The Science of Staffing: Personifying Your Client’s Brand with the PERFECT Staff

by Andrew Loos

There is a right way and a wrong way to book talent for a promotional event. Approaching staff fulfillment with the mentality that you can simply place a certain amount of people, for a certain amount of days, in a varied number of markets (or the “filling-in-the-blanks” approach as we sometimes call it) is not only the wrong way, but is also a sure fire way to ruin the incredible brand experience your agency partner has designed.

You must make sure that your promotional staffing supplier is screening potential candidates and talents NOT only for their open availability, but also for their relevant experience around the brand you’re promoting. They must be able to relate, connect, and be the embodiment of the brand you’re promoting while always keeping the target consumers in mind.

Being an ambassador for a brand is simply not enough anymore. In order for your promotional staff to “break through” to the people who need to hear the message the most, they need to deliver their speaking points as an enthusiast, not just as a person wearing a brand’s t-shirt that happened to be available to work that day.

A few questions your promotional staffing partner SHOULD be asking their talent in the screening process:

Does this person look the part? Will he/she be able to relate and communicate with the brand’s target demographic?

Does this talent rep have experience with a brand in this category? For example, if you’re promoting a new rum at nightclubs around the city, does the promotional model you’re placing have relevant nightlife experience? Ask for specific examples.

Is this person comfortable not just with the brand itself, but with the uniform, speaking points and overall experience associated with the event?

Remember, there is nothing eventful about a brand-centric event without the most professional brand-loyal talent. Successful events must have effective promotional staff, and effective staffing is contingent on properly personifying your client’s brand.

Science of Staffing: How to Retain Quality Staff

by Christian Jurinka

WOW, the million dollar question. This is a question whose answer is bounced around in any industry. Personnel retention saves corporations billions of dollars each year. Conversely, training, hiring and recruiting cost business billions of dollars each year. This dilemma is only more pronounced when you are dealing with promotional staff and temporary staff for event marketing and promotional campaigns.

If you are a recognized hiring organization, you have some things working for you. As a known hiring source, the finicky staffer is less likely to do you wrong, for fear of being cut out of future jobs. Of course, that will only take you so far. Below are some tips that will get you great promotional talent and keep them on your side. Follow them and you will build a strong team that will perform for you and your client:

1. Recognize talent

• They show-up early, they ask what more can be done, they hit every mark and keep trying, they want to be the best.

• Make a note of these individuals and rate them accordingly within your staffing database. They are who you want as part of your “A” Team and you’ll want to have them close by for upcoming marketing events.

2. Reward talent

• Once you have recognized them, reward them. Give them goodies, praise, and more work. The positive word-of-mouth that loyal brand ambassadors will give your company will astound you.

• Show them the love and they will remember.

3. Give good talent more responsibility

• If you see promotional talent that is eager to do a great job, keep an eye on them. If they ace the things you ask them to do, give them more responsibilities. For many people, promotions are a stepping stone in their career. Challenge them, feed their thirst for achievement and they will thank you with loyalty and a strong desire to work for you again in the future.

4. Hire them internally

• The best of the best from the field may make perfect employees. Keep an eye on those that shine. As mentioned, promotions can act as a stepping stone in an individual’s career. If you give them the start and then bring them in house, they will not forget the opportunity.

5. Tap their network

• It is not a sure-fire way to get more great staff, but if an individual exercises good judgment and excels out in the field for a project, there is a good chance that if they recommend someone, that person will also be great.

• Remember – it is their reputation on the line if one of their friends screws up. So if a star performer recommends someone to be on a project, you have a great chance that their recommendation will deliver.

6. Give them other ways to make money (incentivize)

• To get the very best in results in the field and to separate the all-stars from the average, incentive programs work wonders. By showing a very tangible cause and effect for doing great work, you will get the best out of your staff and, as a result, they will keep coming back from more!

