The Ambassador Programme That Ripped Up the Playbook

The Challenge

Influencer marketing had gone stale

Influencer marketing had gone stale: same faces, same formats, a flash of attention that never stuck to the brand. So we stopped chasing the biggest names and started backing creators before they blew up — the way the algorithm does, not the way the media plan does.

The Strategy

Give creators something real

Instead of paying for reach, we gave creators something real. When Leanne Amaning went viral for the tiny TV in her new flat, we didn’t just leave a comment – we sent her a brand new 65″ Sky Glass. Sometimes it’s access to talent, sets or moments most brands keep locked away for the names who’ve already made it; sometimes it’s simply amplifying what a creator’s already made, so more people see it. Either way, the creator walks away with something real, and the audience sees Sky do something a brand wouldn’t normally do.

THE RESULT

Inside the conversation

We showed up in unexpected places, crossed over with Sky shows, and rode real entertainment moments as they happened. The pairings nobody saw coming were the ones that got people talking about Sky more than anything else — putting the brand inside the conversation instead of underneath it.

The impact: +102% share of brand-relevant comments from unexpected pairings, +91.1% engagement lift from creators using their own formats, 2x lower cost-per-engagement on entertainment tie-ins.