Blog Copy
Below are examples of copy that I created for PickStar’s blog website.
Note: Images were collated by PickStar’s Front End Developer, so it was only necessary for me to create relevant copy for these blogs.
Mark Williams Brand Ambassador
This copy was created to endorse legendary AFL coach Mark Williams as a brand ambassador for PickStar’s current and future clients to book.
The brief that was given to me told me to focus on Mark as a person and his history and how examples from this could see him as a strong candidate for a brand ambassadorship.
I elected to split the copy out into six sections
- Loyalty
- Family
- Multiculturalism
- Image
- Product Development
- Reach
Brand ambassadors when done well can be a very affective form of marketing. However, for one to work and become effective, your business needs to select the right talent for the role. Here is why football legend Mark Williams could just be the man for you.
An important aspect of selecting the perfect brand ambassador for your business is the ambassador aligning with your business’ value and culture system. Mark Williams has a set of values that are admirable to say the least, and he has demonstrated these over the entirety of both of his playing and coaching career.
Loyalty
Despite periods away from Port Adelaide, Mark always remained true and faithful to first the Port Adelaide Magpies, then later the Power. Mark played a large chunk of his career at the Magpies, totalling 115 games in two different stints at the club. He would then go on to become a senior assistant at the Power at their inception and would become head coach just two years after in 1999. Mark remained in the role until the 2010 season, coaching 274 games for the club.
Family
Mark’s family connection to the Port Adelaide Football Club was largely the reason for his loyalty to them. His father, the late Fos Williams, is widely regarded as the father of the Port Adelaide Football Club. Mark’s younger brother Stephen was a large influence at the club, enjoying a fruitful playing career at both SANFL and AFL level, then later coaching the club to three SANFL premierships. Mark’s sister Jenny briefly served as a psychologist with the club, and Mark’s twin Anthony played alongside Mark for the Magpies until 1985, Anthony passed away in 1988 and Mark often speaks of this tragedy as the most difficult period of his life.
Multiculturalism
While throughout Mark’s life there has been much confusion over his heritage due to his darkened skin colour, his family heritage stems back to African – Jamaican slaves. This is something Mark is proud of. He was often wrongly believed to be indigenous, but Mark often played a large advocacy role for young indigenous men during his time at Port Adelaide and was often lauded for his ability to bring together a multicultural group of players and allow them to understand each other’s heritage and background.
Image
Another important aspect of selecting the perfect brand ambassador for your business is assessing the talent’s image and what they are known for. Mark is of course widely known for his multi decade influence on Australia’s football industry, whether that be his exploits on the field across his 380 game playing career that included being the captain of Collingwood and winning multiple best and fairest awards, or winning four premierships with his beloved Port Adelaide and also gaining selection to the All Australian team in 1980.
Or his illustrious coaching career that saw him progress through the coaching ranks at a set of different clubs at different stages of their life cycles, culminating in reaching the top of the mountain, winning the AFL Premiership in 2004 with the Power after a run of three consecutive minor Premierships as head coach of the club.
Product Development
Mark also has extensive experience in the space of product development, which brand ambassadors could be used for. This experience comes in the development of his Precision Ball with Australian football goods manufacturer Sherrin. The campaign includes online training modules to assist coaches, parents and teachers in instructing their players/children/students in using the product effectively. The product has become widely popular amongst the intended market, with a majority of AFL and AFLW incorporating the product into their clubs.
Reach
Mark’s influence over the sport of football over an extended period of time means that he has considerable reach and respect from both fans and others within the football industry itself. So, if your business wants to break into this market, Mark is an excellent option for you as a brand ambassador. He is relevant to many different generations of football fans, due to his longstanding time in the game, whether that be middle aged consumers familiar with his playing and coaching days, or a younger audience familiar with only his coaching days. His family name and relation to both the game and the Port Adelaide Football Club also would speak to an older demographic if that is your business or product’s target market.
Mark Williams is a man who’s experience at the game’s highest level is hard to top. One of the most prominent people in football and born from one of the most storied families in the game’s long history, Mark’s standing in the world of football is among the greatest.
Don’t miss out on adding Mark to your team! PickStar is here to help you get in touch, find out more here!
Joel Thompson’s Story
This copy was created to tell the story of NRL star Joel Thompson and his troubled past, titled The Incredible Story of Joel Thompson.
Joel after a troubled childhood and beginning to his NRL career founded The Mindset Project in which he shares his own story and workshops a series of mindset practices and coping strategies.
My brief was to find out about Joel’s past and write about his troubled upbringing and his rise to NRL fame, and also the issues he faced throughout his career.
From day one, Joel Thompson had all of the odds against him, but somehow, he managed to rise up from his troubled beginnings to become one of the most respected people in Australian sport both on and off the field.
Life began for Joel in August of 1988, in the small country town of Ivanhoe, New South Wales.
