Anannya Saraswat - Author at Feedough

‘Awareness is fine, but advocacy can take a business to the next level.’ In the highly competitive market, brands struggle to distinguish themselves to increasingly apathetic consumers. This calls for an emotional marketing technique that strikes right at the consumer’s personal feelings and experiences, shaping their evaluation of the brand. One such technique is to Ambassify the brand itself. Giving human form to the brand not only makes the brand more credible but it also increases customer loyalty. People begin to trust the Ambassador’s personal experiences with the brand and the Ambassador becomes their eyes. The Ambassador too develops a personal connection with the brand, and in the process becomes loyal to the brand he/she represents. What Is A Brand Ambassador? A brand ambassador is a person who is hired by a company to represent the brand in a positive light and also increase the sales of the products, by enforcing the company’s marketing and communication strategies. He/she acts as the “face” of the brand and in doing so, may represent the brand at specific events and demonstrate the services or products offered by the company. A good brand ambassador must know how to use the word-of-mouth marketing technique effectively. He/she must plan to use already established relationships, market the brand among them and further widen the network. In general, a brand ambassador must use his/her social prowess to boost brand awareness and embody the mission and values of the brand. Importance Of A Brand Ambassador Brand Ambassadors play a crucial role in any marketing and branding strategy. Appearing as the face of the company, they are seen as reliable and trustworthy sources regarding the brands that they personify. They increase the credibility of a brand for consumers as they provide with the truest testimony of a product. The customers begin to feel associated with the brand because of the popular face they remember, even if they do not remember the brand name or advertisement. In the process, the brand ambassadors, too, develop an emotional connect with the brand they represent, and this goes on to create a ripple effect of loyalty. Besides this, Brand Ambassadors are important for a company in the following ways: Humanization They humanize the brand and help in enriching the buying experience of the customer as some of them prefer buying products directly from a person rather than from a ‘faceless’ brand. A powerful brand ambassador also assumes the responsibility of a marketing and sales team representative. Publicization With the help of positive word- of- mouth technique, brand ambassadors increase brand awareness within and outside their circle. Their robust online reach and professional affiliations within the industry make it easy for them to spread the word in favour of the brand. Popularisation Brand Ambassadors increase traffic to a website with the help of personal written blogs and referral marketing. This helps in increasing inbound traffic and reach potential customers outside a potential channel. Social networking plays a crucial role when it comes to popularising a brand and therefore a brand ambassador helps in increasing the market reach of the brand. Protection They protect the reputation of a company by defending the brand at the time of bad press. They stand against any defaming news or opinion about the company they represent. In some cases, they also share their personal experiences associated with the brand, to calm the situation. Types of Brand Ambassadors The use of brand ambassadors in popularising a brand has become very common now. Every company has begun focusing on devising and implementing ways to make the best use of its brand ambassadors. These brand ambassadors can be broadly categorised into three types: Celebrity Brand Ambassador What’s a better idea than implementing the use of celebrities, with millions of followers, as ambassadors?! The overall image of celebrities obviously attracts attention from consumers as they are popular and have many loyal fans. This technique often results in a sales boost and popularisation of the brand. Taylor Swift was once signed up as the Brand Ambassador of Diet Coke, with a series of advertisements featuring the singer herself. While other endorsements of the drinks have been mocked over the years for not being authentic, Taylor Swift professed to be a genuine fan of Diet Coke and remained true to the brand, making the customers too to believe in the brand. Goodwill Brand Ambassadors The ambassadors linked with a charitable organisation or a non- profit cause are known as Goodwill Brand Ambassadors. The main objective of such brand ambassadors is to raise awareness and spread their message and morals. They encourage people to volunteer their services for a greater cause. Pamela Anderson for PETA and David Beckham for UNICEF, are two of the popular Goodwill Brand Ambassadors. Promotional Brand Ambassadors Promotional Brand Ambassadors provide the audience with live experiences. They promote the brand at specific events and occasions. Their job is to endorse the brand by being present at a venue for the requirements of the ad campaign. Roles And Responsibilities Of A Brand Ambassador A Brand Ambassador works closely with sales and marketing team in order to design and execute strategies to boost the sales of the products. He/she authenticates the brand by making it more likeable and real to consumers to enable them to trust the brand. He/she nurtures the brand to widen its reach and create more loyal consumers. With the use of their influence, they help the brand dominate in various areas. Broadly speaking, following are the roles played by a brand ambassador: Achieving sales and marketing goals A brand ambassador helps the sales and marketing team of the company to fulfil the desired mission and achieve its goals. He/she works on developing and implementing awareness spreading programs to reach prospective clients and manages endorsement ideas proactively. Increasing brand visibility There is no other marketing technique capable of promoting and representing a brand, service or product like Brand Ambassadors do. They develop and maintain a positive company image by efficiently interacting with consumers. They look after the potential and existing competitors, brand movement, pricing, and distribution of a company’s service. Analyzing the product A brand ambassador examines and analyses a product or service that is to be endorsed. He/she sets up meetings with sales and marketing teams, assists in executing new marketing ideas and develops schedules to publicize marketing strategies depending on potential clients. Building business relationships Establishing and maintaining business relationships is the next big task of a brand ambassador. He/she must develop and sustain cordial business relationships with local trade community and distributors. A brand ambassador becomes the mouthpiece of the brand, in words and in deeds; to maintain brand integrity in every possible way. Characteristics Of A successful Brand Ambassador So, what makes a good brand ambassador? How can one succeed as a brand ambassador? Given below are some of the must-have characteristics of Brand Ambassador: Online presence We live in a connected world and the larger the number of people a brand ambassador is able to reach, the more beneficial it will be for the company. Therefore, it is necessary for a brand ambassador to have an established online presence. More the online presence, easier it becomes to influence the people in trusting what one says. Genuine interest in the brand Good Brand Ambassadors are the ones who can embody the feel of the brand. This can only happen when the representators have a genuine interest in the brand, have been following it in the past or have been customers themselves. They must have a deep knowledge of the brand, because their excitement about the brand will only lead to consumers’ excitement. Interaction with public Brand ambassadors should be outgoing people. They should be friendly, warm and inviting, and should love interacting with the people of all ages and backgrounds. They put a face with the name, therefore, making it easier for the customers to ask questions and give suggestions about the brand. Creativity A good Brand Ambassador must stand out from the rest. He/she must have the spark that adds life to the brand one represents, by devising one’s own methods of marketing that are unique and fun. Examples Of Popular Brand Ambassadors The job of a brand ambassador is both exciting and rewarding. Every new day offers another opportunity to be more creative and confident than yesterday. Given below is a list of some popular brand ambassadors and the brand they represent: Jim Beam - Mila Kunis https://www.youtube.com/watch?vewcJf-5pmWQ MG Motor- Benedict Cumberbatch https://www.youtube.com/watch?vAijyBbpWuAM Vivo - Stephen Curry https://www.youtube.com/watch?vZ3-4V6RiYS0 Go On, Tell Us What You Think! Did we miss something? Come on! Tell us what you think about our article on brand ambassador in the comments section.

Author: Anannya Saraswat

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