Fraternity and sorority culture has been a viral phenomenon for years. Greek life has made a space for itself in the hectic collegiate space, and something they’ve taken advantage of is social media with trending dances, catchy sounds and lots of sponsorships.
Sorority organizations will use online platforms to connect and generate positive impressions on their philanthropic efforts, sisterhood events and overall chapter camaraderie.
Through this, they can garner collaborations from brands in a mutually beneficial partnership — sororities get the views, and the brands get the business.
Whether it be ColourPop Cosmetics hosting an event with free merchandise at Alpha Gamma Delta or carbonated beverages that are held up for a camera, sponsored gifts are a tool to connect with incoming and current chapter members.
However, there is a strategy behind the scenes. Bianca Dragan, freshman in Education, is the vice president of new member education for Delta Zeta and serves as a point of contact for recent initiates as they transition into the sorority. Recently, she planned Delta Zeta’s spring Bid Day event, an important way to consider brand partnerships and let everyone know what the sorority’s house is about.
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“My committee really wanted to do stuff that had brands in it … but I was unsure about that because I want, looking back, for our Bid Days to feel timeless,” Dragan said. “Converse as a Bid Day theme now doesn’t sound as good as it might’ve in 2016.”
Each Bid Day is meant to be unique and memorable for the continuous open bidders, students who join after the formal rush period, while also being postable online for content.
“Obviously, we want it to look good in pictures for the girls that might be rushing next year,” Dragan said. “You want the posts they see online to make them feel like, ‘Yeah, I want to be there,’ and that they put effort into their themes and where they use sponsorships.”
Because part of Dragan’s job is facilitating the transition of new members into the house, she invites them to attend events like big-little dates or movie nights. At DZ’s Valentine’s and Getting Ready sisterhood events, they had cans of Poppi set out for sisters to grab and take candid photos with throughout the night.
“These events are all important because I want all the COBs to feel as welcome as I did when I first joined,” Dragan said. “Any event process starts with our exec teams, and we all collaborate to come up with ideas that best represent our chapter, regarding themes or brands.”
Emily Griggs, freshman in Division of Exploratory Studies, thinks that the teamwork within a sorority is highlighted by brand deals, because brands are interested in working with the sisterhood.
“Through these brands, we all have a common interest, and we love working with them to make our events even better,” Griggs said.
Sororities typically reach out to brands asking if they’d be interested in collaborating, but in some instances, like Colourpop and Alpha Gamma Delta, they’ll have an existing relationship with a member who will coordinate the event. This occurs through previous instances of sponsorship.
Representatives from sororities will also attend leadership and marketing conferences to learn more about connecting with outside organizations and finding sponsored opportunities.
Leah Medanic, sophomore in Engineering and vice president of social media and marketing for Kappa Delta, recently attended the EMPOWER Recruitment and Marketing Academy in Frisco, Texas, for Kappa Deltas across the country.
In a statement on Kappa Delta’s Instagram, she mentioned how it wasn’t just about the sessions, but also ways to connect with fellow sisters and potential brands.
“At EMPOWER, we gained valuable insight into building authentic connections during recruitment and explored new strategies to elevate our chapter’s storytelling and overall marketing presence,” Medanic said. “We loved meeting members from other chapters and collaborating with women who are just as passionate about their organizations as we are.”
Griggs says that having sponsored items at sisterhood events is just another opportunity to promote their sorority in a cool way.
“I love having sponsorships because they make our group of girls grow closer together,” Griggs said. “We get excited at events with sponsors and love being together expressing ourselves.”