His upbringing is one that is not typical of many sporting stars. From a young age he was subject to and witnessed violence, crime, unstable housing, and drug and alcohol abuse. Joel’s childhood house would be used to deal drugs, and this sort of activity became normalised for Joel and his brothers from a very young age.
It would have been easy for Joel to take a similar path in life, and if it weren’t for his grandmother rescuing him from this lifestyle, things could have panned out far differently for Joel.
Joel was sent to Red Bend Catholic College in Forbes, New South Wales, and it was here that Joel learned the values of hard work, discipline and respect, and also where his passion and love for the game of rugby league was born. He joined local league club the Forbes Magpies and found that he could channel all of the anger and energy from his childhood into the sport.
Joel quickly progressed through the youth rugby league system and found himself signed to the Melbourne Storm as a junior at age 15. He would remain here and commence full time training with the club as soon as he finished his time at high school.
From there, he was signed by the Canberra Raiders, where he would begin his professional rugby league career.
Joel quickly made a name for himself in Canberra and was seen as one of the brightest young stars in the NRL. However, during this time Joel’s mental health really took a hit. He struggled to keep up with the demands both physically and mentally of being a professional league player.
On Pickstar’s Off-Field Podcast, Joel explains this battle and how although things seemed good on the surface, they in fact were anything but.
“Things were going good, but I was still very destructive, and I used to try and go to bed, and I just couldn’t relax and settle.”
Joel’s battles with his mental health sent him to rock bottom. There were times that suicidal thoughts occupied a space in his mind. Joel needed a change, and luckily this change came through his now wife, Amy, entering his life. Amy forced Joel to go and speak with a counsellor and speak about what was happening inside of his head.
This counsellor gave Joel life advice and explained to him what he needed to change to better his life. This was when Joel found his newest passion, giving back to the community.
Joel would visit local juvenile detention centres and other local social groups. He would speak to the children and relate to them thanks to Joel’s troubled upbringing and other circumstances.
“I sort of connected with a lot of those kids, and you know I just wanted to inspire them to change.”
This newfound passion however was not the end of Joel’s mental health battle. He was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and placed on medication as a result of this. The medication was difficult for Joel to get used to, but he eventually did and managed to be able to work himself off of the medication.
In the midst of all of this, Joel founded The Mindset Project, which explores his turbulent upbringing, mental health and wellbeing, goal setting and discipline, coping strategies and so much more through either public speaking engagements or workshops.
It grew alongside Joel’s passion for helping others and has now become one of his main focuses in life.
Joel continues to be at the top of his game in NRL, currently representing Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. However, at season’s end, he will move to England to continue his league career with St. Helens.
Time is running out for your organisation to book Joel Thompson with PickStar! So, if you think it could benefit from hearing his message, Book here!
What Brand Ambassadors can do for your Business
This copy was created to give businesses a stronger idea of how beneficial a brand ambassador could be for their business and product.
The brief was to explain the positives of a brand ambassador, what they can do, and also how they can assist a business’ marketing profile.
A brand ambassador is a person who embodies your business’ image and aura. They can add a face to your brand, someone to identify your brand with.
A brand ambassador is usually a high profile person with a strong following. Over history and even today, we have seen many successful campaigns where an athlete has been utilised as a brand ambassador. Think Roger Federer and Rolex, Usain Bolt and Gatorade and closer to home with Caroline Buchanan and Nutri-Grain!
While these examples of brand ambassadors have been successful, they have all come from well known businesses with massive marketing budgets, so why should your business follow them in picking an athlete as a brand ambassador, and what can athlete brand ambassadors do for your business?
It’s no secret, people love athletes! This has become even more prevalent with the introduction of social media into our society. Athletes usually have a large social media following, not to mention a strong influence over their following thanks to their standing in society. It’s the athlete’s ability to drive this network towards your business that makes them a great choice as a brand ambassador.
According to Nielsen, 75% of consumers decide what to buy based on social media posts, but a staggering 96% of people that discuss these brands online do not follow the brand’s owned profiles. This means that consumers are turning to posts and reviews from individuals, or brand ambassadors.
Brand ambassadors also give your customers a new reason to trust your brand. The fact that your message is coming from a person, and someone with authority over their audience speaks volumes for your brand and product.
Ambassadors are seen as authorities over their audience because of both their platform and how easily their followers trust them, so if your business is able to harness this authority, it will likely be beneficial for you.
But to best harness this authority, your business must pick the right brand ambassador! It’s not as hard as it sounds, the most important thing is that your ambassador’s audience aligns with your business’ target audience. Also that the ambassador genuinely loves your product, this means that their recommendations will be more genuine and will seem less ‘salesy’ to their audience, and lastly that your ambassadors values and personality align with your business’.
Athlete brand ambassadors offer so much to any business, large, medium and even small! Does a brand ambassador sound like the right move for your business? Let PickStar help you find the perfect star for the job!
Alex Breda Portfolio 