Specialized gives ambassadors the boot

[dave303e]

Honestly - I am all for it. Too many wannabe media specialists spewing lies and bull dust.

I know one local 'ambassador's' bike is currently for sale. The cassette and chain are dirty in the pics. It is over priced in general never mind when you consider it was a free/highly discounted bike. The owner did a bunch of blog posts on a topic they know jack about and had never actually done it. Apart from cutting the steerer down and then putting on a massive raise stem. Dropper post with a super wide saddle was a pointless exercise. Just a normal saddle would allow weight to be moved back not navigating a stupid wide saddle.  If you going to give dodge advice, at least come do it here on the hub where we can chirp. Happy for brands to put the money into real athletes where they actually have proper work to do.

Partnership with trail builders/race directors is different, that is enabling them to do a job.

[MysticBlack]

14 minutes ago, dave303e said:

Honestly - I am all for it. Too many wannabe media specialists spewing lies and bull dust.

I know one local 'ambassador's' bike is currently for sale. The cassette and chain are dirty in the pics. It is over priced in general never mind when you consider it was a free/highly discounted bike. The owner did a bunch of blog posts on a topic they know jack about and had never actually done it. Apart from cutting the steerer down and then putting on a massive raise stem. Dropper post with a super wide saddle was a pointless exercise. Just a normal saddle would allow weight to be moved back not navigating a stupid wide saddle.  If you going to give dodge advice, at least come do it here on the hub where we can chirp. Happy for brands to put the money into real athletes where they actually have proper work to do.

Partnership with trail builders/race directors is different, that is enabling them to do a job.

Everybody running to the classifieds to find that bike....lol

[Johan A Marais]

I am all for this.  Organizations must look at every rand invested and calculate the return on that investment.  This exercise I guess shows a very small return, if at all.  I for one will never spend because of what a so-called ambassador tweet or post.  Very few actually can talk with authorization about the brand that they are representing.

But, in our local riding groups I am all ears, listen and learn and decide on any spend based on actually qualitative input and feedback (read robust discussion) from fellow peeps. 

[DieselnDust]

A brand ambassador should know more about the product than any sales person. They should also understand what makes makes their product different, who the target market is and how it meets their needs. Most I’ve encountered don’t. Just pretty faces taking pretty pictures and making pretty videos. 
nothing irritates me more than a “this product is the best….soema….” Or because it’s an Acme. 
 

if a brand ambassador can’t stand up and support the brand manager or retailer to answer difficult questions then imo they add zero value.

the industry is it’s own worst enemy because they just want models to look pretty in or on their product. That doesn’t cut it anylonger. Buyers want to know what they getting before spending the money. 

[babse]

51 minutes ago, MysticBlack said:

Everybody running to the classifieds to find that bike....lol

hahaha guilty... PM if you won 

[Jewbacca]

1 hour ago, DieselnDust said:

A brand ambassador should know more about the product than any sales person. They should also understand what makes makes their product different, who the target market is and how it meets their needs. Most I’ve encountered don’t. Just pretty faces taking pretty pictures and making pretty videos. 
nothing irritates me more than a “this product is the best….soema….” Or because it’s an Acme. 
 

if a brand ambassador can’t stand up and support the brand manager or retailer to answer difficult questions then imo they add zero value.

the industry is it’s own worst enemy because they just want models to look pretty in or on their product. That doesn’t cut it anylonger. Buyers want to know what they getting before spending the money. 

This

I was a part of a shoe brand programme for a number of years. I received X number of shoes per year depending on my needs.

At the start I was just in the right place at the right time,  but when they asked me to make social media posts and publicly align myself with the brand I stood down and started buying my own shoes. 

Weirdly, I have found that the cool aide I drank for so long wasn't actually the tastiest or best. I had just been so engrossed in the brand I hadn't tried anything else for a long time.

I moved away and although running shoes are costly, I am very happy to buy them now and I don't have to make posts about them.

I find it SUPER weird that people would prefer to suck up massively and even pretend to have a relationship with a brand to get free stuff from that brand they claim they already get, instead of being heaps proud of the fact that they sponsor themselves and have enough cash, time and energy to be their own sponsor.

You know who you are, hashtagging brands which you paid full price for.... weird

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, Jewbacca said:

This

I was a part of a shoe brand programme for a number of years. I received X number of shoes per year depending on my needs.

At the start I was just in the right place at the right time,  but when they asked me to make social media posts and publicly align myself with the brand I stood down and started buying my own shoes. 

Weirdly, I have found that the cool aide I drank for so long wasn't actually the tastiest or best. I had just been so engrossed in the brand I hadn't tried anything else for a long time.

I moved away and although running shoes are costly, I am very happy to buy them now and I don't have to make posts about them.

I find it SUPER weird that people would prefer to suck up massively and even pretend to have a relationship with a brand to get free stuff from that brand they claim they already get, instead of being heaps proud of the fact that they sponsor themselves and have enough cash, time and energy to be their own sponsor.

You know who you are, hashtagging brands which you paid full price for.... weird

 

that is weird, especially when full price is made.

A formal ambassador generally gets discounted pricing if they are not paid influencers.

there is often an expectation in place. Technical feedback and input, social media posts, or whatever is agreed between distributor or manufacturer and yourself. 

without that agreement #tagging is just gatkruiping.

Also I can't fathom how someone would go through all this trouble for a discount if they don't actually believe in the product themself or care about the brands success! that just does my nut in.🙄

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by DieselnDust