7. Pay them quickly

• This is vital. Any great work that was done in creating a great relationship with staff will be forgotten if it is painful getting paid. Show them how much you appreciate their work by paying them quickly.

8. Make them feel like part of the family (create a brand they want to be a part of)

• Culture is not easy to build, but it brings the best out of people when they feel a part of a team. Richard Branson said that one of the secrets of his success is paying his people a little less (keeping them hungry), but selling them on the dream of Virgin. Successful brands have such a cache that is undeniable making all involved driven to be the best for the brand, promoting it, building it, weaving themselves and the identity of the company into their own persona. If you can pull this off, you will have the best and brightest on your team and will manage to keep them.

The Science of Staffing: The Supporting Roles of the Field Manager

by Andrew Loos

They are your eyes in the field and the voice speaking on behalf of your agency on every promotional event; they are your Field Managers.  An effective FM has a three part responsibility on every event marketing program:

1) To provide field support to the rest of your promotional event staff

2) Act as the main liaison and give onsite support to your live clients and

3) collect and deliver all pertinent information from event marketing staff/client back to your agency.

Let’s break these down a bit further:

1) Field Support with Staff

Field Managers are responsible for being accessible to answer questions pertaining to the execution or goals of the events w/ the event talent at any point of the program.  If additional onsite training is necessary they must be trained and ready to deliver.  They are also responsible for checking talent in and out of events, collecting/submitting timesheets and event recaps and, when applicable, taking event photos.  FM’s must know the specifics and intangibles of the program inside and out so they are prepared to take on any number of issues that can arise during an event.

2) Onsite Support with Client

Since it’s virtually impossible to have in-house agency personnel live at every promotional event, it is vital that you have a professional Field Manager in place on almost any program.  You need a field-seasoned individual who is not just exemplary with promotional staff, but also one you can trust to act as the “face” of your agency with your onsite clients. Our FM’s will many times be trained to meet onsite clients thirty minutes to an hour prior to the start of the event for introductions and to discuss any updates or changes to the day’s events. They MUST be flexible and ready to adjust as changes happen quickly and often.  Lastly, since this person will represent your agency, they should be able to speak intelligently about the event at hand, and also your company.

3) Ground Support with Agency

A good Field Manager will have timesheets, recaps/photos and any other required program deliverables completed and back over to your agency within 8 hours of an event’s “wrap.”  To close out a program up to your clients’ effective, expeditious standards, you must be able to provide them with a quick turnaround on deliverables.  Field Managers are almost always paid 2+ hours more per event shift to complete these additional duties and should be the first one to an event, and the last one to leave.  They execute promotional events by getting information from you and out to you talent, but complete by getting all of the information they’ve harvested from the event back to you to present to clients.

Science of Staffing: 3 Common Staffing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

by Andrew Loos

A true solution will usually only present itself after all miscalculations, misinterpretations and misjudgments of the mistake have been properly identified and (GULP!) accounted for.  Knowing the most common mistakes on a promotional event is important, but it’s only half the battle for an event marketing agency. Learning from it is the other.  Lucky for you, some other poor schlub has already muddled his way onto this list (shut it)- so you can jump straight to the solution instead of going through the grief and embarrassment of losing the respect of your favorite client.

That said, please allow me to digress to a few common delusions:

1) Assuming that all of your event staff will show up, ready to go and on time. We’re talking about human beings here- which means you will never be in complete control.  Ever.  You can provide quick and easy contingencies by ALWAYS having:

• A predetermined meeting location for your promotional models to meet up
• An onsite manager there early to check everyone in (and call those running late)
• SHOWING alternate promotional staff. We call them “pocket shifts,” but you’ll know them as the back-up staff that will save the day when Carl oversleeps, or Stacy’s car breaks down and no-shows.2) Vague Training – Solid brand messaging on any program comes from a robust training session with your staff.  If there are any gaps in communication, or your expectations with your talent, you can count on a sloppy event.  Event staff should not be the ones interpreting loosely based training manuals.  Being clear on what the promotional experience looks A-to-Z will give your field marketing agency a loyal group of event models that will respect both your agency AND the brand they’re promoting.3) Placing event talent with no relevant brand experience.  Ask the right questions when you’re booking/interviewing staff.  If your promotions staff has no real life experience with a program like the one you’re pitching, pass.  Every time.  Do you want promotional models with all family-event experience pouring free samples of your client’s new vodka at clubs?  No.  You want people who are seasoned and completely comfortable with the unique nature of a nightlife marketing program.

