Converse asks Facebook fans to be online salesmen

Converse is asking its 20 million Facebook fans to sell personalised trainers to their friends in its latest move to drive advocacy.

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An app, “Made By’, will let users design up to six pairs of customised trainers, which can then be sold from a personalised storefront on the social network.

Fans will be able to share their designs with friends and for every five they sell, Converse will reward the advocates with a free pair.

For those vendors that sell regularly from their Facebook stores the brand will reward them with “something different”, yet to be decided.

The campaign, which has been developed by creative shop, Anomaly London, will be trialled in the UK and US next month, before being rolled out to other key markets.

According to Nathan Cooper, creative director at Anomaly London, too many brands are failing to trust their consumers on Facebook, forgetting that it’s a completely different model to e-commerce.

He adds: “By inviting people to design and sell their own shoes we’ve been able to make shopping a relevant part of fans interactions with the brand on Facebook, by making them retailers as well as designers”, says Cooper. “We wanted to leverage the brand’s Facebook following because your best sales people are those that love the brand.”

The Facebook initiative differs from the brand’s “Which Shoe are You” mobile and online app which launched in July, because it lets users sell their own customised trainers as well giving them additional choices to help refine their shoe.

Both services are part of the brand’s ongoing “Create” campaign which encourages customers to create their own branded content.

The app was built by digital agency RGA New York and creative studio, Perfect Fools developed the vendor registration platform.

Converse is recruiting fans to trial the app here

 

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