A couple of weeks ago, Grand Design RV introduced Changing Lanes as Grand Design Brand Ambassadors on their Facebook Page, which we shared on our Changing Lanes Facebook page and personal pages.
We are very excited about this opportunity to represent the Momentum line for Grand Design RV! We've had several people ask questions about this relationship, so we'll try to answer those here.
To begin with, we were already considered ourselves unofficial ambassadors for Grand Design well before this came about (well before we started our Youtube channel and blog). We did a lot of research before picking Grand Design and we've been very happy with our selection. We absolutely LOVE our home on wheels and eagerly tell anyone willing to listen to us drone on like it's a favorite child! Can I show you some pictures on my phone? ?
So, let's jump right in:
Are you getting paid by Grand Design to promote their brand?
No. This is a symbiotic relationship where we create our normal content, in which our Momentum is a regular character already, and Grand Design promotes our content when and where they wish. We were already promoting Grand Design, now they are just promoting us back. Perhaps we might get some free swag (mugs, shirts, etc.) or something like that to help us promote Grand Design, but nothing as of this post. If the compensation side of this relationship changes, we will not keep that hidden.
How did this relationship come about?
We were planning our route back from Maine to Ohio to visit family and wanted to stop in Elkhart, Indiana for a few days to take a tour of the Momentum manufacturing line. Of course, we thought a factory tour video would be a great idea. However, the information on Grand Design's web site clearly indicated no photos or video during tours. So, we reached out to Grand Design's marketing department. We provided a link to our channel and asked if it would be possible to film portions of the tour for our channel.
A couple of weeks later, we got a response from the Marketing Communications Manager asking to set up a call with us. On the call, we were told that they like our content, brand, etc. and that we would be a great fit for a new Brand Ambassador program they were starting up and wanted to know if we would be interested. Duh! Yea!… we are interested!
Does Grand Design control your content now?
Not at all! We would never agree to anyone controlling our content. While we might entertain suggestions for places and events to cover (their online presence and audience is huge, giving them much greater insight as to what content might be popular), we control what we film and how we present it 100%. Changing Lanes is our brand and always will be.
Will you just be shills now, never saying anything negative about Grand Design?
Tara and I agreed before officially launching Changing Lanes, that we would never promote anything we don't stand behind. Every product we put on our gear pages, and everything we put out there in regards to products we promote, are things that we absolutely believe in. And we have no problem saying where things fall short for us. The same applies to our Grand Design Momentum. It's not perfect, and we've had minor issues. However, Grand Design has handled those issues promptly and professionally.
Will you get special treatment from Grand Design, thereby skewing your perception of the brand?
No, and we will never pull strings or drop names if we need support for our RV. We will follow the normal channels like everyone else. We don't feel we can be objective about the brand if we get a special “hot line” for issues. Not more than 3 days ago (July 3rd late afternoon), I used the standard web site contact form to inquire about a replacement drain for our bathroom sink. I had a call back the morning of the 5th and a replacement is on the way.
In summary
We are very excited about this relationship and it's potential to get our content out there in front of the people who might like, subscribe and follow us. We are very enthusiastic about making this huge change in our lives (Full Time RV), and we love sharing our adventures. While we do hope to eventually make a side business out of our channel and social media, we maintain our focus on our new found love of videography, editing, and making content people will find useful and simply enjoy watching.
As always, feel free to reach out to us, here on our website with questions about this, RVing, motorcycle rides, working from the road, or whatever else!
-Chad and Tara (Changing Lanes!)