Science of Promotional Staffing: Staffing Street Teams for Single Day Promos

by Christian Jurinka

Where to begin…

A one-day event comes with potential pitfalls and risks for any event marketing agency, but, if planned well, you can hit it out of the park.

With only one day to prove yourself and make your mark with the target audience, everything has to go right.  We’ll focus on the staffing elements (street teams, brand ambassadors, promo models, etc.), although there are other variables to consider (logistic, materials, etc.).  Below is the Top 10 List for Getting the Best out of Your Promo Staff at a One-Day Event.

1. Overbook: If you think you need five staff for your event, make sure you have a list of 8-10 people that you know could do the job and do it well.  Assemble your staff list as a main team, plus alternates, or as they’re now referred to, “Pocket-Shifts.”
2. Adjust your start times for worst case scenarios:  If set-up begins at 8:00am, make sure you let your teams know to arrive at 7:30am. With a one-day event you can’t make mistakes or have people getting lost, going to the wrong entrance of the meeting location, having an accident, etc…  Have a contingency in place for non-punctual staff.
3. Call in advance:  It is recommended that you are in contact with your street team both the night before the event and the morning of.  This will allow for you to determine who is dedicated and who is faking it.
4. Replace any questionables:  If you have a bad feeling about brand ambassador, replace them.  You do not want to take any chances.  Anticipate and replace so that you have the best out there on game day.
5. Add hurdles:  If a staff member looks a little shaky and perhaps is not as responsive to communication as you would like, give them an additional hurdle to get over.  If they are not returning your calls or your emails, send them another and tell them that they need to reach you by EOD or they will be replaced.  This way the decision is ultimately theirs and you will quickly get your answer on whether they want to work or not.
6. Set ground rules:  Be extremely clear with your staff on what is expected and what is completely unacceptable at the event.  Immediately correct those that are not playing by the rules and remind them of what is expected.  Not being strong regarding expectations will pave the way for abuse.
7. Reward your staff:  Communicate to your team as to what is expected and then set a standard for what you hope to accomplish for the day.  Set goals and offer rewards.  With only one day to shine, rewards of a more immediate timetable will go far.  You may consider having hourly goals to keep people on-point.  Remind them of the goal and work as a team to meet that goal.  Rewards could be gift-cards, complimentary lunch, t-shirts, etc .
8. Give praise:  Praising people publicly for doing a great job and being a model for the rest of the team will go a long way and will get the best out of your team.  Public praise is something we all strive for.  Do it early and often.
9. Make a lot of noise:  Events tend to involve bringing attention to what you are doing.  The goal is usually achieved by eliciting interaction with your target audience.  If your team needs some warming up, either you or your field market manager can get the ball rolling, setting a high-bar of exuberance that the team will want to rise to.
10. Create hierarchy:  No matter how big or small your team, you need a manager, a lead and team members.  Without hierarchy, you cannot keep the team uniform in their approach.  This role separation also designates specific tasks (timesheets, photos, check-in/check-out, registration) and responsibilities allowing for ownership.

