What Is An Ambassador?

[ClassB4Me]

I've seen the term ambassador being used in the RV community quite often of recent but can anyone tell me what the title confers?

Are you simply someone given authority to represent / speak about a product or is it a paid / compensated position?

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

I've seen the term ambassador being used in the RV community quite often of recent but can anyone tell me what the title confers?

Are you simply someone given authority to represent / speak about a product or it a paid / compensated position?

I don’t know that all are paid/compensated or have the official title of ambassador but some are given vans for their use and some are unofficial ambassadors and some may simply be owners who have a close relationship with the manufacturer.

Two that come to mind besides the Wendland’s...

FitRV, not sure if they have any official relationship of any kind with Winnebago but they are surely the best known ambassadors for the Travato.

We’re the Russos have a van provided by Hymer for their use...

[ClassB4Me]

Thanks for clarifying because the Wendland’s after turning in their Roadtrek made it seem that getting a company RV to use was part of being a brand ambassador

Or maybe we'll become brand ambassadors for another company.

[B Eventually]

The Fit RV duo most certainly did not get Lance for free. If I remember correctly, Winnebago let them pick a yellow van off Winnebago's lot and then they modified a Travota design slightly to raise the bed high enough for bikes to be stored beneath it.

That was several years ago, so it's possible they have an arrangement/sponsorship now.

[RickNV]

ClassB4Me- I'm a regular listener to Mike and Jennifers podcast and have been for awhile- not sure what you mean by "made it seem that getting a company RV to use was part of being a brand ambassador" - I have never talked to Mike or Jennifer and have no affiliation with them or Roadtrek - my impression is they are independent reporters/journalists/podcasters just sharing what they learn about traveling in an RV - your post seems to suggest they have turned in their RV but if I'm not mistaken they just upgraded to a new model year Roadtrek - wether they got a good deal or got it for free I have no idea - I think modern social media marketing works really well for the RV industry - I respect FitRV and Mike and Jennifer and appreciate all their hard work and if they get compensated in any way for being "Ambassadors" I think that's a great business model- I understand Mike and Jennifer prefer Roadtrek RV's or they would be cruising around in a different brand, and when I tune into them I understand that. They have been upfront about their independence and their focus on the boondockers and the smaller RV crowd- I enjoy these "ambassadors" delivering me information on the new tech and RV show happenings because I'm a wannabe learning right now.

[GeorgeRa]

Using “Ambasasors” is a good way to propagate product knowledge but it needs to be disclosed upfront. If is not in open and later discovered it turns into disaster.

Sony Alpha cameras division uses ambassadors in a very open and effective way to promote the product and share the product know-how. It is good marketing strategy as long it is disclosed.

[Rdean925]

Mike & Jennifer were provided a vehicle:
While they asked us to sign a new agreement two weeks ago, we chose to take the ultimate step in completing our branding change by removing ourselves as Roadtrek's on-the-road ambassadors and returning the latest vehicle they provided.

Partial post:
So, about a year ago, I bought from an Internet domain broker the domain name RVLifestyle.com. It cost me way, way more money than I could afford but slowly we started using that name in our branding. Over several months, we changed our logos, our social media groups and finally, just the other day, the URL of his blog… from Roadtreking.com to RVLifestyle.com. We had planned to complete the process in November 2019 when our sponsorship agreement expired with Roadtrek.

The most recent news reports swirling around Hymer and Roadtrek have allowed us to make a clean break now. In response to the financial downturn Hymer of North America has announced, the company has begun a strict cost-cutting program that changed some of the terms of our old sponsorship agreement. While they asked us to sign a new agreement two weeks ago, we chose to take the ultimate step in completing our branding change by removing ourselves as Roadtrek's on-the-road ambassadors and returning the latest vehicle they provided.

I want to stress that this was all done in good faith, on good terms and that we remain good friends with the wonderful people at Roadtrek. We wish them nothing but the best as they work through the present challenges.
So… now that we are “officially” RVLifestyle and all about the small RV experience and van life, what will we be driving and camping in?

