Recently I had the opportunity to work on the New York Lottery’s Powerball Hole in One, $1,000,000 Sweepstakes Events. We traveled across the state of New York in 8 days and held 7 events in 5 different cities. Not only did this give me the opportunity to work on my first mobile tour, but it also gave me my first opportunity to see New York City. Pro Motion has been working with the New York Lottery for years and they truly are a wonderful client. They care about their players and were very passionate about creating a wonderful experience for them. Overall the program was a huge success and for me it was a great learning experience.
Getting to take on the role of a Brand Ambassador with this mobile tour provided me with valuable perspective and great key learning:
- Simply showing up to an event is not good enough. You are part of the experience and it is your job to add value. You must proactively engage consumers and ensure they are having a positive experience with the brand you are representing.
- Problems will always arise. That is why it is so important to hope for the best but plan for the worst. Murphy’s Law exists! As a representative for the brand it is your responsibility to ensure consumers and clients witness a smooth event. To do this you need to be prepared for everything. When something does happen you need to take action and resolve it. Don’t wait around for someone else to take care of the problem. Take initiative to ensure the success of the event!
- Brand Ambassadors have the responsibility to continuously work to improve the program. As the feet on the street, or the first line of contact with consumers, Brand Ambassadors should provide suggestions to increase the effectiveness of the event and provide a better experience for consumers. What can go better? How can you help the event run more efficiently? How can you add more value at each event?
Brand Ambassadors are the key piece to a successful face to face marketing campaign. This is why finding the best representatives for your brand is critical to the success of your experiential marketing program.
But enough about work, getting to see the city was definitely my favorite part of the trip. If you have not been to New York City you need to. Sure it’s crowded and busy but the energy is great! The city is alive and full of energy and every block presents a new culture, which is incredible. I stayed in a hotel right in Times Square which was perfect. Every inch of Times Square represents innovation and creativity. It is a place where ideas can grow and the concept of impossibility is laughed at. I found myself looking around and thinking about what someone will do next; the technology was something out of an old sci-fi movie. The learning experience here was all around me. I asked myself how I can bring this type of innovation and creativity into my life. What do I have in front of me that I can do bigger and better? The experiential marketing field allows for big ideas and our clients are always looking for innovation which is my favorite thing about this industry.
If I can leave you with some advice it would be this: take inspiration out of every new experience in your life. Don’t waste an opportunity to learn and don’t restrict yourself from innovation. Remember, “Creativity is thinking up new things, but innovation is doing them.” We are living in a “Can Do” world so go out and “Do”!