Brand Ambassador
What is a Brand Ambassador?
A brand ambassador is a person consciously chosen by a company to credibly represent the brand both internally and, if applicable, externally.
Brand ambassadors support the brand by spreading positive messages, promoting products and services, participating in relevant events and activities, contributing to the brand’s image, and enhancing its brand awareness.
Companies do not always need to launch large advertising campaigns with famous personalities. As Dr. Kerstin Hoffmann, an expert in communication strategies, content marketing, and corporate influencer strategies, points out: “[…] the most important opinion leaders for your company are already on your payroll.” Indeed, every employee of a company acts as a brand ambassador in some way, whether in a professional setting or private interactions. Each experience a potential customer has with an employee shapes their opinion and perception of the brand.
Companies can harness the enormous potential of their employees by consciously selecting, training, and using them as brand ambassadors to support internal change processes.
Types of Brand Ambassadors
There are different types of brand ambassadors – celebrities, employees, or influencers. What unites them is that they all represent the brand authentically and credibly, ideally driven by passion and commitment to the brand.
1. Internal Brand Ambassadors are directed towards the internal target group, i.e., the company’s employees, and are part of the workforce. They act as the brand’s voice, conveying specific brand content through direct interaction.
2. External Brand Ambassadors reach stakeholders interested in a company or specific products and services. They inspire potential customers to consider or make a purchase.
For instance, customers of well-known tech brands like Apple, Canon, or Xbox often act as external ambassadors. In forums and online communities, they discuss products and new releases, upload comparison videos, and influence the purchasing decisions of the potential target group.
3. Corporate Influencers are essentially internal brand ambassadors. They advocate for the brand or company, sharing valuable internal information externally through the company’s social media accounts and/or their personal social media profiles.
As ambassadors, corporate influencers communicate the company’s mission, goals, and values effectively. Their independence is crucial for authentic information dissemination, ensuring they can act without undue influence from marketing or corporate communications departments, thus achieving the set objectives.
Many large companies have corporate influencer initiatives. For example, Telekom Deutschland has established a self-organised initiative with around 300 ambassadors worldwide.
4. Testimonials belong to the group of external ambassadors and can be famous, less known personalities or even fictional characters. They recommend products or services to the target group through short TV commercials, radio spots, social media posts, or billboards. The credibility and fit between the testimonial’s personality and the desired brand perception play a crucial role.
Examples include George Clooney as the well-known “face” of Nespresso, “Tech-Nik” from Saturn, or the Michelin Man as a fictional character.
Social media influencers also fall under the testimonial category when they are paid to promote a product.
How to Select the Right Brand Ambassadors
Brand ambassadors are deliberately trained by companies to support brand development in a targeted manner. The following outlines the requirements for the role of an ambassador of a brand:
As an ambassador of a brand, you are the central point of contact within the respective department or specific area for all matters related to the (new) brand identity. Furthermore, brand ambassadors assist their direct colleagues in fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure consistent brand building. In addition, brand ambassadors develop appropriate measures to advance brand implementation within their specific area.
To become an ambassador of a brand, working in a customer-facing and thus brand-relevant area, as well as having a deep sense of the company culture, is advantageous. A strong personal motivation for the subject is also required. The ideal brand ambassador is a proactive and empathetic individual who supports the establishment and maintenance of a community. For this, good networking and communication skills are necessary, as well as an agile mindset.
A brand ambassador should be given sufficient leeway in their existing role to take on this (additional) task.
How to Implement a Brand Ambassador Programme Within a Company
Following the selection of suitable employees, the next step is to initiate the Brand Ambassador Programme, which involves training and preparing them for their upcoming responsibilities. The diagram below outlines the steps of the Brand Ambassador Programme:
These programmes adopt the “Learn, Inform, Act” approach through training sessions. In the first step, prospective brand ambassadors learn what it truly means to be a genuine representative of the brand. In the second step, the entire workforce is gradually informed about the specific brand content. The third step involves fostering interaction and exchange among the ambassadors. In the final steps, colleagues are empowered through training and relevant materials and are encouraged to integrate the brand into their daily business activities.
Sources & readings tips
Hesse, A., Schmidt, H. (04.2022). Employees as Corporate Influencers and Co-creators of Brand-Meaning. Zeitschrift für Kommunikation und Markenmanagement.
Ebner, W. (2021, 1st May): Telekom Botschafter: Die Corporate Influencer – Initiative stellt sich vor. Blog.Telekom
Hoffmann, K. (2024): Unternehmenskommunikation
