Brand Ambassador: new professional figures
Today’s competition between brands for a particular market is certainly a difficult and demanding challenge: if it is not dealt with correctly, it can happen to be among the main brands that will cover the popularity of emerging or lesser-known brands. The company must therefore not only have a good management of communication and advertising at a central level, but also have several representatives who can take care of the image and reputation of the brand at a local level, directly on the territory. A popular solution is the use of the Brand Ambassador, because, as Susan Gunelius said “your brand is like a person, and as such has its own distinct personality that must be communicated”.
In general, we can say that the “brand ambassador” is a professional figure who officially “advertises” the brand and becomes its representation. He then becomes a sort of “spokesperson” who can have direct contact with potential customers to share experiences with them and receive feedback. He must therefore be a highly prepared person on the product or service he is called to represent, as he must give immediate and relevant answers, so that they satisfy the curiosity and requests of the public.
Within this term, therefore, it should be remembered that there are different types of brand ambassadors: let’s see in more detail the characteristics of each.
The most common type is undoubtedly the Hostess Promozionale, which has the function of representing the brand on particular occasions, whether they are events or fairs: the professional figure activated has the task of showing directly to the public the characteristics of the product or service promoted. The characteristic of the promotional Hostess is therefore that of being a brand ambassador “physically present” at the event, representing the brand in this circumstance in a specific place and time.
The Testimonial is different: it does not advertise the product freely, unlike the role of ambassador. He acts as a testimonial, but a testimonial is not, in the same way, a brand ambassador: he simply provides his “point of view” on the product / service, and is therefore a point of view outside the brand itself.
The classic example of the testimonial is the famous actress who signs a contract with a cosmetics brand to become its “face”: however, one must not think that only famous people can rise to such status. For example, even a simple customer or consumer of a product can become its testimonial, since the testimony becomes a “word of mouth”, formal or informal, which supports the positive aspects of the product. Obviously, the advent of social networks, and web 2.0 in general, has made the figure of the testimonial much more important: sometimes, in fact, we speak instead of Brand Advocate to define a “highly satisfied customer so as to actively promote the brand and take care of its reputation.
A brand advocate performs functions that are superior to those of a testimonial, as the term advocacy implies a much more active participation with the brand in question. Supporters, who are often formally employed by a company, must be placed in a higher position and seen as co-leaders, using their knowledge and direct approach, as well as the high degree of popularity they have in communities: an example of brand advocates are certainly fashion bloggers, who are often contacted by brands in the fashion or cosmetics sector to test particular products, but also the personal shopper that we have provided for Desigual
Hostess & Promoter has many years of experience in this sector: in fact, the agency provides specialized profiles in the field of trade fairs and congresses, as well as in store promotion and “unconventional” forms of communication such as guerrilla marketing and road shows.
