2. CONTENTS:
PART 1: Summary
CAMPUS ACTIVATION SUMMARY………………………………………….. 4
TOTAL ENGAGEMENT STATISTICS………………………………………….... 5
PART 2: Events
SOCIAL MEDIA POST EXAMPLES…………………………………………..... 7
CAMPUS EVENT DESCRIPTIONS……………………………………………. 12
PART 3: Evaluation
EVALUATION OF THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM……………………….. 33
EVENT PLANNING TIPS……..………………………………………………... 36
CAMPUS ACTIVATION BUDGET…………………………………………..... 37
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
CAMPUS ACTIVATION SUMMARY:
Working as a Campus Ambassador was a great learning
opportunity for me. The core of my activation plan was
based on Merrell’s mission of inspiring people to “do
what’s natural” while also working to help students
remove the barriers that prevent them from fully making
the most of the outdoors.
I used my position as the social media and marketing
specialist at my campus recreation rental shop (BYU
Outdoors Unlimited) to plan, promote, and advertise all
ambassador activities. Though this helped me reach
many more students and community members than I
could on my own, it also required that I stick to some strict
risk management guidelines for each activity.
These guidelines did limit the type of activities I could
organize and required that most of my activities remained
close to my college campus. At first, these restrictions
seemed to be a barrier to being able to work effectively
as a campus ambassador. But, looking back, by staying
close to campus, I was able to reach far more students,
and inspire them to get out on their own—enjoy their
nature and, most importantly do what’s natural.
4
5. TOTAL
ENGAGEMENT
275+ event attendees
430+ photo contest
participants
1000+ user engagement
via social media posts
My campus Activation plan consisted of two social
media campaigns and four campus events. Each
contest and activity was promoted through both my
personal social media accounts and my campus
recreation social media accounts.
Social Media Campaigns:
1) #BabyitscoldGEToutside photo contest
2) #byuoutdoorhour photo contest
Four Campus Events
1) Adventure Palooza Kickoff Event
2) Moonlight Cross Country Ski Trip
3) Bring the Climb On Event
4) Summer Backpacking Clinic
At each event, a table with Merrell products was on
display and one or more Merrell Gift Cards were used
for giveaways.
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7. PERSONAL POSTS
SPRING PRODUCT CLINIC
I used my personal social media channels to show how recreation
was a part of my everyday life, and how Merrell’s ideals (and
products) helped me make the most of my adventures.
7
9. PERSONAL POSTS
SPRING PRODUCT CLINIC
FUN FACT: The post above was also posted
on the Merrell Instagram account and
generated 800+ likes!
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10. Promoting the Tough Mudder (Pre &
Post-Event posts)
PERSONAL POSTS
SPRING PRODUCT CLINIC
10
11. PERSONAL POSTS
SPRING PRODUCT CLINIC
The Merrell College Ambassador program,
and my Campus Activation Plan was
featured in one of the largest local
newspapers, The Salt Lake Tribune! After
the article was published, many
community leaders in recreation reached
out to me. This publicity was a huge asset
in helping me extend my ambassadorship
to my whole community--not just my
college campus.
11
13. BABY ITS COLD…GET OUTSIDE!
PHOTO CONTEST
SPRING PRODUCT CLINIC
The Baby It’s Cold…Get Outside photo contest ran from December 15th –January
15th. The purpose of the contest was three fold:
1) Build up a solid social media following in order to build a strong advertising
foundation for future activities.
2) Inform student body of the Merrell Ambassador program and how they would
benefit from it.
3) And, most importantly—inspire my fellow students to get outside, be active, and
enjoy nature despite the cold temperatures.
The contest was publicized on the Facebook and Instagram accounts of both BYU
Outdoors Unlimited and my personal accounts. Additionally, posters advertising the
contest were posted in the Campus Recreation building (BYU Outdoors Unlimited
shop) and announcements were made in various classes. We received over 200
awesome submissions. To enter the contest, participants had to follow
@BYUOutdoorsUnlimited and @Merrelloutside. Photos were tracked using the
hashtags #babyitscoldgetoutside, #byuoutdoorsunlimited and #merrellatbyu. BYU
Outdoors Unlimited staff chose 10 finalists and Jesse Franklin (Merrell Rep) chose the
grand prize winner (Prize: $130 Merrell Gift Card).
A few examples of the photo submissions are found on page 14.
13
16. ADVENTURE PALOOZA
The Adventure Palooza Spring kick-off event was held on February 19th on
BYU Campus. The Purpose of this event was to:
1) Help students connect and meet other students passionate about the
outdoors. To facilitate this six outdoor clubs (Outdoor Adventure,
Triathlon, Whitewater Kayaking, Eco Response, Running, and Ski Clubs)
set up booths at the event showcasing what their club did and how
students could get involved.
2) Inform student body of the Merrell Ambassador program and how
they would benefit from it—specifically, introduce the semester long
#BYUoutdoorhour photo contest and upcoming ambassador events.
