||| September 20, 2025 by Kelley Lavin

College Students and Brand Ambassadors

You should have been there to see it.  You had to be there to believe it:   100 people who wouldn’t leave, 100 people who couldn’t stop brainstorming, 100 people who wouldn’t stop swapping great ideas, 100 people all focused on the best ways for Chicago arts organizations to reach college students.

And, next time AEE offers a session like this, you need to be there

Here’s the best news:  Leslie Shook, one of the event’s organizers and moderators, wrote in her AEE blog two months prior to event: “I am optimistic about the potential for college students to join the arts audience and become lifelong members.”  If she was optimistic before the event, you should have seen Leslie after it.

The future is undoubtedly bright given the enthusiasm and creativity brought to the task by 100 representatives from Chicago cultural organizations, colleges and universities and students brought to the task.  Riffing off of  ideas and comments made by two expert panels of arts and educational administrators and one amazing student (don’t miss Ashtin Berry’s blog “From the Student Perspective” on this site,) the Gang of 100 came up with a list of concrete ideas and suggestions that will help guide Chicago arts organizations in building their college audience bases.

It’s clear from the Brainstorming Session that it can be effective to recruit students who are seen as “influencers” by their peers to get the word out about your upcoming event or a product.

Indeed, much has been written for several years about this marketing phenomenon, for example:

In an age when the college demographic is no longer easily reached via television, radio, or newspapers -- as TiVo, satellite radio, iPods, and the Internet crowd out the traditional advertising venues -- a microindustry of campus marketing has emerged…

''There is a paradigm shift in the way that corporations are marketing to college students," said Matt Britton, a managing partner of Mr. Youth, a New York-based firm that specializes in college student marketing. ''The student ambassador tactic embraces all the elements that corporations find most effective: It's peer-to-peer, it's word of mouth, it's flexible, and it breaks through the clutter of other media. For all that, it's growing very quickly." - Sara Schweitzer, “Building a buzz on campus,” “The Boston Globe’,” October  24, 2005

However, it’s not as simple as it seems at first glance. While you may not agree with the analogy that “Branded Product = Cultural Event,” the point made by Joan Voight made in her “Ad Week” article,  “The New Brand Ambassadors,” (December 31, 2025), rings true.

While (student) brand ambassadors are a good, inexpensive way to extend a brand's reach, "ambassador programs require a good deal of supervision to ensure that the brand is being represented properly," says Lara Bass, vp of client services at Renegade, an experiential marketing agency… "Once selected they must be trained and well versed on the brand so they don't come across as paid endorsers who lack real brand knowledge," she adds.

Training might not be the only issue.  As reported in Edelman’s 2010 Trust Barometer study, there exists a problem with declining trust in word-of -mouth, particularly when delivered through social media. According to the study, the percentage of people who view their friends as credible sources of information about a brand has fallen from 45% in 2008 to 25% in 2010.

What are your thoughts?  Can “cultural organization ambassador” students be effective in spreading the word to their peers about your organization and filling your seats?  What experiences can you share?

Blogger’s Note: If you are interested in learning more about effective and ethical word-of -mouth marketing, check out the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s website: womma.org

To read about what this group had to say:  go to Maureen Burn’s list and insightful summary, accessed here.

And, next time AEE offers a session like this, you need to be there
 

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