Best of 2021
Let’s celebrate 2021.
This was a year for being nimble, for finding new ways to collaborate and communicate when the unexpected happened. Low stock on the shelves led many to discover a new brand, a new hobby or a new friend willing to share well-loved gear. Brands, often struggling to fill orders as quickly as they’d like, inspired loyalty with their transparency and timely “thank yous.” Experts discovered their recommendations were more powerful than ever in a marketplace where dollars didn’t stretch as far.
The hardiest plants thrive in rocky soil. We’re pumped to see how advocacy for our brands grows in 2022, thanks to the creative caretaking that happened in 2021. Check out just a few of our favorite campaigns and top expert recommendations from the year.
Best interactive lesson
Columbia
Columbia made excellent use of a choose-your-own adventure format in this lesson, keeping experts engaged in active learning and providing a clear segmentation of the brand’s extensive product line. Focused copy and informative graphics help experts understand the best Columbia products to recommend to people who are venturing out on the trail or the water.
Best product launch
Diamondback
Diamondback gave its experts an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at its first-ever collection of e-bikes before the bikes debuted in Spring 2021. ExpertVoice teamed up with a Diamondback pro rider to create a dynamic video that not only captures his firsthand insights about the e-bikes, it also shows them in action.
Best expert insight
Klymit
Our experts share countless authentic, helpful insights every day, both on and off ExpertVoice. The power of expert advice is especially clear when you can hear the genuine enthusiasm in their voices. Check out the audio interview with member expert Hayley Krawitz in this Klymit lesson.
Best motion graphics video
Purina® Pro Plan®
This video weaves together custom motion graphics and brand-provided b-roll to give experts all the reasons why they should recommend Purina to pet parents. Just after the 2-minute mark, you’ll see how animations can simplify a topic as complex as making a supply chain more sustainable.
Best virtual video
Comvita
In 2021, ExpertVoice released a new video product for brands, the virtual video. It isn’t always safe or convenient to host all the experts we’d like to capture on film in our studio. ExpertVoice captured interviews with experts at Comvita over Zoom and then edited those interviews into a finished video with motion graphics and stunning b-roll from New Zealand, supplied by Comvita.
Best story of a brand making a difference
icebreaker
icebreaker is leveraging new innovations and making revolutionary choices to become plastic-free by 2023. To help its most powerful advocates understand and speak to this story, icebreaker shares all the details in this custom lesson. ExpertVoice created an in-page motion graphic to illustrate the problem of plastic in our environment. And experts will find not only recommendations from their peers in this lesson, but also an opportunity to write their own.
Best promotional media
Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Hill’s Pet Nutrition continuously refreshed its education campaigns and messaging throughout 2021, keeping experts engaged with 44 new lessons and 18 strategically scheduled promotions. The strategy paid off with more than 200,000 expert engagements in 2021, including an average 69% lift during each promotion, all helping experts in pet retail make more informed recommendations.
Top recommended product
Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener
Work Sharp knife and tool sharpeners are a fan favorite among experts. This year, the Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener received 240 expert recommendations — more than any other product on ExpertVoice in 2021.
Best campaign manager
FORLOH
In 2020, ExpertVoice released new tools that allow brands to write, design and publish their own educational content for experts. FORLOH is an early adopter and sets the bar high with 8 videos and 4 templated lessons that build brand awareness and drive product advocacy for this direct-to-consumer hunting, fishing and outdoor brand.
Best collection of
expert advice
Expert Guide to Winter Layers
In 2021, ExpertVoice released 10 new Expert Guides that gather our experts’ deep category knowledge and credible product recommendations into one place for a given activity. The Expert Guide to Winter Layers shares their best strategies for staying warm and dry in both low-intensity and high-intensity winter sports. Plus, expert-generated videos and images bring to life their love for the snow.
Best-in-class advocacy program
Ariat
Not only does Ariat release new education to experts on a monthly cadence, it also goes the extra mile to listen to experts’ feedback and recognize their expertise. Experts posted 243 of their own images on Ariat’s brand page in 2021, and you’ll find a thoughtful response from the Ariat team on most. In this Ariat lesson preview, you can see how the brand elevates helpful expert recommendations to create an inclusive and informative experience that motivates experts to keep recommending the brand.
