Each year, 1.5 million students go on spring break. Between Florida and Texas hotspots alone, spring breakers will spend $1 billion. That’s an average of $1,100 per student for one week—and transportation and housing account for less than half of that.
During that time, those students are likely to encounter exactly zero student brand ambassadors.
There’s a misconception among brands that there isn’t a way to leverage a brand ambassador campaign during spring break. Very few companies have ever tried any campaigns, but the fact is that ambassador marketing can be done really well.
Just because college students are on spring break, that doesn’t mean they won’t be interested in engaging with your brand. If you create a fun and memorable experience that enhances their spring break, you can earn a major win that students will take back to campus.
Ambassador marketing during spring break is a golden opportunity that no one has effectively taken full advantage of. No brand “owns” spring break—yet. But the first company to plant their flag in the ground will have a huge chance to be the brand that sponsors Spring Break. You are limited only by your creativity and budget.
Doing a Spring Break Ambassador Campaign
Want to run a successful brand ambassador campaign during spring break? We’ve got you covered—follow these best practices.
Continue your campus marketing efforts at a spring break destination.
Be creative and try new things, but also show consistency in who you are and what you’re about. This will help carry over the message you’re promoting throughout the school year and keep you from appearing schizophrenic—or, worse, inauthentic—in your messaging.
Find a resort or a popular establishment to partner with.
We’re partnering with a resort on Lake Havasu in Arizona to help brands provide amazing experiences for students. During spring break, this resort sees 50,000 students come through their doors. They also own a nightclub that brings in up to 3,000 people per night.
Through this partnership, our clients have unrestricted access to thousands of people—from their hotel rooms to their entire life at the resort. And we have the ability to immerse a brand experience for those students at that resort.
Be with students every moment of the day.
The college students in our system are tied to our Go Commando app, which is on their person every moment of the day. Even when a student is on vacation, they’re still connected to us. We’re different from other brand ambassador agencies because we’re always with students.
It’s very similar to having a brand presence on social media. The big difference is that students are happy to engage with us while they’re on vacation, because they’d like to receive compensation. There’s always somebody willing to do some work, if it’s fun.
Students are often willing to evangelize a product even while they’re on vacation. Spring break is expensive, but if a brand can help fund the cost of a trip for doing some marketing on the side, that’s a big bonus!
Dos and Don’ts of a Spring Break Marketing Campaign
DO start planning early, because there’s a long timeline that goes along with this kind of initiative. We recommend that you start planning your marketing strategy before winter break. There are a lot of logistics to consider for a snag-free spring break marketing rollout. You’ll need time for production of materials, time for shipping, and time to get permits and ordinances approved. Expect to do a lot of waiting on others.
DO conduct plenty of market research before you begin. Know which destination makes the most sense for your brand and marketing goals. Find out who will be there, and be sure that you’ll be engaging with the right demographic.
DON’T expect direct sales from your spring break marketing campaign. Your goal should be to reinforce your brand. On campus, students are on a schedule and a routine, which involves their buying habits. On vacation, you should focus on providing a memorable experience—or give them something to take back with them—so that when students are back on their routine, they can carry that experience over from spring break into their buying habits.
DON’T think in terms of how you can scale spring break marketing. This kind of campaign doesn’t scale well, because you’ll have students from all areas of the country, not one particular school. It’s a mixed, temporary population. Instead, focus on capturing the unique opportunities that spring break provides. Leverage your existing campaigns as a springboard for something new, or use spring break as a testing ground for the rest of the year.
Spring break presents a huge opportunity for brands to engage in successful brand ambassador initiatives. The brands that claim spring break in a creative and effective way will have millions of college students to engage with. It’s a golden opportunity, but not likely one that will last for long. Will your brand own spring break?
Next Steps
- Discover more great marketing content—subscribe to our blog
- Learn more about Go Commando’s app
- Find out how HP got their college market research data in 3 minutes
