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THE RISE OF BRAND AMBASSADORS
 
In an oversaturated, socially infatuated world, content is king. And in 2021, a year where nothing seems stable, one unwavering element continues to flourish: The brand ambassador.

While influencer marketing is nothing new, social media moves at lightning speed - new channels, technology and features are launched every day, and companies find themselves quickly pivoting to react, adapt and execute for every latest launch. If anything positive is to be drawn from this pandemic, it's forced businesses to take a step back to re-evaluate their strategies and look closely at what's performing and what isn't Some brands have scaled back on traditional advertising. Others have tightened up their organisational structures. And some have closed their offices and gone 100% remote._but what they all have in common is that they still have products to sell.

So, how do you inspire and motivate customers to look beyond the confines of their loungeroom walls? Enter, the brand ambassador According to Kantar research released in April 2020, respondents under age 35 were spending 40% more time on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram during the pandemic, and throughout 2020, it became clear that there had been a drastic underestimation of influencers — including their role in marketing and their impact on consumers. Furthermore, according to Insider Intelligence estimates, the influencer marketing industry could be worth up to $15 billion by 2022, and brands are more likely to prioritise more authentic long-term relationships rather than one-off partnerships.

With proof that brand ambassadors are one of the best ways to accelerate the growth of your business exponentially as the world continues to navigate these uncertain times, check out the latest talent to join the Lime Agency and consider how their influence may help promote your brand.

Enjoy the read!
Kylie & Team
NEW TALENT JOINING
 
As an innovative, talent-centred agency, breaking new ground and building a solid foundation for successful careers is what we're known for. And while we may be a boutique talent agency, we've earned a big reputation for our depth of talent which includes some of the country’s most recognised names...speaking of which, did you see who recently signed with Lime?
 
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© Masterchef Australia.
 
Pete Campbell
 
Currently cultivating his fine-dining culinary skills under the tutelage of renowned Executive Chef Peter Gilmore at Sydney's most prestigious dining room, Quay, Pete Campbell is on his way to becoming one of the country’s finest self- taught chefs. As runner up in this year’s nail-biting finale of MasterChef Australia, not to mention the mastermind behind the two-minute tasty peanut butter muffin viral sensation, this former high-flying corporate exec turned tattoo artist proves you don't have to be classically trained to perfect classic cuisine that’s not only the talk of the table but the talk of the town!

Pete's love of food was surprisingly pre-determined from a young age (notwithstanding the meat and potato years!), taking a temporary backseat while he fine-tuned his creative skills as a talented singer/songwriter. It was a year of gourmand travel exploits with his wife across Asia, Europe and the US that ignited his inner ‘foodie’ and he was able to understand food's influence over place and personal perspective. Uprooting his family to Los Angeles saw Pete delve deeper into flavour combinations and crafting his culinary techniques. Fast forward a few years and today Pete finds himself at the centre of a new culinary culture post COVID-19. His life philosophy is all about facing the as-yet- uncharted road. And while it can be scary, when you do, it will ultimately lead to a life of doing what you love. It’s an adage he hopes to instil in his two young daughters. In the meantime, Pete is excited to play a part in helping people experience food that elevates a moment and creates lifelong memories. After all, this is what he loves most.
 
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SQUID THE GRIFF & PRETZEL
 
Squid the Griff is definitely a new breed of social media star for us here at the Lime Agency. But this Adelaide-based Brussels Griffon (that’s a Petit Brabancon for those certified cynologists out there!) with almost 400,000 Instagram followers (including an enviable list of celebs) readily proves that big things come in pint-sized packages. Made of 70% love, 20% sass and 10% beard, and more recently sharing the limelight with his little brother Pretzel, this ‘bone-a-fide’ pair of international Insta-stars are the perfect furry companions for almost any occasion. With Squid’s endearing personality and Pretzel's playful nature, these furry models have become somewhat fashion icons thanks to their appetite for playing dress ups. From an over-sized bowtie with tux, a flower tiara and street-cred hoodie through to some adorable festive fashions that have achieved viral status, Squid the Griff and Pretzel also come with a range of accessories and popular merchandise.
 
