What the hell is a Brand Ambassador?

“Brand Ambassadors are the face and fingers of the brand; everything they touch, the brand is touching. Brand Ambassadors form the public image of brands and are the humans companies use to deliver their message to the public” (according to Wikipedia).

This is pretty much accurate and in recent years, it has become popular for companies to even hire celebrities and athletes to become the face of their brands. Major Brands such as Subways built an entire campaign around popular consumers like Jared who lost a gazillion pounds, and holds up a pair of size 52 pants to display how much weight he lost in their national commercial campaigns, just by eating Subway sandwiches. You’re neither a celebrity nor an athlete, but someone who has been hired to break a brand into a specific market segment. In my journey as a brand professional, I’ve met many Brand Ambassadors and honestly look for a few attributes when speaking with them.

Energy: Does this person posses the right energy for the particular brand? Obviously, if you’re representing a high end wine brand you’re not going to be overly-animated but rather you would have the sophistication, knowledge and coolness that represents the lifestyle of a Vino connoisseur. If your aura is negative, then that will manifest itself, during your course of promotion. Nobody likes a negative person…even if you’re selling guns!

Art of Selling: The art of selling without selling should look effortless. The Brand Ambassador should make me want to buy into the brand through sufficient product knowledge, brand history and charm. I despise being oversold and under-educated, when it comes to new products or features. Why is it the best? I appreciate a Brand Ambassador letting me experience it on my own while walking me through the process. The salesman rap should be left for Canal street bootleggers and people selling comedy show tickets, in Times Square.

Network: What kind of network does this person have? Can this person throw an event and bring out tastemakers? At the same time, recruit new consumers who will be loyal to the brand. The tastemakers will spread the word while the consumers will be the result of direct sales. You should be constantly networking and building your database.

Dream Makers: Can the Brand Ambassador provide memorable experiences that will emotionally tie me to the brand? So, everytime I think about your brand I automatically teleport back to the time I had, while using your brand. This is where event marketing and personal touch combine forces. You should work with your marketing team to help you create these dream-like experiences, that will create a lifestyle around the brand or some sort of memorable benchmark. This is usually gained through event marketing and should be taken very seriously.

Product Placement: Let the product go, but make sure it falls into the right group of hands. I’ve done product placement for the last five years and have placed goods into the hands of superstars like Neyo, Lebron James, Ving Rhames and more. I have two rules when servicing people who want product: GET A PICTURE or VIDEO of person interacting with your brand. I remember when Team Mancini facilitated providing shoes and belts for a national Lebron James commercial, from one of my past client’s, Mezlan Shoes. We gave thousands of dollars of products to him to keep, but only required that his stylist take a picture with Lebron wearing Mezlan Shoes. Luckily, the shoot was in Beverly Hills, not too far from Mezlan headquarters-and we personally took the shoes to his stylist, making the process smooth and easy for all parties. We were also able to obtain an image of Lebron wearing the shoes, and used that image to send to our key accounts and uploaded it to our blog. A celebrity endorsement can translate to huge dollars for the brand, as re-purposing those photos online VIA social networks, website, etc.





Social media Savvy: Social media has given brands a huge advantage by using multiple online channels to promote/cross-promote to very, specific online communities. If you are a Brand Ambassador and don’t have a Facebook or twitter account, then you need a good hazing. Following certain people or friending them online, allows you to feel closer to the ambassador’s lifestyle, which ultimately can influence your lifestyle choices. Wow, you were at a party with Ashton Kutcher last night? Folks can live vicariously through you and with the drop of a hat, thousands of people can read your messages, view pictures or watch videos.

Vision & Mission: The most important quality, and I’ve combined them because you can’t have one without the other. What is your vision for your brand? Is there a clear vision that everyone on the marketing/promotions/PR team get? It’s your job to convey Vision & Mission so that your team is collectively working towards the same goals. I’ve met various reps from liquor brands, and they all tell me a different strategy on breaking into new markets. This is an example of not having a shared vision and mission, as I honestly believe in pounding V&M in my colleagues’ heads, like the mantra in Full Metal Jacket “This is my gun, there are many like it but this one is mine…”:

The Brand Ambassador may have a tough job and many variables to consider on their journey, but it’s like raising a human being frrom infancy to adulthood. I honestly would like to call child services on a lot of you, and only return your baby back until you have fully digested the above attributes. You can’t treat your position like a regular 9 to 5, as your hard work and effort ultimately dictates the careers of the rest of the people in the company. There is a certain responsibility with having that much control, as you will sometimes clash with Sales, Accounting, Higher-ups who don’t quite understand why you’re doing a celebrity swag suite or sponsoring certain events. Stay on the right track and develop a keen sense for BS, while becoming a master at your craft. When you’re developing a brand, people watch your every move. Ultimately, all your hard work should translate to a direct sale, new customers and brand loyalty.

Article by:Michael “Mancini” McConnell
McConnell is CEO of Team Mancini Lifestyle Inc, A marketing/brand management agency in Dumbo, Brooklyn.