Science of Staffing: LARGE Events (Part 2 of 2)

by Andrew Loos

Part 1 detailed the importance of Extensive Training and Assigning Teams/Ranks. For all of part 1, go to Science of Staffing: LARGE Events (Part 1 of 2)

Constant Communication Since it’s impossible for a field marketing agency rep to be present at every single program, you must make sure your Leads, managers and/or FMM are communicating with you several times through the event-day.   Are your crews fully checked in? Has that last juice sample been picked up from storage? It is your responsibility to have up-to-the-second information for your client on the status of their program.  We use sign in services that tell us when the staff is on time, SMS codes that allow our reps to text in the latest or sometimes just rely on a good old fashion phone call.  Getting information “real-time” let’s you, the field agency, be preventative and proactive with any situation that may arise on an event.  Do you think your client is paying you just for the staff?  No.  They’re paying you to make sure that your promotions agency’s account team and event staff are seamlessly executing the event to their high standards.  There are 100’s of other agencies out there just waiting for you to forget these simple rules, so they can get their chance to shine.  Stick with the basics here and you’ll keep them all at bay.

Clear Responsibilities Your agency client has a vision of what a program’s end result should look like; it’s up to you and your team to make sure it gets there.   From an execution standpoint, that begins with a clear brand message delivered effectively by your event talent.   That means it’s up to YOU, the field marketing agency (aka “The Expert”) to fill in the gaps and assign position tasks and responsibilities start to finish on a program.  From the time event staff arrives at an event (check in, set-up, etc) to the time it ends (checking staff out, breaking down, gathering extra supplies to ship) all the way to the delivery of those post-event deliverables (photos, reporting, shipping, etc) your execution logistics must be clearly laid out.  Set clear rules and guidelines, and less will be left to chance.

Science of Staffing: LARGE Events (Part 1 of 2)

By Andrew Loos

Extensive Training Yeah, your event might be a miniscule three hours long, but guess what?  You have 200 people working it.  That means you have the daunting task of converting a couple hundred contracted Brand Ambassadors into a couple hundred Brand loyalists.  Start here.  The more your talent connects with the brand they’ll be promoting prior to the start of a large program, the more effectively and organically they’ll be able to connect with the consumer they’re targeting during it.  Think of ways to make your pre-event training visual, fun and 100% interactive.  Think brand-focused quiz challenges, video snippets, style guides and stories/pleasantries between staff during these sessions. Remember, brand ambassadors, event models and promotional models are still far and large Independent Contractors who work a multitude of events every year.  Create a training “experience” that’s fun and memorable for your promotional staff and you’ll be rewarded with a team that goes the extra mile for you the day of your client’s big program.

Assign Teams/Ranks While an event marketing agency will almost always request a specific number of event staff on a program, they will rarely specify rank, or any type of hierarchy associated with their responsibilities.   If this happens to be the case, your promotion agency must make sure that you have your very own internal “eyes and ears” out in the field with, what we call, a ‘Lead.’  Your team Lead or manager should be an industry-seasoned rep that is comfortable in this role of added accountability and ready to step up as a leader.  Compensate this person an extra $3-5/hr to check in with staff each day, sign people in and out of the event and make sure the entire crew is staying on task.  It’s not rocket science, but assigning a hierarchy, even if it’s in basic form, will greatly increase your event staff’s punctuality, professionalism and overall accountability.

Science of Promotional Staffing: Top 10 Street Team Staffing Tips for Single Day Promos

by Christian Jurinka

A one-day event comes with potential pitfalls and risks for any event marketing agency, but, if planned well, you can hit it out of the park.

With only one day to prove yourself and make your mark with the target audience, everything has to go right.  We’ll focus on the staffing elements (street teams, brand ambassadors, promo models, etc.), although there are other variables to consider (logistic, materials, etc.).  Below is the Top 10 List for Getting the Best out of Your Promo Staff at a One-Day Event.

