BWS’ MEN AND WOMEN ON THE INSIDE

BWS knows social, inside and out, having launched a revolutionary ambassador program - BWS Insiders. The Insider initiative sees a collective of BWS team members with an aptitude and appetite for creating thumb-stopping content on social platforms to talk about the products they have a passion for. 

Off the back of a successful pilot, Australia’s largest liquor retailer, BWS, has expanded their Australia-first “BWS Insiders” brand ambassador program to accommodate a total of 30 advocates hand-selected from over 300 applicants. The Insiders are encouraged to share the drinks they love across their social channels including Instagram and Facebook, with the ongoing support of BWS. 

While most brands now accept they require a social media presence, many still struggle to know how to maximise social platforms to their benefit and regulate their fears of allowing team, staff and customers control of such an influential platform. Business brands no longer cut it - customers want to know about the person behind the brand. With this in mind, BWS has stepped out of traditional thinking to allow team members to unlock their potential and co-create the brand. BWS is supporting the budding social media superstars by providing them with access to social industry leaders who can show them how to create content schedules, develop social strategies, and understand their insights. 

In navigating this difficult digital landscape, BWS’ dynamic new initiative means that they can interact directly with their audience on a platform where they are already engaged. The key to the initiative is being “social” and becoming part of a broader conversation - a significant shift from the traditional industry means of interruptive messaging and quick-hit promos.

Following the pilot program which included 13 Insiders and 4,328 followers, BWS identified the clear strengths of the program and expanded in 2020 to capitalise on this success. With an average engagement rate of 35%, a rate well above the industry average of 3.5%, The Insider content now stands as the best performing content across BWS’ socials.

Vanessa Rowed, Head of Marketing at BWS said: “This coming year will be pivotal to challenging our traditional thinking for the brand and expanding to unlock the power of our 8,000 knowledgeable team members. With such an inspired internal network of digital natives, we look forward to showcasing our passion for the BWS brand, our products, and social media. It’s through each of these Insiders, that customers will begin to discover and explore recommendations from the comfort of their own phone.”