At the event, students had time to mingle with club presidents and other
students while enjoying S’mores brownies and a Merrell swag display
table. Mid-event, upcoming ambassador events were introduced and a
raffle for two $130 Merrell Gift cards was drawn. The event finished with a
free showing of the movie: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, chosen to
inspire students to get out of their comfort zones during the semester and
seek adventure opportunities daily.
16
17. Outdoor Adventure Club BYU Running Club Whitewater Kayaking Club
BYU Triathlon Club Freeride Academy (Ski Club)
Not pictured: BYU Eco Response Club
Outdoor Club Info Booths at
the Adventure Palooza
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20. BYU OUTDOOR HOUR PHOTO
CONTEST
The #BYUOutdoorHour photo contest ran from February 19th –April 29th.
Every two weeks a new winner was chosen for a total of 5 winners. The
purpose of the contest was to :
1) Inspire students to make recreation a part of their everyday life, not
just a once in a while thing. The whole idea was for students to get
outside for at least an hour once a week and then post their
adventure on social media sites.
The contest was publicized on the Facebook and Instagram accounts of
both BYU Outdoors Unlimited and my personal accounts. One unique
way this contest was advertised was through a video created to
explain/promote the contest. Additionally, posters advertising the contest
were displayed in the Campus Recreation building (BYU Outdoors
Unlimited shop) and announcements were made in various classes. Over
the 5 rounds we received over 230+ stellar submissions. To enter the
contest, participants had to tag @BYUOutdoorsUnlimited and
@Merrelloutside in the photo and tag the photo with the hashtag
#BYUoutdoorhour.
A few examples of the photo submissions are found on page 22.
20
21. To kickoff the spring social media activation plan,
I worked with a students in the film program to put
together a short video that embodied the idea of
our photo contest—to inspire students to make
adventures not a once in a while thing but a
frequent habit!
Example of one of the photo contest Merrell prize
packages.
21
24. MOONLIGHT CROSS COUNTRY
SKIING
The Moonlight Cross Country Ski Trip took place February 24th at Aspen
Grove, a property owned by Brigham Young University, 30 minutes up
Provo Canyon. The event was limited to 25 students for transportation
reasons and equipment availability. The event was completely free to
students, but they did have to sign up ahead of time and reserve their
spot.
Students met at BYU Outdoors Unlimited and were transported using
university vehicles to Aspen Grove. A day prior to the event I had gone
up early to check out the cross country ski trails and made sure they were
ready for the event. After we arrived and got our equipment, I led a short
instructional clinic on cross country ski basics. For most students, it was
their first time cross country skiing! Students were then free to explore the
trails in small groups for about an hour. Though moonlight cross country
skiing was cold—all students had a blast at the activity.
After finishing skiing, a drawing for a $130 Merrell gift card was held.
24
25. Students were so excited to sign up for the
cross country skiing trip, some camped outside
of the campus rec building the day of sign
ups so they could be the first on the list!
25
27. BRING THE CLIMB ON EVENT
The Bring the Climb on Event was held April 4th on BYU Campus. Originally
we had planned to run a similar event at a local climbing gym but by
instead hosting the event on campus we were able to reach more of the
student body—we had over 80 participants.
The Friday before the event, I and three other Outdoors Unlimited
employees reset all of the routes on the wall to get it ready for the event.
The morning of the event we set the rock wall up in Brigham Square, one
of the highest traffic areas on campus, during lunch hours (11a.m.-2 p.m.)
Along with the rock wall, we set up a Merrell product display table and
gave out some swag (stickers, pens, etc.). The climbing wall was free for
all participants, but in order to climb individuals had to follow
@byuoutdoorsunlimited and @merrelloutside on Facebook or Instagram.
After climbing the wall and checking out displayed Merrell products,
participants entered in a drawing to win a $130 Merrell Gift card.
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30. SUMMER BACKPACKING CLINIC
The Summer Backpacking Clinic was held on May 17th at the BYU Outdoors
Unlimited shop. The event was free to all students and community members. Over
twenty people attended—a mix of students, youth (a local scout group attended),
BYU Staff, and community members.
At the event we had three local backpacking experts (two of which were BYU
Students) present:
• John Zahorian (Completed the triple crown of hiking—the three major U.S. long
distance trails: Pacific Crest trail, Appalachian Trail, and the Continental divide trail)
• Andrew Bentz (record holder on the John Muir Trail)
• Jimmy Marshall (Outdoor Adventure Club president and the “regular joe” of the group
Upon arriving at the event, attendees checked out a Merrell trail product table with
a variety of men’s and women’s shoes displayed. Each shoe was accompanied
with a short description of features and pricing. Participants entered in a raffle for
either a $130 Merrell gift card, or a two-day, two-person backpacking rental
package provided by BYU Outdoors Unlimited ($120 value).
The three presenters shared the tips and tricks they had learned about ultralight
backpacking and attendee answered questions for about an hour. Afterwards, the
attendees and presenters were given a chance to mingle and apple crisp was
served.
30
31. The Merrell Trail Product table was the
centerpiece of our backpacking
clinic, and the raffle for the $130
Merrell Gift Card and a $120
Backpacking rental package was
definitely the highlight of the activity.
31
33. WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM:
Merrell products!