1. Overbook: If you think you need five staff for your event, make sure you have a list of 8-10 people that you know could do the job and do it well.  Assemble your staff list as a main team, plus alternates, or as they’re now referred to, “Pocket-Shifts.”
2. Adjust your start times for worst case scenarios:  If set-up begins at 8:00am, make sure you let your teams know to arrive at 7:30am. With a one-day event you can’t make mistakes or have people getting lost, going to the wrong entrance of the meeting location, having an accident, etc…  Have a contingency in place for non-punctual staff.
3. Call in advance:  It is recommended that you are in contact with your street team both the night before the event and the morning of.  This will allow for you to determine who is dedicated and who is faking it.
4. Replace any questionables:  If you have a bad feeling about brand ambassador, replace them.  You do not want to take any chances.  Anticipate and replace so that you have the best out there on game day.
5. Add hurdles:  If a staff member looks a little shaky and perhaps is not as responsive to communication as you would like, give them an additional hurdle to get over.  If they are not returning your calls or your emails, send them another and tell them that they need to reach you by EOD or they will be replaced.  This way the decision is ultimately theirs and you will quickly get your answer on whether they want to work or not.
6. Set ground rules:  Be extremely clear with your staff on what is expected and what is completely unacceptable at the event.  Immediately correct those that are not playing by the rules and remind them of what is expected.  Not being strong regarding expectations will pave the way for abuse.
7. Reward your staff:  Communicate to your team as to what is expected and then set a standard for what you hope to accomplish for the day.  Set goals and offer rewards.  With only one day to shine, rewards of a more immediate timetable will go far.  You may consider having hourly goals to keep people on-point.  Remind them of the goal and work as a team to meet that goal.  Rewards could be gift-cards, complimentary lunch, t-shirts, etc. .
8. Give praise:  Praising people publicly for doing a great job and being a model for the rest of the team will go a long way and will get the best out of your team.  Public praise is something we all strive for.  Do it early and often.
9. Make a lot of noise:  Events tend to involve bringing attention to what you are doing.  The goal is usually achieved by eliciting interaction with your target audience.  If your team needs some warming up, either you or your field market manager can get the ball rolling, setting a high-bar of exuberance that the team will want to rise to.
10. Create hierarchy:  No matter how big or small your team, you need a manager, a lead and team members.  Without hierarchy, you cannot keep the team uniform in their approach.  This role separation also designates specific tasks (timesheets, photos, check-in/check-out, registration) and responsibilities allowing for ownership.

The Science of Event Staffing

Everything is in place. Permits. Vendors. Location. Spectacular pre-buzz canvassing. The branded vehicle is anchored in a high visibility area, turning more heads than a Brangelina sighting. At this moment, anyone within a mile radius wants to engage with your client’s brand. That feeling of hard fought accomplishment falls over your event marketing agency.

Then it happens. Your event marketing staff starts chewing gum. They then begin texting and spouting some kind of unscripted psychobabble. In one devastating motion, your talent has managed to send the wrong message to every consumer at the event. They’ve also inadvertently sabotaged your award-winning brand experience, your team’s collective expertise and the client’s trust in your agency.

Call them what you want: Brand ambassadors, spokesmodels, promotional staff, event talent, etc. Their title is not important, but their presence is CRUCIAL to your program’s success. Don’t underestimate the “people-part” of your experience. They’re the connectors responsible for the friendly nudging and poignant messaging between your brand and its future consumers.

Don’t wait until the 13th hour to focus on the human element of your program. All of the preparation and TLC you’ve poured into the tactics and logistical placeholders of your program shouldn’t be gambled on a staffing company with no track record, little experience and zero insurance. But it happens. Often. We see it all the time: an agency methodical in its ways when creating a complex experiential program, only to lighten its standards and practices with hiring event marketing staff. They have a direction and contingency for every facet of their program, but seem to have forgotten a strategic partner suited to control the variables of placing and maintaining discriminating talent. Omitting what I call, the “Science of Staffing.”

Your experienced account managers prepare you to deal with the intricacies of your program, but a discouraging trend I see more and more these days is the lack of accountability ad and PR agencies place in their staffing partners. It’s easy to overlook, but more important than ever these days to embrace your partnership with a strategic talent agency. They help control the variables of staffing to create and close out those seamless events you intend to build for your client.  And because I hate seeing bad talent happen to good people, I’ve compiled a list of important variables your staffing partner should always be considering.

