Becoming a brand ambassador is the new student side hustle, and alcohol companies are the predominant employers.
Alcohol companies are recruiting students as a new marketing technique at universities across Canada. Unlike social media influencers, who boast thousands of Instagram followers, brand ambassadors are ordinary students who receive free merchandise and other monthly stipends to share products with friends and post on social media.
Colton Sun, ArtSci ’24, spent last year as a brand ambassador for Cottage Springs, and found the marketing works.
“It’s a little bit more relatable to see your friends posting with a drink rather than just an Instagram ad that comes on your feed, but you kind of just scroll through,” Sun said in an interview with The Journal.
“You’re seeing your friend consume it. You’re getting the option to try it if you like.”
Companies such as Bud Light, Black Fly, Blue Lobster, and Bacardi have used student brand ambassadors at Queen’s.
The Journal reached out to multiple other current and former brand ambassadors, but none responded in time for publication.
Sun isn’t surprised more brands are realizing the potential of student brand ambassadors. Brands establishing loyalty with university students may have made lifelong customers he said.
“I think they’re recognizing that if their brand is realized at this age, and maybe it’ll create further potential for purchases, that’s just what I believe,” Sun said.
The gig paid Sun approximately $300 a month for posting on Instagram, and an additional $1,000 to buy Cottage Springs products and distribute them amongst friends. After making his monthly trips to the LCBO, Sun received Instagram DMs from other students hoping to pick up free drinks for their weekend—Sun never struggled to unload his product at Queen’s.
Becoming a student brand ambassador has less to do with how many followers you have and more to do with your connections to different clubs or groups on campus, Sun explained.
“Their whole goal is to target different social groups and just expose the most amount of people possible to their products,” Sun said.
Cottage Springs would host biweekly meetings with brand ambassadors across the country to compare notes on how to give away products and each other’s successes.
The Journal ed Cottage Springs, Bacardi, and Black Fly to understand their marketing campaigns through student brand ambassadors, none of whom responded in time for publication, despite numerous attempts at ing them.
Brand ambassadors aren’t the only way alcohol companies market themselves to university students. In a highlights reel on Instagram, Cottage Springs d their university-colored stands in LCBO stores located in university towns like Kingston, promoting free giveaways.
Though Sun acknowledged alcohol can be unhealthy, he said student brand ambassadors don’t capitalize on vulnerable students to turn a profit.
“I’m not forcing anybody to drink and I’m not targeting them when they’re vulnerable,” Sun said. “They’re reaching out to me sober, and then they’re getting drinks, because they plan on drinking.”
According to Sun, Cottage Spring ensures all their ambassadors have a SmartServe certification, a responsible alcohol serving training program, and check identification before giving out free products.
Due to the stresses of fourth-year, Sun chose not to continue working for Cottage Springs, but he remains grateful for the opportunity the company gave him.
“Me, I’m just your average Joe. I didn’t ever think of social media as a way to make income. But [Cottage Springs] reached out to me and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is such a cool opportunity,’” Sun said.
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