STREET TEAM MARKETING and Why It's A Favorite
Engage people with conversations, samples, experiences, and marketing materials
Take your brand to neighborhoods where people live, work, shop, and play
Generate a steady stream of authentic content for Instagram Stories
Street teams gather firsthand consumer feedback and insights
Lift brand perception, engagement, and sales
Track street team impact with impressions, engagements, and QR promo codes
Create moments that matter
What is street team marketing?
Street team marketing is the deployment of brand ambassadors to promote events, sample products, and engage people with shareable experiences in public spaces.
Street team marketing aims to generate brand attention, engage people, and a create desired action; ranging from social shares to contest entries to app sign-ups.
Often companies and agencies utilize the terms field marketing, promo teams, experiential, or sampling when speaking about street team marketing.
The beauty of this marketing tactic is its versatility; street teams create the opportunity to engage people on city sidewalks, beach boardwalks, near campuses, outside transit hubs, and in shopping districts.
A well performing brand ambassador team informs people, distribute samples, demo products, engage in meaningful conversations, and, most importantly, influence audiences to take action.
Managers are assigned to street team activations to prepare the ambassadors, oversee interaction with the public, schedule rest breaks, document the activation, and ensure everything else is on point.
Smart street team activations integrate a social media strategy as well as influencer visits.
You can activate street team in every major city from New York City to Chicago to Los Angeles.
Street team marketing services
1.) Development of street team marketing ideas based on brand identity and goals
2.) Design and production of street team outfits, signs, and props
3.) Logistics to receive, store, and transport product samples and swag
4.) Staffing, training, rehearsal, and prep
5.) Street team activation, management, insurance, documentation, and analysis
How to create an effective street team initiative
1.) Know your goals
2.) Have a clear and concise brand message
3.) Include a compelling call-to-action
3.) Use marketing materials people want to take and keep
4.) Outfit your brand ambassadors
5.) Deploy attention-getting hand-held signs or props
6.) Incentivize people to share the brand with friends
7.) Scout locations beforehand
8.) Train your brand ambassadors
9.) Hire an onsite manager
10.) Employ a dedicated team for activation prep, transport, and logistics
11.) Document everything (e.g., impressions, engagements, feedback, etc.)
12.) Leverage street team activations on social media
13.) Ensure insurance covers the brand, street team, and the public
14.) Include safety and wellness action plans
15.) Debrief team, recap the activation and analyze
Is street team marketing the right fit for your brand?
1.) Reach 20,000+ people each day in cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington DC
2.) Face-to-face interactions offer opportunities to create a positive and memorable brand impression
3.) Getting trial size product samples into people's hands is proven to change purchase behavior
4.) Generate attention and engagement in competitive environments
5.) Reach people outside transit hubs, near city festivals, in business districts, and college campuses
6.) Provides quality brand-consumer interaction content for social media
7.) City permits are not needed for most street team marketing concepts
8.) Gather firsthand consumer reactions and insights
If you'd like to have three or more of the above outcomes, then yes, street teams are a worthwhile marketing tactic for your company.
Availability
Street team marketing coverage in the top 25 US cities and beyond:
New York City, NY
Chicago, IL
Los Angeles, CA
Houston, TX
Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
Washington, DC
San Diego, CA
Dallas, TX
Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Austin, TX
Atlanta, GA
Miami, FL
New Orleans, LA
In Canada, street team marketing coverage available in:
Vancouver
Montreal
Toronto
European street team coverage includes:
Paris
London
Milan
Madrid
Berlin
Amsterdam
Street Team Project Onboarding & Process
1.) Share your goals and any ideas you'd like to bring to life
2.) Get the Street Team Marketing rate sheet or a custom solution for a one-of-a-kind concept
3.) Once you confirm a street team concept and budget is the ideal match for your brand, we'll forward the marketing agreement for your review
4.) Ramp up planning, logistics, staffing, and training the two weeks before activation day
5.) Receive real-time reporting each activation day via Slack, plus a recap report with photos, learnings, and ideas to improve
Takeaways
The first step is to assess if a street team marketing approach will meet your brand goals.
The answer is yes if you want to reach new audiences, engage people, reinvigorate interest and create shareable content.
Street team marketing is an impactful tactic for CPG, DTC, and B2B brands.
Explore ways to enhance and leverage your street team activation beyond simple consumer sampling.
Available in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and every city in between.
Connect
Share your street team marketing ideas and goals for a complimentary recommendation.
Explore More
If you'd interested in more elevated street team marketing, we suggest you view Sampling Bike Cart and Human Billboard options.
Street Team Marketing definitions:
Product sampling street team marketing consists of brand ambassadors engaging people with conversations, samples and marketing materials.
Product sampling street teams typically require a van to transport product samples and serve as a staging area, plus production assistants / runners to refresh the team with samples.
Flash mob street team marketing is a dozen or more uniformly outfitted brand ambassadors to performing coordinated brand stunts, songs, and other acts that ‘surprise and delight’ the public.
Flash mob street teams require a rehearsal day to ensure the activation is well coordinated.
Costumed character street team is consists of brand ambassadors in unique outfits to generate on-the-street attention and consumer engagement.
Note that each costumed character need a dedicated handler to guide them to ensure they don't knock into people on city sidewalks.
An experiential street team are brand ambassadors equipped with props, games, apps, equipment, and other activities to engage the public.
Simply put, an experiential street team is one that has public participation at the heart of the activation.
Event ambush street teams are defined as the deployment of street teams near festivals, concerts and/or sports events that are not officially sponsored your brand.
Retail Street Team is the deployment of ambassadors to promote retail, restaurant, popups, or other types of establishments.
This form of marketing is particularly effective for highlighting retail sales, in-store events, and brand happenings.
Street team marketing FAQ
Street team marketing is the the activation of brand ambassadors in public spaces to promote a company via conversations, product sampling, and engaging activities.
They can be volunteers, although the most effective street teams are paid, trained, outfitted, and managed to ensure desired outcomes.
Yes, under free speech laws, street team are legal on public sidewalks in most city spaces.
There are exceptions, such as activating inside parks, or outside certain transit stations.
To adhere to the law, street teams should not place anything (e.g. chairs, tables, boxes, etc.) on public sidewalks.
Street teams are highly-effective for engaging your target audience in city neighborhoods. Best to have the street team well trained, outfitted, managed, plus offer something that piques interest and engagement.
Street teams provide reach; in New York, Chicago, Boston, and DC you can engage tens of thousands of people daily.
To enhance street team effectiveness, include an irresistible call-to-action along with on-the-spot incentives to sign-up or share the experience on social.
To track effectiveness integrate promo codes, contests, and sign-ups.
Street teams are additionally super effective for creating brand content, leveraging influencers, and driving in-store sales.
The cost to plan, deploy, and manage a 9-person street team ranges from $4,500 to $7,500 per day, depending upon the city, team size, responsibilities, number of activation days, and other factors.
Note the above price range does not include brand ambassador outfits, props, tote bags, transport, and marketing materials.
Here are the top street team marketing ideas and tactics:
- Surprise-and-delight people commuting to work.
- Engage people heading to festivals, stadiums, and conventions.
- Give people samples or swag they'll appreciate and keep for a while.
- Utilize questions, games, and quizzes to educate people about your brand.
- Get people to share your street team activities with Instagram-worthy costumes, signs, and props.
- Tailor your street team marketing concept to the seasons or holidays.
- Activate in large groups, flash mob style, to stand out and produce quality content
- Give out tote bags and wearables to have the public promote your brand