Look the Part
Talent’s look and personality MUST match those core characteristics of the brand in order for a consumer to reciprocate with the experience. Ask your staffing partner about the criteria they use for both registering and placing talent. Do they require information as it relates to a candidate’s relevant brand experience? How current are the photos they have on file? What software is being used to assist in their booking of talent? Ask about all of the steps used in their process and see how they’re matching up the best talent to your unique event. Remember, anyone can fill up virtual shoeboxes of Craigslist photos/resumes and check names off a list. Your precious dollars and brand’s interaction are on the line here, so don’t be afraid to take a look under the hood.

Experience is Everything
With the exception of a few types of tradeshows (cut me some slack, you know exactly what I’m saying), a promotional model’s past brand experience will always be useful. If they already know who the target is and are familiar with a brand’s culture, use this to your advantage. By the time a seasoned field rep is on site, they should be able to answer, with confidence, basic brand-related inquiries and speak comfortably to your consumer. Accomplished event marketing staff should speak from a place of true experience, instead of spewing rehearsed lines from a sheet they read hours (or sometimes, minutes) ago. Training your talent is imperative, but having the experience occur naturally is important, too.

Give Training, Get Loyalty
Most event models will not make the necessary effort to familiarize themselves with the brand they’re preparing to promote. Insist that your staffing agency make brand training mandatory. Go beyond speaking points, apparel, and program play-by-play. We’ve found client-assisted “brand-bootcamps” benefit a talent’s connection to the event and its success. The best talent has experience representing a bevy of brands. Your talent must have the right amount of brand exposition to intelligently interact with consumers and bring the utmost loyalty into the event with them.

Back That Staff Up!
You’re dealing with people here—“life moments” are going happen. Murphy and his destined Law will emerge sooner or later, so have a staffing partner with a solid contingency plan in place for late-and no-showing talent. A good rule of thumb is to have one talent backup (aka “Pocket Shift”) for every four staff booked. No exceptions. We implement showing, and on-call, talent for every event. All trained, prepped and ready to flawlessly step in whenever needed.
Event talent should never be a DIY project—find a promotion agency committed to controlling the variables. Advertising and marketing agencies provide expert service through creativity, brand experience and tie-ins with strategic alliances. If you hold the same standards with your staff, you’ll be dealing with a winning situation every time.

Inside Attack!

Inside Attack! is a blog that takes you behind the guerrilla scenes and inside the minds of Attack! founders and managing partners Christian Jurinka and Andrew Loos.

They will offer an inside perspective on all aspects of the Attack! experience:
Promotions Staffing – Marketing Program Execution – Experiential Marketing – Guerrilla Projections – Non-Traditional Branding – Strategic Brand Placement – Event Marketing Programs – Nightclub Promotions – Campaign Strategies – Brand Ambassadors – Street Promotions – Flyers – Postering – Market Managers – Mobile Tour Managers – Field Research – Buzz Marketing – Trendsetter Scouting – Publicity Stunts – Spokesmodels – Guerrilla Marketing – Events – In Store Demos – Nightclub/Bar Programs – Event Staffing – Viral Videos – Collegiate Marketing – Spring Break Events – Airport Marketing – Holiday Campaigns – Branded Products – Vehicle Wraps – Publicity Stunts – Qualitative/Quantitative Market Research – Wearable Media – Graphic Designers – Brand Identity Development – Event Sponsorships – Viral Marketing – Postering – Static Clings – Field Marketing – Teen Events – Extreme Sports Events – Sampling – Product Demonstrations – Word of Mouth Marketing – Data Collection – Market Trends Reporting – Advertising Program Execution – Marketing Services Management – Focus Group Recruiting – Promotional Street Teams – Flyering – Sticker Campaigns – Field Market Managers – Emcees – DJs – Actors – Models – Festival Staff – Street Teams – Fairs – Brand Identity – Attack!