Yes, who doesn’t love free gear, esp. Merrell gear. But, what I really loved was being able to really
value and understand Merrell’s brand because I had used the products myself.
Interaction with leaders in the outdoor industry.
One of my favorite parts of being an ambassador was the LA Tough Mudder Trip. Although
hanging out on the beach and doing the Tough Mudder Challenge was a blast, what I loved
most about the trip was being able to interact with members of the Merrell team, Simon Donato,
Chanelle, as well as the fellow ambassadors. It was inspiring to learn from the experiences of
others who are just as passionate about the outdoors as I am. My only complaint is that I wish this
trip could have happened at the beginning of my ambassadorship not near the end .
Freedom and flexibility of the Campus Activation Plan.
I really liked that each ambassador was free to plan their activities and campus activation in a
way that would best fit their schools interests and needs. Though some general structure is good, I
felt my activities were successful because I was able to tailor them to the interests of my student
body as well as promote the assets our school has in helping students get involved in the outdoors.
33
34. More interaction with field representatives.
My field rep, Jesse Franklin did a great job training me on Merrell Gear and helping me
understand the Merrell mission and vision. Unfortunately, because there wasn’t a field rep in my
region, Jesse and I had to work solely via skype, email, and phone. Though Jesse did as best a
job he could working with me remotely, having a field rep in my area definitely would have
been a huge help in better connecting my campus events to the Merrell Brand.
Start the program in the fall.
In terms of student schedules, the college ambassador program may be better suited to
starting in the fall (at the beginning of the school year) rather than mid semester. Potential
ambassadors could apply in late April or early May and know by June whether they were
accepted. They would then have the rest of the summer to prep for all of their activities.
Additionally, by starting in the Fall, ambassadors could attend a summer trip (similar to the LA
Tough Mudder Trip) possibly to Merrell headquarters. Before officially starting their
ambassadorship, each ambassador could get in-depth training on Merrell Products, and have
brainstorming sessions with members of the Merrell team and other ambassadors for their
campus activation plans.
CONTINUED on following page.
HOW THE PROGRAM CAN BE IMPROVED FOR FUTURE AMBASSADORS:
34
HOW THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM COULD BE
IMPROVED:
35. 35
Being an ambassador was lonely!
Often many of my events required multiple people to help plan, organize, and carry out each
event. Though I could sometimes find volunteers, I would have much rather worked with a team
of students (even if that meant a smaller stipend). A team of three would have been ideal;
activities would have been better executed, plus three social media accounts is three times the
engagement!
Provide each ambassador with a table set up for events.
One thing I struggled to do in my activities was to really make Merrell products an highlight of
each activity. Using my own personal Merrell gear items I was able to put together display tables
at each activity, but they displayed only female gear, and it was used female gear. I would
have loved a display table kit (branded table cloth, brand hashtag signage, a few male and
female product samples) that I could have set up at each event. Not only would a display kit
give each activity a more polished feel, they would really help ambassadors make the Merrell
brand an integral part of each activity.
HOW THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM COULD BE
IMPROVED CONT.:
36. 36
EVENT PLANNING TIPS:
One of the biggest obstacles I had as an ambassador was learning what steps needed to be taken when to execute
each event successfully. I’ve compiled a simple event checklist that I hope could be a reference for future
ambassadors in planning their activities:
Month and a half prior to event:
• Get permission for event from campus Risk Management Department, and if applicable Campus Club department.
• Make room or location reservations.
• Reserve vehicles for transportation (if necessary).
Two weeks prior to event:
• Begin advertising event via social media, and in print on high traffic spots on campus.
• Order refreshments if wanted.
• Invite related campus clubs, organizations, or departments to advertise event in their email lists, social media
channels, and websites.
Four – two days prior to event:
• Make announcements in classrooms (look for large classes 200+ students) to get the most return for your time.
• Call to double check all reservations are properly in place.
• Print out liability waivers (if needed).
Day of event:
• Advertise event one last time on social media. Blast on all channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat (esp.
good for day-of-advertising).
• Arrive at least 45 min early to set up for event.
37. BUDGET
SPRING PRODUCT CLINIC
37
ADVENTURE PALOOZA:
Movie licensing fees $100
Refreshment costs $70
MOONLIGHT CROSS COUNTRY SKIING:
Trail passes/equipment rentals ($6/person X 25 people) $150
Transportation costs $60
BRING THE CLIMB ON EVENT:
Rock wall rental ($40/hr x 5hrs) $200
SUMMER BACKPACKING CLINIC:
Refreshment costs $45
Backpacking prize package $120
OTHER COSTS:
Tablecloths $25
Paper products $20
Raffle tickets $10
TOTAL: $800
38. 38
Special Thanks to:
Leslie Rasmussen, Jesse Franklin, & the rest of the Merrell Team
Ivan Levin & Outdoor Nation
Gardner Kearsley (BYU Outdoors Unlimited)
Evan Braithwaite (BYU Outdoor Adventure Club)
Bryce LeFevre (BYU Outdoor Adventure Club)
Paul Angerhoffer (BYU Legal Department)
BYU Risk Management Department
BYU Student Association