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DR KIRSTIN FERGUSON
 
Having served on a range of company boards (including Deputy Chair of the ABC after being appointed by the Prime Minister to lead the national broadcaster through a very public crisis in 2019), Dr Kirstin Ferguson's impact on the world around her is no less impressive than her mission to help others do the same. Initially earning her epaulets as a Flying Officer with the RAAF, she moved into corporate legal services before heading up an international consultancy.

Dr Kirstin Ferguson’s list of achievements is extensive. Incredibly passionate about women supporting women, gender equality, and diversity and inclusion in the workplace, Ferguson is an expert on emotional intelligence, authenticity and leadership. Today she’s a high-profile tabloid columnist, the award-winning co-author of the best-seller, Women

Kind, the architect behind the viral social media movement, #CelebratingWomen and one of Australia’s most in-demand keynote speakers.

Please contact Kylie at The Lime Agency on kylie@limeagency.com.au if you're interested in collaborating with any of our talent for brand partnerships, campaigns, ambassadorships, sponsorship, speaking and events
IN THE LIMELIGHT
 
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Layne Beachley AO
 
Lime talent, Layne Beachley AO has lived an extraordinary life. She’s held world records, won seven world titles and is recognised as the most successful female surfer in history. She has also overcome chronic fatigue, injuries, depression and feelings of abandonment after discovering at eight years old that she was adopted.

Once retiring from surfing professionally, Layne threw herself wholeheartedly into the world of motivational speaking and after years of delivering face-to-face workshops and speeches, she decided it was time to offer her tribe something even more personal. The solution? An online portal that’s captured holistic self-empowerment for today’s digital crowd. Known as the Awake Academy, it offers a series of bespoke courses designed to guide you to live a meaningful life. The course content incorporates meditation, high- performance mindset coaching and mentoring. The content is also endorsed by My Mirror, an online psychology solution. The flagship course on offer is Own Your Truth, comprising of seven rounds (for the seven world titles she has won), 29 workbook exercises (for the 29 events she won), and 19 videos (representing the 19 years Layne was on tour).

So, are you ready to feel more confident, centred and connected? If so, why not consider signing up to the Awake Academy and start benefiting from Layne’s highly practical techniques and tools for real-life situations to radically transform your life! The Awake Academy’s flagship course is currently available for sponsorship opportunities as well as for digital white label packaging for your business.

For further information, contact Kylie @ The Lime Agency.
 
3 Life Lessons with Layne
 
I am enough: “The most pertinent life lesson I’ve learned is that | am enough. It took me six consecutive world titles to recognise it and then acknowledge it. | feel like people are on this treadmill of life, striving to be enough. And they’re pushing and pulling, but they’re not thriving. People don’t recognise that they are enough in who and how they are. There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to grow and improve. However, it needs to come from a place of enough-ness. | wish I'd given myself permission to be enough earlier in my life.”

It’s OK to not be OK: “We’re constantly bombarded with this notion of positive thinking, adopting an optimistic mindset that life has to be all good all the time. But life is not good all the time.”

We’re in this together: “This pandemic has certainly highlighted the fact that none of us are guests on this planet. We'’re all connected to it, and we’re all connected to each other. We’ve become a real solo species over the past 10 or 20 years, and now we're beginning to realise the importance of connection, empathy, and compassion, as they are the driving forces behind a prosperous humanity.”
CLIENT CAMPAIGNS
 
Some of the recent campaigns we’ve worked on.
 
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LIME NEWS
 
IS IT AN AD?
 
From AiMCO www.aimco.org.au
 
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Image Source Instagram showing the post with Paid Partnership since updated.
 
Consumers have less experience with some forms of advertising in the social media space and ‘paid content’ can be difficult to distinguish from independent editorial or organic user-generated content. This means that marketers/ brands, agencies/comms partners and the creators/ influencers must pay particular attention to ensuring that marketing communications are clearly identifiable as such.

