I am an ambassador for Endur apparel #endūr #yougotthis. I also reached out to some other Endur ambassadors as I thought this would be a great way to put this newsletter together. All of their names are linked to their accounts, so check them out!
Endur is owned by Rob Fraser in Victoria, BC and the company specializes in making awesome athletic socks. One of the draws to the socks for me is they make an over-the-calf cut that actually goes to my knee. These socks are great for both running and work, allowing me to work most of the year with just shorts and high socks. The high socks are also great on the trail as they keep me warm and offer a slight compression. They don’t seem to result in blisters either, so the performance has been great. My good friend Jeannine enjoys the socks on the trails as well, “I love the socks. They are comfortable and the designs are so eye-catching. Hearing “I love your socks” on a trail run has been a regular thing”. Shawn Chevalier also gets plenty of comments while wearing his “I’m just an athlete who appreciates good tools that do not distract me during my workout. The socks make me look good and they feel great. I always get a comment on them and that is always a nice perk.” This was a similar sentiment to what ambassador Valerie had to say “I truly love the socks. They have never disappointed me. Endur made it possible to finally express my colorful personality”.
Colourful is a big reason the socks get so much love as I found out when I received ambassador D.J. Wintermans response “Love the artwork, bright colours of the product, and the You Got This message that I believe in”. Believing in the product and the company was also mentioned by ambassador Sarah “I became an Endur Ambassador because I really love the brand and their values. My favorite part of being an ambassador is to show off their beautiful products!” Shawn mentioned the company and how great the product is “I like the consistency of quality. That means a lot to me. The quality is exceptional and my old socks don’t have a chance when I go to my socks drawer.”
The community was what drew ambassador Vivian Davidson “the community aspect of it while getting to don cool socks that people enjoy. I want to support companies that strive to make performance apparel stylish and functional and simultaneously build community and support athletes in their endeavors. I enjoy that it’s a local company”. That local touch went a long way with several of the ambassadors I chatted with, including Darren “Love the products and love they’re local to my area”. Chalk up Melissa Fitzgerald as another who loves the local touch “I love socks! Hard to find functional and fun socks. Supporting local is important to me! Go Canada!” Ambassador Paige Nichols was direct about her reasoning to represent the brand “For the love of socks! The products have always been amazing and hold up so well!”.
I love the style of the products and being able to add a little personality to what I’m wearing. It’s fun to hear comments from people on the streets and co-workers alike. Some people mistake them for leggings because the tall socks are so high, and I’ve even had a few people who thought they were tattoos at first glance. So it’s fun for me to hear everyone’s reactions. As it was also fun for me to find out what drew people to the brand, to begin with, with D.J. explaining to me why he was so proud of what Endur was doing “I love Rob and the brand's story. Rob was a similar type of athlete to me (though I was national snowboard team), and Rob was brave enough to start a brand that he believed in. Where I took the safe route as a teacher.”
Jeannine was drawn to being an ambassador to help spread the wealth “Being able to share discounts with friends… and not gonna lie, for myself too. Also just seeing which designs people pick. It seems there’s something for everyone’s taste.” Melissa also talked about sharing the socks when discussing what drew her to the brand “sharing this amazing product with friends and family. And seeing all the other ambassadors killin it!!
I also realize that people often wonder about how an ambassador program works. I know that there are plenty of different ways out there that companies instruct their ambassadors, but they generally follow a similar idea:
Publish a minimum amount of times to relevant media channels
Repost and engage with other ambassadors and members of the products community
Tag the company and products in images when it makes sense
Represent the company/product in a positive manner
Refrain from using competitors products
Following this practice will generally allow the ambassador access to gear at a reduced cost and then usually a savings code to pass on to friends and family. The access to gear can sometimes be exclusive, and if the relationship is really strong, paid promotion could be a reality. Paid or not, the company will also offer possible promotions through its own media channels. A popular channel is Facebook and although I don’t have FB and don’t know personally, the Endur community on the platform got rave reviews from the ambassadors spoken with.
All of this is ideally going to benefit both sides. The ambassador gets products for a reduced rate and spreads the knowledge and love of the product to others and those others will hopefully buy products and inspire more to do the same.
For myself, Endur is a great fit because I love the socks and I love when people engage with me about them. I have a direct need for them with work and the added bonus of them working great for trail running as well. The chance to be part of an ambassador community is fun and unique, so I couldn’t pass it up. They are always accepting applicants for ambassadors, so make sure to check it out for yourself.
I want to say thank you to all the ambassadors who took the time to answer my questions. It was very kind!
Have you tried out Endur socks yet? If so, which styles have you got? And if not, are there any questions you had about them? Let me know in the comments below, or feel free to reach out to any of the ambassadors above. All of us are more than happy to chat about our sweet socks.
Great style, fun to wear, comfy. You can't say that about most socks.