It’s sad to say that the pandemic has had a detrimental impact on a lot of businesses. But fortunately, one industry that’s thriving is cycling. Clearly the idea of getting out there, breathing fresh air, and exercising while you social distance is a massive draw. Specialized, one of the biggest names in cycling, has embraced that “get out and go” mentality to grab amazing footage for its Specialized Ambassador Program.

The initiative was launched over a year ago, and Specialized had tapped Cinebody at the start of 2020 for it’s User-Generated Content (UGC) marketing strategy. Sure, filming has become something of a logistical nightmare now (with the pandemic and all), but an inherent part of Cinebody is the advantage of being able to film around the world without the need to travel. This is all about empowering cyclists to film their own footage, and so it was a perfect fit for this kind of UGC content regardless of current filming challenges. 

Putting Authentic Content Creation In The Hands of Specialized Ambassadors.

UGC is nothing new, but it has seen an explosion over the last few years. And with every country in some form of lockdown, it has only compounded that popularity (just look at how many brands are turning to platforms like Zoom for content creation). For Landan Luna of USA Digital Marketing, having the ambassadors film their own content was a natural fit with the program Specialized already had in place. This approach allowed for more authentic and relatable content, while also making use of content aggregators to showcase the brand in a positive light.

“We have filmed and photographed with ambassadors in the past and have also asked them to submit their own original content to the brand,” said Luna. “The ease of connecting specific ambassadors to a specific project made the Cinebody platform most appealing to us.”

For Luna and Specialized, the features of the video production software not only made it ideal for capturing the footage they needed, but also dovetailed perfectly with the essence of the ambassador program. This truly is something that spans the globe, and Cinebody offered Specialized four major advantages:

1. They could easily aggregate their footage seamlessly from anywhere on the planet. 

2. Editors and directors could control the camera settings of their filmers remotely.

3. Shot lists could be given to the ambassadors, with real-time feedback available.

4. Footage uploads uncompressed, ready to be edited and turned around quickly. 

Now all that was needed was to let the ambassadors loose with their equipment, film themselves in action, and deliver awesome video to Specialized.

Capturing Incredible Action Footage on iPhones and Go-Pros.

Filming yourself cycling, especially when it gets into extreme rugged mountain terrain, can be a tough proposition. Cinebody took that into account, as the platform not only enables automatic uploads of footage captured with the smartphone app, but also can receive uploaded footage filmed on Go-Pros and drones. 

That enabled the Specialized ambassadors to really deliver on some action shots, alongside the authentic and personal video introductions they provided. 

Over 120 creators from around the world provided over 350 pieces of footage to Specialized, and it came together in an incredible video that not only keeps the Specialized Ambassador Program alive, but actually strengthens its reach and personal approach to content. 

“The idea of the Welcome Video was to introduce our retail partners with the ambassadors that are in the field. To show them the diverse nature of what our ambassador program is,” Luna said. “Our next steps are to begin setting up specific project types that we will introduce specific ambassadors to, for instance a road or mountain bike specific project that centers more on telling our ambassador’s personal story.”

With over 250 ambassadors now on board the Specialized Cinebody Team, making that idea become a reality will be even simpler to implement. They know the app. They know the platform. It’s basically just a case of planning the shots and pulling the trigger. 

The success of Specialized is an example that any brand, not just those in the outdoor space, can learn from when it comes to creating compelling video content for both ambassadors and consumers. By leveraging user-generated content and video aggregators, Specialized was able to pull off a huge campaign with a diverse mix of creators. This approach not only resulted in more authentic and relatable content, but also helped the brand stay connected to its audience. Smaller brands can also benefit from this approach, as it allows them to take their video content to the next level without the need for an expensive film crew, travel, and other prohibitive expenses. This is the way forward for brands looking to stay relevant and engaged with their audience.