Under Australian Law, consumers are entitled to know if an influencer or creator has been paid to post about a product or service because in that instance, it effectively becomes advertising. Australian Consumer Law (ACL) includes two fundamental rules relating to advertising:

1. You must not engage in conduct that is likely to mislead or deceive; and,

2. You must not make false or misleading claims or statements.

The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) provides a self-regulatory code, the AANA Code of Ethics, that underpins ACL and the governing body that rules according to this is Ad Standards Australia. The Australian Influencer Marketing Council’s (AIMCO) code, which is specific to influencer marketing, also underpins ACL.

Recent complaints to Ad Standards Australia have resulted in some March, 2021 rulings on influencer posts under the newly revised AANA Code of Ethics which came into effect on February, 2021.

In addressing a complaint regarding an Anna Heinrich Instagram post featuring a Runaway evening dress, the Ad Standards Community Panel first needed to assess whether the post constituted advertising or marketing communication and if so, whether it was clearly distinguishable as such.

The panel noted that the clear display of the dress in the image paired with the use of the brand’s handle and tag did amount to material that would promote the brand in the eyes of consumers. Hence, they ruled that the post needed to be tagged as an advertisement according to the new AANA Code of Ethics as well as under the AIMCO Code - the post has since been updated and tagged in Instagram as a Paid partnership with runaway the label.

Heinrich was also the subject of another complaint lodged with Ad Standards regarding a post for Crown Resorts. The complaints raised similar concerns that the post had no transparency over sponsorship content and that it showed a lack of regard for Australian Consumer Law. However, this complaint was dismissed by the Community Panel with the differentiating factor in this case being that the hashtag #CrownPartner clearly distinguished the post as advertising content for Crown Resorts. In its response to Ad Standards, Crown highlighted that its processes since this ruling have been updated to require all marketing posts from influencers to also include the hashtag #sponsored.

An additional ruling by Ad Standards was made regarding a post for Tom Ford fragrance by Melbourne influencer Rozalia Russian. The panel determined the post was an ad as the product placement and display of the brand name would attract attention to the brand in a manner designed to promote them. It considered that the post was a paid ad but lacked transparency with no acknowledgement of sponsored nature. However, the agency for the brand has indicated to AiMCO that this was not a client paid post and so this ruling may need to be further clarified.

It's important to note that the AIMCO Code outlines that gifts provided as payment-in-kind are also considered advertising and must be disclosed as such. AiMCO’s Best Practice Working Group are currently reviewing and updating the AIMCO Code of Practice in line with these rulings and also to ensure that it appropriately underpins the revised AANA. Code of Ethics. The aim is to provide more clarity on some of the nuances of posts made as a result of gifting with regard to advertising disclosure.
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AiMCO ANNOUNCES
INFLUENCER MARKETING AWARDS FOR 2021
 
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The Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) has officially launched the inaugural 2021 Australian Influencer Marketing Council Awards in recognition of the Australian influencer marketing community and its achievements in delivering world-class content and ground-breaking innovation across social media marketing.

The Australian Influencer Marketing Council Awards will recognise and celebrate exceptional and successful collaborations with brands and creators that win hearts and minds by engaging with audiences through uniquely crafted, authentic content that makes an impact. These awards are a timely addition to the Australian marketing landscape with substantial influencer marketing growth as brands invest in macro and micro content creators to deliver influential connections with their engaged audiences as an integral part of their overall marketing mix.

The AiMCO Awards, the first of their kind in Australia, have been championed by industry leaders Patrick Whitnall, AiMCO's Deputy Chair, Kylie Green from The Lime Agency and Shivani Maharaj from Wavemaker working with the AiMCO team.

“The AIMCO Awards are designed to celebrate the rapidly growing rise of Influencer Marketing and the incredible work of agencies, brands, creators, influencer discovery platforms and the innovative technology and other businesses within the growing influencer marketing ecosystem,” said AIMCO Deputy Chair Patrick Whitnall. “By offering dedicated influencer marketing awards for our industry, we know there will be some very creative and interesting work on display.”

