We have all heard the term Brand Ambassador. Overused, perhaps a touch evangelical, the implications are usually singular: A Brand. But what happens if you are lobbying for a contingent of brands within your marketing scope? SELF magazine sought a way to bridge the gap from Ambassador to Influencer. Third Mind was there to help.
{Did we mention we’ve been helping Condé as a preferred vendor since 1998? Kind of a big deal… Non?}
From Concept to Code
SELF reached out to us with a fully formed conceptual idea, but how could it work technically? What platforms would make sense? What could we build which they could take care of themselves? Discovery helped us reveal that the system would require the following:
- Provide an invitation-only system for SELF-selected brand ambassadors.
- The vetted ambassadors could share their insights across targeted social channels.
- Integration of authenticated API’s to social channels allowing the ambassadors to easily distribute their insights and findings.
- Member activities such as polls, sweepstakes, surveys, sample requests, and content sharing.
- Integrated reporting and metrics tools
Strategies to Solutions
As we considered solutions and strategies, we recommended a customized implementation of WordPress. The blogging-centric / social sharing aspects of the program, as well as the target administrators’ comfort with the platform, allowed Condé Nast and SELF to move the program forward with confidence. Third Mind implemented the following:
- We rebranded and customized a professional WordPress theme to keep costs down (vs. developing a custom theme) and to reflect the magazine’s new branding.
- We created custom fields and templates to reflect program-specific content types.
- We developed custom functionality to manage the program’s interactive features.
What We Enjoyed About This Project
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