SUNNY SINGH. Van Hawke Sports.

SUNNY SINGH Founder & CEO

How to do a celebrity endorsement. The right way!

Game Changers recently saw an online campaign by a new brokerage that utilised several ambassadors who had no interest in the brand, along with struggling to read the 10-word script.

We wanted to pick the brains of Sunny Singh, the CEO of Van Hawke Sports, and Game Changers guru of brand ambassador placements.

Q How can a brand select someone from the entertainment industry to match their brand?

Brand ambassador endorsements are steadily on the rise, with technology being a huge factor in determining accessibility, not only for brands but also for the followers of those individuals which has led to the now synonymous phrase of any ambassador as an ‘influencer’. However, selecting the correct ambassador can prove to be a tricky task for even the savviest of brands, as many factors need to be considered to ensure clarity and consistency of the brand message whilst also seeking to implement ROI metrics.

To begin with, all brands need to understand that when selecting an ambassador, they are effectively entering into a partnership and in doing so they have to ensure that the individual shares those values that align with the company’s mission values.

When we initially speak with brands regarding any ambassador placements the first question we ask is, “What are your objectives?”. This is a simple and effective question that usually sees brands respond with a range of answers, but the most common theme is to increase awareness within their target demographic which will lead to an increase in client acquisition.

With this in mind any FX brand seeking to adopt ambassador strategies should already be aware as to who their target audience is and where they reside. Once established, the next step is to determine the type of individual that can best resonate with the target audience i.e Should it be a current sports person or past legend, a film star or musician, or maybe a YouTube or Instagram influencer? Does an internationally recognised personality based out of the USA (for example) have the same engagement rates with an audience in Vietnam as opposed to a local personality? What are their current audience

demographics? Have they endorsed a similar product or service previously, if so, what were the engagement rates and across which channels?

There is certainly not a ‘one-size-fits’ (or in this instance a one-personality-type-fits) all model. Brands need to be fully aware that ambassador endorsement exercises are similar to any other marketing campaign, whereby the whole user journey needs to be considered, from the channels used, the messaging conveyed, the initial user to brand engagement, brand interaction and then either lead or account acquisition. That is why it is crucial to assess a range of criteria when selecting an ambassador to ensure the success of this campaign type.

Q Is there a way to control the shoot, so the brand ambassador can look convincing when delivering the message?

When liaising with brands, we always insist on submitting a full client brief along with a script and wherever possible a storyboard to the content producer. At times (especially when using social platforms like Instagram or YouTube) the content producer and the ambassador are the same individual, and as such he or she is the representative of a brand. However, many brands forget to ensure that the chosen message is conveyed exactly how they want it to be, and it is this crucial component which determines whether a shoot will succeed or fail.

Technology today allows anyone to be in contact to work hand in hand with any content producer, regardless of whether they are able to be on site for a particular shoot or not. In addition, when utilising ambassadors, 9 times out of 10 it is a paid for service, so yes, a brand can ask for several takes to ensure that the content delivered is exactly as per the brief provided.

In the context of looking convincing, this goes back to what I mentioned earlier regarding the ambassador sharing the same values as the brand. If the ambassador does not understand and appreciate the brand and the message, he or she will not be able to convey this correctly. As the greatest of sales people will always testify “you have to believe in what you’re selling”.

Q Not only do you have a large portfolio of FX brands, you are also working on behalf of a number of sports rights holders including Formula One, Football and eSports teams. Is the selection process different in suggesting a brand ambassador?

Not at all, and fundamentally goes back to the objectives of the brand. Sports rights holders, such as a Formula One team are also brands, and similar to any other company are often seeking to boost their exposure to a new audience subset whilst cementing their existing fan relations. The goal of an ambassador for a sports team in this instance, is to bridge the gap and introduce/promote the sport and in particular, the team to an audience that may not already follow them. KPIs are usually based on engagement rates across numerous channels including social media, and are decided and agreed beforehand by both parties.

This type of ambassador activity is similar to an FX brand who is seeking to onboard new clients whilst increasing volumes with their existing clients. The selection process is exactly same, with a sports rights holder being paired with an ambassador that shares the same values as the team, with the criteria used to create and distribute the content being just as strict.

Q As you have also worked for a number of the largest FX brands, can you talk us through some of the metrics that a brand could use to assess the success rate of an ambassador?

Ambassador campaigns are first and foremost brand awareness exercises. That said, there are several metrics which can be utilised to measure success rates, and we tend to think of these as a complete package with each component feeding to the next. These include, the impressions and engagement rates of content produced across all channels. This is important to measure as this engagement feeds directly to the brand reach and inbound traffic received.

The latter is naturally of upmost importance to any FX brand, as this ultimately is where they are wanting to convert the traffic to either a lead or an account opening. However, it is the consistency of message and the user journey which is key here and this harks back to the overall objective of this campaign type. Tracking codes are vital, and similar to any other online campaign embed tracked links into the social posts used via an ambassador. FX brands should always create and utilise bespoke landing pages relating to the campaign, and once again be sure to measure each of the agreed metrics to provide ROI stats.

That’s a good question, and one I would say is becoming increasingly important especially with more brands now undertaking ambassador exercises. I would say that a proven track record and an existing established network of rights holders and agents is always important when considering a service provider.

As mentioned throughout this interview, ambassador selection is far from a from a one-size-fits all model, and a good service provider will liaise and consult directly with the brand to establish the objectives and KPIs prior to even suggesting those ambassadors which could be a good fit. They will also know ambassador availability, existing endorsements and current rates. In addition, the service provider would broker the agreement directly between the brand and ambassador/agent to ensure there is clarity of contractual commitments, which will negate the risk of producing content which does not uphold the client brief.

At Van Hawke Sports we are very fortunate to have built an extensive global network of over 300 rights-holders and agents. This allows us to provide our clients access to only the very best in ambassador selection, ranging from the world of sports to the entertainment industry and beyond. Our proven industry experience both in sports and particularly in FX enables us to offer a bespoke service to each of our clients, catering for their exact requirements….

You’ll have to excuse the sales pitch at the end, I am after all an ambassador for my own brand.