Brand Ambassador Issues

I have the worst luck. Either that or I don’t do enough research. As you guys know, I have two brand ambassador agreements: one with Insane Labz and one with American Metabolix. Since Insane Labz doesn’t sell whey, I’d get stuff like bcaas from them and my whey from American Metabolix. Last week I was running low on pre-workout and decided to order a pre-workout from Insane Labz called Psychotic. It has great reviews and tastes great, (I’ve had a sample of it before). After entering my shipping information, I got an error message saying that they don’t ship to Canada. Uh, excuse me? When did this happen? Why wasn’t I notified? Apparently the issue lies with some Health Canada snags so they’re halting on shipping here. I tried a few more times after that with no luck, so I figured I’d give American Metabolix a try.

Although I’ve never taken Havok, (the pre-workout from American Metabolix) before, I had high hopes since their whey is pretty on point. Again, I punch in my shipping information and realize that the shipping is $100!! That’s insane! I can easily buy two or three tubs of pre-workout at GNC for that price. What I want you guys to understand is that if I had these issues prior to becoming a brand ambassador, I would’ve never agreed to it. It’s put me in a position that forces me to buy product that isn’t Insane Labz or American Metabolix. Frustrated, I reached out to both companies. This is the email I sent to Insane Labz:Keep in mind, the email address that I sent this two was in an email that I had received from Insane Labz THAT DAY, so in theory it should be correct right? Wrong.

I could literally strangle someone at this point haha. I decided to move on to American Metabolix and direct message them on Instagram. I successfully managed to get an email address from the person who responded to me on Instagram for the person who coordinates the brand ambassadors. I sent this email:STILL NO RESPONSE. With anger building, I went back to Instagram and messaged Insane Labz via a direct message which looked something like this:

No one’s really helping me out, no one’s will to budge. I shouldn’t give free advertising to companies that won’t even ship to my country or will ship but at the price of my first-born child. Frustration doesn’t even cover how I feel. Moral of the story is to make sure that if you are a brand ambassador, make sure it’s for a reliable company that will deliver to your country!

Do you guys have brand ambassador/sponsor horror stories?

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

What I’ve Learned About Sponsorships/Ambassadorships

To be honest, before I started this blog, I didn’t even know what having a sponsor meant or what being an ambassador entailed. I just assumed that if you had one of the two, (or both), you were probably an elite athlete that had companies knocking on your doorstep. While this could be the case for some, it most often isn’t.

In my opinion, companies look for an athlete that represents their product in a few different ways:

-They fit the “image of the company”

-They’ve used their product(s) before

-They have a strong following on social media

I’m sure that if you lacked in one area but compensated in another, you’d still be a viable candidate for getting sponsored/becoming an ambassador.

There’s SO MANY companies that sponsor athletes/provided ambassadorships. They can range from apparel, to accessories, and to things like nutrition/supplements. I feel like there’s no hard and fast rule as to what certain companies provide, and it honestly depends on what you can offer them. On the lower end of the spectrum, companies will off you a discount on their products, providing you promote their brand on your social media channels on a frequent basis. I think that this level of sponsorship/ambassadorship is the most common. In the middle of the spectrum, companies will offer you free product in exchange for promotion on your behalf. On the far end of the spectrum, companies will pay you to showcase your product. The last one is uncommon though, unless you have tens of thousands of followers.

The biggest thing I’d take away is that if you’re going to become a sponsored athlete, make sure it’s with a company that you’re actually familiar with and are passionate about. I currently have two sponsors; Insane Labz and American Metabolix and I honestly love both of their products. In my usual fashion, I’ll be sure to review them and report back so you guys can try them!

I actually created a new page called “Discount Codes” where you can find discount codes from my sponsors. They’re valid until I say otherwise, so feel free to use them whenever!

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy