What is a Brand Ambassador

Now, it is not only the four Ps of marketing that alone matter for the success of marketing campaigns. Welcome to the new age marketing, when it seems, being assisted by the growth of online advertising and marketing, ground marketing is shaping itself in a new form. Brand ambassadors are the relatively new faces in marketing and promotional campaigns. Just like corporate branding and PR (public relations) have become vital for a firm's success, brand ambassadors have become the representatives of products and the face of firms.

What Does a Brand Ambassador Mean?
A strong branding is essential for the success of a firm. The journey from marketing or selling your 'products' as mere 'products' in the market, to selling them as a 'brand' is a long one. Unless you can win the hearts and trust of your consumers, you're not a brand. Pricing is not the matter here. It is the matter of how well your products are popular in the masses. For instance, think of the iPod and what comes to your mind? Apple. Right? That's it. Apple is a brand and certainly one of the best in the world. So we understand the value of a strong brand. But what is a brand ambassador? A brand ambassador is a celebrity or anyone who is a popular figure in society. Firms and corporate organizations associate their products with certain qualities of the celebrity figure, and choose them as the brand ambassador of their products. In return for endorsing a brand, brand ambassadors are paid whopping amounts of money, that is called their salary or earnings. Generally, brand ambassadors are chosen after lots of brainstorming and analysis. Generally, the popularity of the celebrity is kept in mind and later other factors like his area of work, contribution to his specific industry, and other factors are considered too. In the US, however, even young and dynamic individuals who fit in the criteria of a firm, are hired as brand ambassadors. However, generally, we see that popular figures are brand ambassadors of great brands.

Brand ambassadors are generally actors, actresses, sports players, singers and similar celebrities. So are you getting what is a brand ambassador? He or she is not amongst the board of directors or management team of a company. They are neither the owner of the products nor the company head. Brand ambassadors endorse products and participate in marketing and launching campaigns of the product. In essence, a brand ambassador does more than endorsing the product. A brand ambassador is just like the face of the company, more so, of the products. With an imposing personality and magnetic charm, a brand ambassador defines the qualities of product in a way, nobody else can. Brand ambassadors shape the destiny of products and they can have major influence on the targeted audience.

Let me give you an example of a brand ambassador. The invincible Roger Federer is a global ambassador for his favorite chocolate manufacturer, the 165 year old, Lindt & Sprüngli. The official website of Lindt and Sprüngli quotes following reasons for choosing Federer as the global ambassador for enhancing their brand value. "He uniquely embodies Lindt & Sprüngli's fundamental values of "Swissness," "Premiumness," "Quality" and "Passion." The association of these important attributes with the names of LINDT and Federer symbolizes the perfect "match" between the number 1 in premium chocolate and the number 1 in the world of tennis." In case you're wondering how to be a brand ambassador, then you have to firstly be a popular figure in the media (though not always!). Your rise to popularity or any special achievement may help you earn contracts of many business giants. National level players, after their special achievements, are often flooded with offers from corporate firms to endorse their special brands.

It is all about your popularity and your fame in the media and public. You should be a youth icon or a role model for millions and you can be a brand ambassador. Many celebrities endorse more than one product. In fact, nearly five to ten or even more!