Part of our remit included supporting Zebra’s brands. Endorsement from elite athletes was a big part of this, but how could we ensure that they remained aspirational, yet also accessible for the huge number of amateur riders out there?
To help achieve this, and help increase reach and engagement on social media, we launched the Zebra Academy. Run across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the aim was to find four amateur riders who would become brand ambassadors and form the Zebra Academy.
We launched a competition to find the four ambassadors which was run over six weeks and pushed across social media, helping to drive entries. The selection process involved creating a short video review of one of the products that Zebra distribute. As a member of the Zebra Academy, ambassadors would be sent products to test and review – which would then be posted on social media – so it was important that their personality came across.
The four successful applicants, selected by the team at Zebra, included riders from across the disciplines and items they are sent for review include rugs, clothing, care products and supplements with reviews posted on their own channels. These are then shared by both Zebra and the brands themselves to ensure the greatest reach.
“We have a large number of high-profile sponsored riders and we wanted to find an alternative way to reach out to the everyday rider and get some real-life product testimonials,” said Simon Middleton, Managing Director at Zebra Products. “The Zebra Academy has really enabled us to achieve this. A BIG thank you to Target PR for setting up and making this concept really come to life.”
