Morgan Pinnock, a third-year pre physical therapy student at FAMU, has been a brand ambassador for Impressions of Beauty, TinderU and other companies. She is a natural hair guru and she uses these partnerships to her advantage.
“My favorite thing about being a brand ambassador is getting exposure and meeting different companies. Also learning how promotions work and also how I can promote my brand as well as others,” Pinnock said.
She represents a growing trend.
Pinnock, a social media influencer, has a significant impact on the following she receives on different platforms. An influencer can be defined as an individual with at least 1,000 followers or more. They also sell and market certain products for companies.
Companies like Tinder and hair care brands have been reaching out more and more to HBCU students. There are many students like Pinnock who make a living by partnering with these companies.
It is a two-way street because it is not just beneficial for the brand to get exposure to different audiences, but it also helps the brand ambassador increase their following and even includes financial gain.
Diamond Person, a fourth-year business administration major, is another Rattler who serves as a brand ambassador.
“What I love the most about being a brand ambassador is being able to represent a product that I genuinely love. I wouldn’t ever promote anything I haven’t used myself and I think that is what is so special about this kind of work,” she said.
Different brands have been reaching out to students, particularly at HBCUs, because of their involvement in social media and pop culture. Brand ambassadors offer many benefits with the most important being the ability to build your brand on social media.
Although being a brand ambassador may seem like fun and games, these students must keep up with their academics as well as being a part of these companies’ brands.
Sidney Fleeks senior public relations major from Dallas, is balancing school and being a brand ambassador.
“I am a brand ambassador for TinderU. It’s a connection village for all Tinder ambassadors to learn more about the company and what it offers,” he said. “Balancing it with school is pretty easy, if it wasn’t for me being an ambassador I would post as much so this helps me keep my page consistent.”
Companies are constantly trying to rebuild their brand. By using students with a significant audience, they believe this is the smartest way to do it.