Read full post at this link
https://rvlifestyle.com/announcement...-rv-lifestyle/

[<<B-Guy>>]

Pleasure-Way have what they refer to as their "Pleasure-Way Ambassador Crew."

Folks who buy a PW can sigh up to join if they wish - they are given cards and a PAC number.

The idea is that if others are interested in their RV, ask questions and maybe want to look inside, etc., the PA member can give them a card.

Should those people actually wind up buying a PW, they can get a $250 rebate - and the
PAC member gets the same.

Not a bad concept - most of us like to talk about and show our RV's anyway, so what's to lose!

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Rdean925

Mike & Jennifer were provided a vehicle:
While they asked us to sign a new agreement two weeks ago, we chose to take the ultimate step in completing our branding change by removing ourselves as Roadtrek's on-the-road ambassadors and returning the latest vehicle they provided.

Partial post:
So, about a year ago, I bought from an Internet domain broker the domain name RVLifestyle.com. It cost me way, way more money than I could afford but slowly we started using that name in our branding. Over several months, we changed our logos, our social media groups and finally, just the other day, the URL of his blog… from Roadtreking.com to RVLifestyle.com. We had planned to complete the process in November 2019 when our sponsorship agreement expired with Roadtrek.

The most recent news reports swirling around Hymer and Roadtrek have allowed us to make a clean break now. In response to the financial downturn Hymer of North America has announced, the company has begun a strict cost-cutting program that changed some of the terms of our old sponsorship agreement. While they asked us to sign a new agreement two weeks ago, we chose to take the ultimate step in completing our branding change by removing ourselves as Roadtrek's on-the-road ambassadors and returning the latest vehicle they provided.

I want to stress that this was all done in good faith, on good terms and that we remain good friends with the wonderful people at Roadtrek. We wish them nothing but the best as they work through the present challenges.
So… now that we are “officially” RVLifestyle and all about the small RV experience and van life, what will we be driving and camping in?

Read full post at this link
https://rvlifestyle.com/announcement...-rv-lifestyle/

Is "Rdean925" associated with or are you Mike and Jennifer? not very clear from this post.

[ClassB4Me]

Originally Posted by B-guy (Was Wingeezer!)

Pleasure-Way have what they refer to as their "Pleasure-Way Ambassador Crew."

Folks who buy a PW can sigh up to join if they wish - they are given cards and a PAC number.

The idea is that if others are interested in their RV, ask questions and maybe want to look inside, etc., the PA member can give them a card.

Should those people actually wind up buying a PW, they can get a $250 rebate - and the
PAC member gets the same.

Not a bad concept - most of us like to talk about and show our RV's anyway, so what's to lose!

This is more of what I expected - nominal compensation. Thanks

[Rdean925]

No association with Mike and Jennifer other than subscribed to their blog & youtube.
Provided link to their article to provide context and to be able read their complete post.

Only replying to the question/comment about Mike & Jennifer’s ambassadorship.

[ponti33602]

Originally Posted by B Eventually

The Fit RV duo most certainly did not get Lance for free. If I remember correctly, Winnebago let them pick a yellow van off Winnebago's lot and then they modified a Travota design slightly to raise the bed high enough for bikes to be stored beneath it.

That was several years ago, so it's possible they have an arrangement/sponsorship now.

I agree with this theory....that they at least partially paid....... They have done numerous mods that I am not sure would be approved if they were turning it in after "x" years. Not bad mods but just several of them....adding solar and such. They also do not have any advertising on their site so although they are trying to make some amount of money they have a different motivation and or model than a few others mentioned in this post.

[B Eventually]

Originally Posted by ponti33602

I agree with this theory....that they at least partially paid....... They have done numerous mods that I am not sure would be approved if they were turning it in after "x" years. Not bad mods but just several of them....adding solar and such. They also do not have any advertising on their site so although they are trying to make some amount of money they have a different motivation and or model than a few others mentioned in this post.

I'm too lazy to go back and look it up, but I'm almost certain they specifically talked about buying Lance. I suppose in theory they could have "bought" it like the Roadtrekers duo, but I highly doubt it.

