Olipop's Dream Job contest winners are working with the beverage brand this summer to build brand ... [+]
Olipop, a beverage brand with over $200 million in sales that’s sold in more than 30,000 retail stores, recently unveiled winners for its latest influencer marketing campaign: the Dream Job contest.
Stemming from the brand’s commitment to leveraging consumer insights and the voices of authentic brand advocates, the Dream Job contest was born as a creative way to harness the power of Olipop’s superfans and amplify their voices across social media platforms.
The premise was simple: invite two lucky brand ambassadors to help share the Olipop story in key markets across the United States.
“Over the last five years on social media, the number one comment we get is: ‘I tell everyone about Olipop! You should hire me; I'm acting as your unpaid sales rep,’” said Steven Vigilante, Olipop’s Director of Growth and Partnerships. “We heard this so many times we finally thought…why don't we just do it?”
When the Dream Job contest was launched, the only stipulations were that the two-person team applicants must be US residents, at least 18 years old, and demonstrate experience in content creation across Instagram, TikTok, and Threads, as these were the preferred platforms for content creation aimed at building awareness around the Olipop brand and its products.
The perks for the two winners include a stipend of $10,000 ($5,000 per person) for each city visited, as well as hotel, flights, and per diem covered by the brand. The contest winners are allotted up to four cities (and $40,000 in total compensation) for the entirety of the project.
Over the span of three weeks, Olipop received more than 2,000 applicants who sent in resumes and video samples, as well as tags on past social media posts that demonstrate their duo’s chemistry.
Such a high volume of applicants made the selection process no easy feat, but the brand ultimately chose a pair of bi-coastal content creators: Maggie Chang and Tam Hoang.
The duo met through the sustainable fashion community in New York during the pandemic and quickly formed a bond despite living an hour apart. From there, the friendship grew through spontaneous adventures and travels, fueled by their flexible, remote jobs.
Both winners shared that they see this opportunity as a chance to connect with others through their shared love for beverages and soda, as well as to create meaningful content.
For Chang, the assignment represents a powerful portfolio-building opportunity, which moves her in the right direction toward a career in content creation, as well as a form of validation and comfort in pursuing a non-traditional career path.
“I used to have a nine-to-five job, and I didn't feel good about it,” Hoang said. “But having an actual job opportunity like this that aligns so well with how I like to live my life feels good.”
Chang shared a similar sentiment, explaining that this paid content creation role means a lot, especially from her Asian-American perspective.
“Coming from an immigrant background, it's not something that feels very supported. I always felt like I had to justify all my actions, but having something like this shows I'm capable and this is a viable career path,” Hoang said.
The Olipop Dream Job contest winners at their first event.
The contest winners’ first kick-off event was a tailgate party and baseball game in Washington, D.C., where the duo met up with local content creators and influencers for an Olipop-themed celebration.
The Dream Job campaign represents just one facet of Olipop's broader marketing strategy, which places a heavy emphasis on influencer partnerships and social media engagement.
With a track record of over two billion views on TikTok product placement videos (rather than direct sales pitches), the brand looks to social media as a tool that drives brand awareness and audience engagement (rather than focusing on direct-to-consumer sales there.)
If you ask Brand Strategist and Consultant Grace Clarke, the Dream Job contest leverages current consumer psychology. “Olipop has turned standard practice—giving creators cash and a brief—and instead creating a flywheel, spitting off content while bringing in new audiences.”
Clarke went on to say that the evidence of this can be found is in the audience response: Olipop’s TikTok announcement had over 5,000 shares (one of her preferred metrics of success), and more than 600 submissions. While she does have concerns about positioning, language use, and ethics around contest-oriented influencer marketing campaigns, she felt this use case was brilliant.
Looking ahead, Olipop has a few more new avenues for brand growth and expansion on the horizon. For now, the Dream Job campaign is one more example of how they’re getting creative when it comes to building brand awareness and community engagement.
For other brands considering deploying a similar type of approach, influencer marketing experts like Lia Haberman advise using caution and acting quickly before it becomes commonplace.
“Right now this is a unique way to recruit influencers, but as soon as every brand starts to do it, the public will lose interest,” she said. “Brands considering posting an influencer job listing need to plan their offering now before it becomes too commonplace.”
