Students turn brand ambassadors

From networking sites to NASA, they are everywhere. We are talking about student ambassadors. Companies are now recognising the spirit of adolescence and using it to better their sales too. It is all about having their products talked about among the young crowd. Energy drinks, fitness salons, many are the companies tapping the potential of students to promote their products.

The advantages work both ways. For students, the exposure means pocket money as well as confidence gained from interactions. Avinash Rego, student council president of St Joseph’s College of Commerce, says, “There are many students who work for Red Bull energy drink in our campus. They bring a lot of free samples of the drink to the campus, especially during the fest. The college authorities do not have any problems as it is an energy drink.”

The perks for the services of student ambassadors include free subscription to various services of the company as well as freebies. They also find it easier to get internships and jobs compared to other students as the experience helps add value to their resumes.
Don’t think it is cakewalk yet.

Students say being a brand ambassador to a company is not an easy job and is not all about having a pretty face. In order to be the campus representative of an IT major like Microsoft, students have to perform at least eight tasks. They have to also come up with activities to grab the attention of their fellow students. Energy drinks and cosmetic brands look for students with interpersonal and communicational skills.

Tarun Kalwani, a Microsoft student partner for CMR Institute of Technology, says, “We have to conduct various activities in the campus to promote the many products of Microsoft and new services like Bingo! among students.”

Clothes stores are also making use of the visibility factor by sponsoring the clothes worn at fashion shows by students who walk the ramp. Fashion shows by in-house teams to promote sponsors are fast becoming a salient feature of many fests. At a festival held recently at Mount Carmel College, the clothing brand Jealous provided the clothes for the student models. Students also say that perks include freebies given by such companies to the participants. Says Chetan R, a fashion designer and guest lecturer with MCC, “Brands that aren’t all that well-known, advertise their products this way as it makes them popular.”

“The good thing about these activities is that it is not happening at the cost of your studies. If you are okay with doing promotional activities, then it is an easy way to mint money,” says Sheetal Nair, E- Cell secretary of Mount Carmel College.

Companies are also benefiting from the new form of advertising. After her friends started promoting cosmetic brands, Krithika Mani, a final year student of Bishop Cottons College, says she has become a loyalist of a cosmetic brand. “It is easier to buy the products from them. There is a certain kind of trust that way. If there are any problems, you can get back to them.”