There are 21 AIMCO Awards to be won with the pinnacle award the AIMCO Most Influential 2021 Award judged from the 20 category winners and will be presented by Platinum Sponsor Twitch, the interactive livestreaming service for content spanning gaming, entertainment, sports, music and more.

“Twitch is honoured to be the platinum sponsor of the augural 2021 Australian Influencer Marketing Council Awards. These awards are the first of its kind to celebrate creators - who are at the heart of everything we do at Twitch,” said Ricky Chanana, Head of Sales AUNZ, Twitch. “Our entire ethos is about revolutionising entertainment through our highly engaged community of creators and fans, and we are wholeheartedly supportive of continuing to grow and empower the entire creator communit)

AiMCO is calling on agencies, brands, influencer platforms, creators and everyone working in the influencer marketing ecosystem to submit their best influencer marketing work for the year ended June 30, 2021. For a detailed entry kit, simply download it from AiMCO’s website here.

Entries are open via the AIMCO Awards website and close 3 September, 2021. To announce and celebrate the winners, a cocktail event will take place in Sydney on Thursday, 18 November, 2021 with further details regarding the venue coming soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions please contact the AIMCO team at 02 9954 9800 or email info@aimco.org.au.
 
 
12af0634-542d-4880-8f70-bec4eccc5ed4.jpg Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines
 
how well you do it.  9b3faad7-549f-47a6-b572-b1fc34b14e00.jpg
 
Lou Holtz, Vaudevillian, Comic Actor and Theatrical Producer.
 
 
WHAT’S ON THE BOX
 
Our talent recently appeared on the following shows:
 
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THE FINAL WORD
 
THE RIGHT AMBASSADOR FOR THE RIGHT CAMPAIGN
 
By Olivier Bjorksater-Bleylock

It's no secret that brand ambassadors can accelerate the growth of your business but current trends seemingly focus a good deal of attention on celebrity investors who serve as ambassadors, social media influencers who tout products or services to their millions of followers, and loyal customers or devoted employees who can also be converted into valuable spokespeople. The hope is that these human billboards will boost your brand's presence, particularly online, and convert to sales. But which brand ambassador will provide the most return on your investment? And how do you know who will benefit your brand the most? Here are a few strategies for finding and working with effective ambassadors.

DETERMINE YOUR GOALS... If your primary goal is to boost brand awareness and gain a bigger audience on social media, a respected celebrity or social media influencer will likely be your answer. However, if the priority is to directly impact sales in a particular region, type of store, website or venue, then relatability, likability and accessibility will be more important than fame and following. In such cases, you'll want one or more industry-sawvy ambassadors available in the target area to interact with consumers on the spot.

DEFINE YOUR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE... With the rise of social media and virtual platforms, consumers are now craving real experiences and true interactions more than ever. Experiential marketing offers numerous opportunities for brand ambassadors to engage and promote at all levels - just be clear on what stage of the experience you wish to authentically connect with your customer.

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS... Effective ambassadors tend to stand out, but are they prepared to represent your brand in everything they do — not just when ‘on the clock’? They are the liaisons between you and your consumer, the constant face and voice of your business. So, it's important to detail your expectations. For example, are they listening to feedback from your customers and reporting back to you? Are they responding with concern and competence? Are they representing your business in an inclusive, exciting and appropriate manner that’s consistent with your vision and values? Ideally, your brand ambassadors will be respected in your industry and have a large social media presence so they reach audiences your business may not have had access to otherwise.

DEVELOP, DUPLICATE & DELIVER...|t will take some training, trials and errors in order to maximize the efficiency of a brand ambassador, ensuring they're telling the company story well and confirm they're gaining traction for your brand. However, the time and money invested are worth it. Once you figure out the formula that works for your product and industry, duplicate it. Turn ambassadors into ambassador trainers. Wherever your target market and whatever your industry, more voices and faces promoting your brand mean a bigger and better community — and, therefore, sales force! Whenever possible, seize the opportunity to expand your brand's local and global presence with strategic ambassadors of all types and talents.
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