I think the main thing they got free or discounted was the modified bed design. But I don't fault them for that because they're trying to get Winnebago to see the value in creating more bike-friendly designs.

I've lost track of the mods James has done. But I do remember he first had an inverter installed by AM Solar and only later went the full Lithium + second alternator route. None of these mods make sense if Winnebago is giving them kickbacks. It'd make more sense to hook them up with a new Travato sporting the superior Volta system.

One last thing, James has a legitimate full time job where he gets to telecommute (database administration or something similar to that). So the two of them traveling around the country to attend conferences really isn't that surprising. They probably half way do it just so they can go cycling in interesting places.


Disclaimer: I have met them once before so I guess that means I'm not completely impartial.

[gregmchugh]

Mike and Jennifer Wendland are currently using an LTV Wonder they just picked up at the factory. They will have a video later in the week. They mentioned they are going to get a Unity on the new Sprinter at some point.

[Rdean925]

At the end of the Live Chat I asked How Long will They have the Wonder. Mike replied 4-5 Weeks. Then he mentioned trying a different LTV I thought he said the Unity either a Murphy Bed or an Island bed
https://youtu.be/Zd7AqJRXaaE

[booster]

It sounds like they could have had a lot of this planned for when their contract with Roadtrek ran out, and then it got moved up with the issues and chance to bail early. Probably figured his contract would be gone anyway when Thor took over.

[InterBlog]

According to what I've seen, this "ambassador" stuff is analogous to actors in Hollywood - only a tiny percentage, the very tippy-top of the heap, receive any form of compensation that is worth working for. Everybody else down the pyramid receives something that might be called an "incentive" rather than "compensation" - a tiny amount of merch or discounts or cash.

Then why do it, why become ambassadors if there's so little compensation?

Same reason why actors take $1,000 bit-parts in movies: resume-building. The more ambassadorships declared, the greater the chance of building the personal brand and eventually hitting the big time.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by booster

It sounds like they could have had a lot of this planned for when their contract with Roadtrek ran out, and then it got moved up with the issues and chance to bail early. Probably figured his contract would be gone anyway when Thor took over.

He did mention in one post that he has a new partnership with LTV but no details. Video coming on Thursday of his visit to LTV will probably have more details. Full factory tour with Dean and interview with the management. As mentioned already, they have the Wonder for a month or so and then will be using a Unity so he may go through several before he gets a long term unit assuming that is part of the deal.

My impression from the video last night is that the quick ending of the RT contract and having to return the van they just got 2 months ago was definitely not a happy ending. Feels free now to mention in public the shortcomings of the RT vans he had.

[ponti33602]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

He did mention in one post that he has a new partnership with LTV but no details. Video coming on Thursday of his visit to LTV will probably have more details. Full factory tour with Dean and interview with the management. As mentioned already, they have the Wonder for a month or so and then will be using a Unity so he may go through several before he gets a long term unit assuming that is part of the deal.

My impression from the video last night is that the quick ending of the RT contract and having to return the van they just got 2 months ago was definitely not a happy ending. Feels free now to mention in public the shortcomings of the RT vans he had.

I don't be-grudge them for doing what they do.....folks just need to recognize and be wary before blindly taking recommendations from anyone on-line. I would to have loved the conversation, if there was one, trying to score a $250K+ van from Mike at ADRV. :>

[gregmchugh]

Mike just posted this, Sherry is the president of RT International group in FMCA...

———

Thanks, Sherry. Yup, that's the beauty of the RV Lifestyle. There is a rig out there for all of us and many different excellent RVs from many excellent companies. We all have different wants and needs. At this stage of our journey, having lots more room for personal space, more storage, a separate work area, a "real" dedicated shower and comfortable, permanent beds with a mattress are among the items topping our needs list. After we left Roadtrek, we had an opportunity to partner with several different RV manufacturers but we have admired the LTV models from afar for years and jumped when offered the opportunity to become their brand ambassadors. Plus, being a family run company with a sterling reputation for high quality and high integrity made the choice even easier for us.