Pros & Cons of “Brand Ambassador Companies”

By jdeagustin

December 18, 2019

Are You Considering a Brand Ambassador Company to Do Your In-Store Demos?

EDS Strategy is an In-Store Demonstration Company - Not a Brand Ambassador "Staffing Agency"

During your quest to decide which in-store sampling company or grocery store product demonstration company is best for your brand and business, you will no doubt come across a lot of large "Brand Ambassador" companies that claim to have "national coverage" While a large coverage area might sound like an advantage it comes at a cost. A lot of Brand Ambassador companies pull from a database of 1099 contractors many of which do a demo 2 times a year! Sound cray - cray ? That's because it is!

Also check out this article, and interview with Founder and CEO of EDS Strategy to learn about how we approach in store demonstrations

Considering a "Brand Ambassador" Company?

Let's Look at the Pro's and Con's

Pros

Strong coverage in remote areas
Want a demo at a flea market in a remote area with population 200? Sure their database of 2 trillion 1099 contractors, might be able to help
Can do a quick demo "campaign"
If you're objective is to do a high-volume of demos across multiple stores once, and never again
Can get events done in a hurry
This is great if you like stuff rushed and done last minute.

Cons

Last minute hiring techniques
Large Brand Ambassador companies use slick techniques to hire their newly vetted "BA's" last minute to represent YOUR brand! No Way ! Not Cool!
Quick demo campaigns are not long term growth
The best CPG Brands have in-store demo programs that are integral parts of their marketing strategy, not one off flings.
Rushed Demos = 1099 Contractors & Brand Damage
At EDS Srategy we are obsessed with planning a client's in store demo program, those "BA Companies" are not.

Conclusion:

Those Brand Ambassador companies serve a purpose. But if you're looking for the best in-store grocery product demos or in-store retail sampling programs, then going with one of those glorified staffing agencies is the worst decision your brand could make, since they simply lack the acumen to Educate, Demonstrate, Sell® a brand in-store, the way your Regional Sales Managers would. Again, many brand ambassador companies recruit food demonstrators off facebook groups , often 24 hours before your demo. At EDS Strategy we take a different approach to recruiting and training.