The presence of celebrities and famous people in the advertisements of different brands is not a new issue. You must have seen many advertisements in which a famous celebrity played a prominent role. These celebrities are known as ambassadors of big brands by appearing in their advertisements.
The presence of brand ambassadors is one of the key ways to reach the target audience. In fact, big brands use the credibility and popularity of the ambassador for their own benefit by using the brand ambassador in their advertisements.
At a time when we are all saturated with all kinds of online and offline advertisements, the presence of credible and popular people can multiply the effect of advertisements. As a result, marketing with brand ambassador or Ambassador Marketing is a very effective and profitable marketing strategy.
The purpose of this article is not at all to address the margins of these advertisements and their exorbitant wages. In this article, we want to check who is the brand ambassador? Why are brands looking for ambassadors? What is ambassador marketing? What are the benefits? And what is the difference with other marketing methods?
Table of Contents
Who is the brand ambassador?
A brand ambassador is someone who represents a brand, product, event or service. Although the presence of famous celebrities is very common in this marketing method, it should not be assumed that only celebrities become brand ambassadors. Brand ambassadors are sometimes the customers of that brand whom the brand has invited to cooperate. Brand ambassadors are also, in most cases, influential people and experts in a particular industry. Even the employees of that organization and in short any person who is interested in the brand can be a brand ambassador.
How do big brands work with brand ambassadors?
Big brands usually allocate a significant amount of their marketing budget to brand ambassadors. The important question that arises here is whether it is profitable for them. Isn’t it better to allocate this cost in another way in marketing?
In response, it should be said that investing in brand ambassadors is a win-win deal. The only thing that needs to be done is to select the right people and establish a deep connection with them. After that, it is the brand ambassador who tries to attract people with the high popularity and credibility he has among the audience and potential customers of that brand.
In fact, the brand ambassador tries to familiarize potential customers with the brand with the help of various communication tools. This communication tool can be online tools such as social networks, or even being on TV ads and billboards in the city. Brand ambassadors convey brand information to audiences with the help of their credibility and popularity as a reliable, valid and effective channel. This can significantly increase brand engagement rates.
How does the brand ambassador work with the brand?
As mentioned in the previous section, the brand ambassador may be chosen from among celebrities, influential people in social networks (influencers) or famous people in a particular industry, loyal customers of that brand and even employees of that organization.
The brand ambassador’s cooperation methods with the business are not limited to a specific method and can include different methods. For example, an influencer on a social network such as Instagram can cooperate with a brand in the form of affiliate marketing. That is, he receives a commission for the number of people who buy from the brand through him.
Employees who work for a particular brand and have a lot of connections on social networks can create a great image of the brand in the minds of the audience by producing free and attractive content on their social networks. Of course, these efforts of employees loyal to the organization are definitely not hidden from the eyes of the manager and they will receive a salary in addition to their salary.
Another marketing method used by brand ambassadors is the word-of-mouth marketing method. This method can be used mostly in the online space and social networks. In this way, brand ambassadors share the experience of using brand products on their social media pages in the form of video posts, photos and text content with their followers.
Summarizing the points that have been said, we can say that the brand ambassador:
- It increases the rate of access to the brand. In fact, they introduce the brand to a new network of people and potential customers.
- It builds trust. Many customers believe that traditional marketing methods are ineffective. Ambassadors give identity to the brand.
- Shares your experience of using the brand’s products or services, thereby increasing the brand’s reputation and popularity.
The difference between brand ambassador and influencer marketing
Brand ambassador marketing is very similar to influencer marketing. The purpose of influencer marketing is to deliver the brand message to a specific group of the target market. In other words, influencers or influential people in social networks deliver the brand message to their followers in an attractive and familiar tone.
So we can say both influencer and brand ambassador:
- They produce and publish content related to the brand.
- They encourage their audience to interact with the brand and buy from it.
- They build trust for the brand.
So what is the difference between a brand ambassador and an influencer?
The main difference between the two can be expressed as follows:
Influencers work only and only in social networks. Influencers have a close relationship with their followers and at the same time may have many loyal fans. But the activity of brand ambassadors is mostly limited to their presence in online and offline advertisements as well as various events.
Brand contracts with ambassadors are usually long-term. A celebrity may be a brand ambassador for years. While the influencer’s contract with the brand is short-term. In other words, brands usually collaborate with influencers for their sales campaigns.
Brand ambassadors, due to their high credibility among people, help to increase brand loyalty among customers. But influencers help because they introduce the brand to a new group of people who can be potential customers.
Planning for ambassador marketing
Starting an ambassador marketing program is a multi-step process. When the brand decides to have a brand ambassador, it must go through the following steps.
Determine the goal
Brands usually have two main goals of working with brand ambassadors: creating brand awareness and increasing sales. Choosing the main brand target of ambassador marketing is an important and strategic step. Being clear about the goal at the beginning of the journey helps the brand to choose the right person as an ambassador.
Choosing a marketing model
The brand chooses the best model for ambassador marketing according to its goals, budget, schedule and resources. Let’s not forget that before choosing any method and model, the brand must have an overview of the challenges ahead and the limits of progress in order to make better decisions.
Choosing a brand ambassador
The interesting part of the story is this stage. At this stage, a list of candidates should be collected according to the selected model. Once the list is compiled, the best option should be chosen from among them. To choose the best option, you can pay attention to these things:
- The quality of the content in the social networks of these people.
- The extent of their influence and leadership,
- credit,
- And compatibility of the person’s personality and lifestyle with the brand.
Communication and negotiation
After making a list of people, the brand needs to negotiate with them. For negotiation, you can communicate through email or social networks. People who are among the possible options of brand ambassadors should know what benefits their presence in a brand has for them. As a result, the brand should present all the facilities and facilities that it is going to give to the brand ambassador.
Start Cooperation
Finally, after negotiation, the brand chooses the final person and signs a contract with him. Of course, before implementing marketing plans, the brand must prepare a report on the state of the website and social networks, both technically and visually. If there is a problem in it, he should first take action to fix it and then start marketing with the brand ambassador.