What is a brand ambassador, and what do they do for a business?

The practice of KOL Marketing using influencers' images is no longer unfamiliar to internet users today. But there is an older concept: the brand ambassador. So what is a brand ambassador, and by what criteria should a business choose one? Read on in the article from Mona Media for the details!

What Is a Brand Ambassador?

A brand ambassador is a specific face representing a brand. They may accompany the brand's branding campaigns for a set period or for a particular advertising campaign , or represent the brand's communication message.

Usually, a business picks someone with influence over the public whose profile fits the brand, bringing the image of its products and services closer to customers. That builds customers' trust and affection for the brand. The ambassador's role is seen as very important for consumers' buying decisions. Throughout history, many famous stars have partnered with brands to become ambassadors.

How Much Influence Does a Brand Ambassador Have?

Although it is a more expensive form of advertising and marketing than KOL marketing or social media marketing – social marketing.

See also: Rules to know when running a Social Marketing campaign

the returns on ads that use a celebrity are usually many times higher than what the brand invests.

A brand ambassador doesn't just influence a brand's revenue; they can also bring a saturated or declining brand back to life after a long time. A case worth mentioning is Biti's, with ambassadors Sơn Tùng MTP and Soobin Hoàng Sơn and the “Đi để trở về” (Go to Come Back) marketing series, which revived a major footwear brand in Vietnam. Biti's Hunter shoes became as popular with young people as global brands such as Nike, Adidas and Converse.

The Role of a Brand Ambassador

Big brands don't just pick any star as their ambassador. Three main factors explain why: credibility, appeal and fit.

Ambassador credibility

The first reason brands use celebrities to boost brand awareness is that they want to influence consumer trust. A celebrity's voice carries more weight because they influence a community of fans and consumers.

Any misstep in a star's words or actions that damages the community's trust can bring “scandals” to their career. Customers and brands both recognize this.

So a brand face who is a reputable celebrity loved by the community is trusted more. This is also an important criterion in consumers' purchase decisions.

Appeal

Famous stars naturally radiate charm and appeal in their field. They know how to attract fans and the public with deliberate moves.

With a certain reach, the public tends to follow everything a celebrity does. So when they become the ambassador for a brand, that interest carries over.

As a result, a brand with an ambassador can become more attractive, position its brand image better in consumers' eyes, as appealing as the star they have chosen as ambassador.

Fit

However appealing a star is, what matters most is fit, so the brand can entrust its reputation to the right person. After all, if an ad is seen by many people but doesn't prompt purchases, the campaign – promotion brings no value to the brand either. So fit is the key factor deciding who becomes the brand's ambassador.

To judge fit, a brand should look at these factors:

• Relevance: the celebrity's outlook on life, fashion style and past statements.
• Fans/followers (target audience): do the fans' interests match the products or services the brand offers?
• Sentiment: would choosing this ambassador make the brand image more negative or more positive for target customers?

What a Brand Ambassador Does

To give a business an effective marketing strategy and strengthen a brand's standing in people's minds, a brand ambassador usually takes on these tasks:

• Post ads for the products and services they represent on online channels.
• Share information and answer product questions when customers still have doubts.
• Take part in trade shows as the company's representative.
• A brand representative also helps widen the brand's network and builds close relationships with potential customers.
• Introduce the brand's products to customers proactively.
• Work with the marketing team to manage their own image and protect the brand they represent in public.

Because the role matters so much, a brand ambassador must always keep a polished, professional image in the eyes of the public and customers. And MONA Media offers a range of filming and photography plans:

• Personal photography service
• Corporate profile photography
• Product photography services
• And many other filming and photo plans depending on client requirements.

Requirements for Becoming a Brand Ambassador

Not just anyone can become a brand's ambassador. The criteria below help a brand choose the most suitable face.

Speaking ability

Someone who speaks well will certainly help a business deliver its messages to customers better. Their speech should be fluent, pleasant to hear and engaging, so the message comes across with depth and value.

Fame

Brands usually partner with famous people to be their ambassadors, because these people have large fan bases that make reaching audiences and passing on information as effective as possible.

This is also a useful criterion for a brand to bring in new customers or to widen the reach of the brand's products and services.

Building trust

Customer trust is extremely important. It is not only how the brand face builds credibility and product quality with customers, but it also directly affects the ambassador's personal image. Once an ambassador has built trust and customer loyalty, the share of customers who decide to buy is much higher.

A connection with the service or product

If a brand ambassador has bought or used the business's products or services, then reviews them and gives an honest view when introducing them to customers, it is very effective.

This is how a brand representative shows a real connection with the service or product they represent.

Keeping up with technology

Today most customers use popular social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. So to attract customers, a brand ambassador must know how to post and promote on these networks, or have a team to help. A page with many followers will certainly reach a very large audience.

See also: How to Attract Customers Effectively When Selling Online

What Is the Difference Between a Global Ambassador and a House Ambassador?

What Is a House Ambassador?

A House Ambassador is a brand ambassador who inspires their community. They plan to use their network and established relationships to market the brand through tactics such as word of mouth (recommending to friends and fans, posting on social networks, reviewing on YouTube and so on).

A brand ambassador also represents the company at specific events, where they can demonstrate products or hand out samples.

What Is a Global Ambassador?

Besides the House ambassador, there is another concept, the Global Ambassador: a worldwide brand ambassador who represents the brand of a whole large corporation or company. This person needs worldwide influence and the best possible fit with the brand.

A Global Ambassador is a bigger, broader position than a House Ambassador. Still, each ambassador has their own duties and equal importance in their campaigns for each brand.

See also: Which Metrics Best Evaluate a Brand?

That is our detailed article on brand ambassadors. We hope it helps you choose suitable, effective brand faces so your brand can grow as fast as possible!

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