagged #DysonDogs even when not compensated to do so in any way. Dog owners are part of a large culture online, and making your brand at home with that culture can send your signal viral. Unplanned messages like those in the Dyson campaign are truly the holy grail of IMC.
By appealing to dog owners in places like dog shows and blogs or Twitter accounts with significant audiences, Dyson created something other dog owners wanted to join. Their vacuums have always had a sexy appeal; they're sort of the equivalent of Apple's electronics, only in the realm of picking up dirt and dander. Now vacuums like the V6 Absolute are becoming increasingly well known as a solution to common cleaning problems for pet owners, but desirable for more than just their function. The company has managed to brand Dyson Dogs as true dogfluencers, so the everyday dog owner wants to join the #DysonDog movement, too.
Disclaimer: My dog, Bart the Dumpster Dog, is a dogfluencer sponsored by Dyson. Follow him on Twitter.
