Live engagement agency, Kru Live, has launched Social KRU, a new offer bringing together brand experience, retail, creators and social commerce.
Social KRU has been developed from Kru Live’s experience of seeing first-hand how the lines between brand ambassador, retail specialist, creator and salesperson are increasingly overlapping.
Sarah-Jane Benham, CEO of Kru Live Global said: “The idea actually started years ago when one of our clients kept requesting the same brilliant member of our in-store KRU by name. They knew the product inside out, could sell and happened to have around 100,000 social followers. They were also creating content about their day, the products they were demonstrating and the brand they were representing. It made us realise something: your best creator might already be standing on the shop floor.”
Kru Live subsequently audited its wider Kru community and discovered a network of nano and micro creators already representing brands in the real world. Since then, the agency has been testing and developing the model through creator campaigns, talent partnerships and live social selling.
Social KRU brings that experience together for the first time in one connected offer, spanning four areas:
- Social KRU Talent: Access to creators from within Kru Live’s existing KRU community, from nano and micro talent through to more traditional influencer partnerships.
- SellSocially: A digital training and measurement platform that helps clients’ existing teams and fans create better content, build confidence and become effective brand creators.
- KRU Studios: Dedicated spaces for creating social-first content, product demonstrations, creator sessions and live commerce.
- Live Selling: From TikTok Lives to live selling from store, Social KRU combines talent, product knowledge and production to turn content into commerce.
Clients can use individual elements of Social KRU or bring them together as a connected programme spanning physical brand experience, creator content and social commerce.
The offer is supported by SellSocially, a training, gamification and performance platform developed by CYPHR, the digital experience and product studio within Brand Partnership Group. The technology enables brands to train, activate and reward their communities, while managing content, missions and measurement at scale.
Rob Bennett, CEO and co-founder of CYPHR said: “SellSocially has been designed to work seamlessly with Social KRU, providing the technology that helps brands train, activate and reward their people at scale. It turns product knowledge and genuine enthusiasm into effective social content, while giving brands the tools to manage missions, measure performance and connect advocacy directly to commerce.”
Benham added: “Brands are already investing in brilliant people who understand their products, know how to engage customers and have the confidence to represent them face-to-face. Social KRU gives them the tools and opportunity to take that influence beyond the shift and beyond the physical footprint. Helping drive sales and community long after the doors close.”
Social KRU builds on Kru Live’s established expertise in live engagement, retail and brand experience while reflecting the growing convergence of physical and digital customer journeys.