Instead of the usual fashion kids, Coach Malaysia casts its store associates as the new brand influencers.

Influencer marketing is not something new in the current fashion scene. In fact, it is the norm for all fashion brands to collaborate with social media influencers but Coach has managed to surprise us with a new marketing concept unlike any other.
Presenting the Coach Key Opinion Leader (KOL) Program (which has recently launched in Malaysia): A new initiative where the brand cast its store associates as social media influencers as part of Coach&rsquo;s efforts to empower the community and its employees.
With this unique initiative, each of these new KOLs is given the opportunity and resources to create unique social content for the brand and showcased on their personal social media accounts and on the brand's local Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/coachmalaysia/?hl=en">@coachmalaysia</a>).

One of the first to start this marketing concept, the idea is novel. It makes perfect sense because the store associates are the people who interact with the brand and its customers the most - making them the ideal people who know what content its customers crave.
This cultivates a new phygital community between the brand, its staff and clients where its brings new interaction and experience to the end-consumers.

This program is not just any regular marketing initiative. It is Coach's training program to groom their employees and give them the opportunity to refine their skills and build their own personal career portfolio.
Campbell O&rsquo;Shea, General Manager of Tapestry Southeast Asia and Oceania, says &ldquo;Coach&rsquo;s vision is to empower our multi-talented store associates to become influencers through an enhanced training and development program. We are always excited to put a spotlight on our store associates and are keen to give them the opportunity to shine.&rdquo;

To kickstart the program with a bang, Coach Malaysia presents an exclusive local campaign starring five of its employees from the program, Afi Ivan, Mira Radzi, Sabreena Hadi, Scarlett Yap and Valerie Chuah.
This campaign highlights the new Spring 2022 Cashin Carry Tote bag and also co-stars one of Malaysia's leading social media influencers and entrepreneur Jane Chuck (<a href="instagram.com/janechuck">@janechuck</a>) to lead the debut of these five rising stars.

To get to know the Coach KOL Program a little more, we had a quick chat with Campbell O&rsquo;Shea, General Manager of Tapestry Southeast Asia and Oceania, on how Coach is changing the game in the region with.

With the retail landscape and consumer experience constantly evolving, Coach KOL programme is a fresh take on customer engagement. How does Coach Malaysia plan to elevate the interaction between KOL and customers, aside from social media?
From photos and short videos to live streaming on social media, the Coach KOLs draw customers from online channels to physical stores. Not only that they connect with new and existing customers through social media, they are also trained with knowledge and skills to conduct in-store hosting events with customers.
For Spring, we captured our store KOLs in a special campaign where the imagery is being featured in select Coach stores in Malaysia. It will be refreshing for our customers to see familiar local faces representing the Coach Spring Campaign and of course, our customers will be excited to find out more on the products our store KOLs were carrying in the campaign!

After being selected for the Coach KOL Program, are there any dedicated courses or classes that the KOLs have to go through to get them equipped with the basic creative skills to execute their role?
Coach&rsquo;s focus on optimism, inclusivity and innovation is at the core of the KOL program. We love focusing a spotlight on the amazing talent we have on our team while building their skills and confidence. We believe that true luxury ignites confidence and authenticity!
Overall, the KOL program is an embraced local initiative which provides the KOLs with trainings such as public speaking, styling, and hosting live streams, ultimately giving them additional skills to grow in their career path.
The Store KOL initiative inspires the entire store team to build their confidence and styling expertise which eventually helps them to connect more authentically with new and existing customers.

Right now, Coach is the pioneer in the Malaysian fashion circle to initiate this type of initiative. What kind of content can we expect from the Coach KOL Program?
With Malaysia&rsquo;s fast-evolving phygital landscape, creating unique experiences for our customers is vital. By forming a direct channel of communication between our store KOLs with customers, they are able to connect and engage with customers in both face-to-face engagements as well as via online.
We will continue to deliver ways to engage with our community with more local relevancy, to enrich their online experience and deepen our interaction with them via short videos and live streaming, among other activities.

Follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/coachmalaysia/?hl=en">@coachmalaysia</a> for more updates and creative content.

Coach Malaysia casts the most unexpected social media influencers

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