Are you looking after your brand ambassadors?

Firstly a definition: "A brand ambassador is an appointed representative of your brand that animates or brings to life your brand to your potential audience."

Brand ambassadors aren't merely promotional staff being paid a few dollars an hour to hand out samples. They are staff selected to represent the brand at the primary point of contact between your brand and the consumer. Whether this is at a tradestand, sampling in a train station or the check out person of your nearest supermarket they have a large influence on the perception of a brand.



Celebrities are often referred to as brand ambassadors however their main concern is not the profile of the brand. Celebrities accept endorsements either for the money or to increase their own profile or both. Whilst some celebrity endorsements can be very successful they have also been known to screw up on occassion, potentially damaging the brand.

Given that brand ambassadors can be so influential they should be shown respect and treated accordingly. By providing relevant training and explaining the brand objectives they will be better prepared to represent the brand. When given the correct tools they can have a very powerful and successful influence over the perception of the brand. If they don't meet the brand standards however they should be replaced immediately as you would with any other part of the marketing mix.

Supermarkets spend millions of dollars each year encouraging consumers to visit their stores. They publish weekly specials, discount vouchers and a raft of other initiatives to get consumers to buy from them yet the entire experience can be derailed by an unfriendly (perhaps untrained) check out person. Seriously, how hard is it to teach them to pack a bag? It is a frustration that could easily be eliminated and turned in to a positive experience.