If you’ve heard of your favorite actor becoming “the face of…” or you’ve seen your top athlete promote a product over and over, then you’ve already crossed paths with the brand ambassador marketing strategy.
But what exactly is a brand ambassador? How do they differ from influencers, and why are they vital for building brand trust and loyalty? From celebrity endorsements to everyday consumers turned advocates, the concept of a brand ambassador encompasses a wide range of individuals who actively promote a brand's products or services through word-of-mouth, social media, or personal networks.
This approach is particularly effective in influencer marketing, where trust and authenticity are key drivers of consumer decisions. The way ambassadors connect with audiences makes it easier than ever for brands to measure engagement and return on investment (ROI) through affiliate programs and referral marketing.
This article explores the role of brand ambassadors in influencer marketing, examining how to find them, their unique value and the benefits they offer. If you're a brand looking to build a loyal customer base, understanding this concept is essential for navigating modern marketing strategies.
Brand ambassadors are advocates who promote brands on a long-term basis through word of mouth, social media and other platforms. They embody the brand’s core values, and become a brand representative within their own community.
Brand ambassadors can range from celebrities to influencers and simple customers, but the main point is always to connect the brand with potential customers by injecting their own personality in the process.
Influencer partnerships tend to be short-term and can have a big but fleeting impact, whereas brand ambassadors are more focused on providing genuine recommendations as their name is tied to the brand and vice versa, so it must be an honest partnership.
Furthermore, brand ambassadors are more likely to have used the brand before and connect more with it, making their promotion efforts more relatable to their audiences.
Nowadays, 52% of brands are already running brand ambassador programs investing in long-lasting partnerships that lead to deeper, more genuine relationships with creators.
Here are some more reasons why brand ambassadors are important for influencer marketing:
There are multiple types of ambassadorships your brand can include in your influencer strategy. Here are the main ones:
Any kind of celebrity can partner up with a brand to be their face. For example, take Novak Djokovic for Lacoste being a niche authority in sports clothing, or the newly announced Rihanna for Dior, personifying the values of their perfumes.
As long as there’s a big name attached to the brand, this will be more easily identified and will be more likely to attract larger audiences.
Back in 2021, the Grammy-award winning singer and actress Miley Cyrus became the face of the Gucci Flora fragrances. And while big fashion houses like Gucci might not need large advertising efforts to get their brand out there, Miley Cyrus isn’t just a big name.
Cyrus is the perfect opportunity for attracting people in many age groups, as different generations grew up with her and look up to her. She’s also the perfect mix of elegant femininity and eclectic playfulness, embodying the values of the perfume: self love and empowerment.
By being the brand ambassador, Miley protagonizes the perfume campaigns, attends sponsored events and helps Gucci achieve millions of likes in their social media posts.
Clearly celebrities aren’t on everyone’s budget, but there are other key opinion leaders which can still drive a lot of brand awareness and customer loyalty: influencers. There are different types of influencers depending on their size and reach, so brands can find the right one for their budgets and objectives:
Influencers have a strong social media presence they have built through sharing their own experiences or interest in certain topics, so finding one whose profile matches the brand’s criteria can be really helpful in spreading the word.Plus, approximately 60% of marketers report that influencer-generated content consistently outperforms brand-created content, underscoring the value of authentic endorsements.
Trev, a travel influencer with over 500k followers on Instagram, found the perfect partner to visit the most astonishing beaches around the world: Royal Caribbean.
The influencer has been a #RoyalAmbassador for years now, perfectly illustrating the example of the long-lasting relationship opportunity ambassadors present for brands.
In exchange for monetary compensation and tickets onboard some of the most amazing cruises, Royal Caribbean receives regular posts on Trev’s Instagram feed, with reels that get more than 400k views, and constant Youtube exposure through videos that also get thousands of views and interactions.
Who better to promote a brand than a person who already chose to spend their money on it and returns after seeing good results? Customer ambassadors might have a smaller following on social media, but can still have a lasting impact.
Customers can influence their circle to try a product or brand and, through loyalty programs or referrals, they can create a large network of new customers.
Customer ambassadors can also be great for reviews, which are very needed when it comes to online shopping: according to Vogue Business, 70% of Gen Zs and 69% of millennials only trust a brand after doing their own research. So, it’s safe to say that reviews can be dealbreakers.
Bumble, the dating app known for being the place where women make the first move, has a program for college students called “Honeys” where they are encouraged to join their mission to foster a misogyny-free world and where all relationships are meaningful.
The program focuses on building a community of people who bring Bumble’s values of kindness, honesty, inclusivity, accountability, and growth to their campuses. Their proposed activities include:
Bumble struck gold with their Honeys program: college students are eager to do networking activities in efforts to gain expertise and earn connections, while some are also even aspiring content creators and having a partnership with a brand is a major opportunity for them.
In return, Bumble is ever-present at the source of their target audience through branded events and collaboration posts.
Just like customers, employee ambassadors are the best people for honest reviews and attracting a small but loyal group of customers.
Embodying the brand values and understanding it more than anyone, employee ambassadors can serve as an excellent networking tool, but this strategy also fosters community, connection and trust within the company.
Content shared by employees achieves a 561% greater reach compared to the same content shared through official brand channels. Additionally, such employee-shared content garners 8 times more engagement than content shared by the brand itself.
In case you need any more convincing: the trend to show a brand as more personal and approachable through employee-generated-content has been growing and shows no signs of slowing down. So, you can take the opportunity to improve your social media presence and your positive brand association!
Starbucks is one of the brands with the most trajectory in the employee ambassador strategy. They even dedicate a whole new social media account to this: Starbucks Partners.
In that account, they upload and reshare content posted by their employees, better known as their green apron partners. The account has gathered +180k followers and their reels get over 30k views each.
Through their extensive employee ambassador program they have created an ecosystem of employee engagement, collaboration, and content creation, enabling Starbucks to tap into its workforce's creativity and increase their reach and overall social media presence.
While there are many things to consider, finding the perfect brand ambassador doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to help you make the right choice:
By following these steps, you’ll not only find ambassadors who represent your brand well but also ensure a smoother collaboration that drives meaningful results.
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Now that you know what brand ambassadors are and how to implement that strategy into your influencer marketing, let’s take a look at some more examples to draw inspiration for your next campaign:
In November 2024, pop star Olivia Rodrigo was announced as the newest global brand ambassador for Lancôme. At 21, Rodrigo joins a distinguished roster of ambassadors, including Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Emma Chamberlain, and Amanda Seyfried.
Recognized for her authenticity and spilling-her-guts lyrics, the singer and activist is a refreshing voice in an overdone industry. With a sold out world stadium tour, 38.3M followers on Instagram and 22.9M on TikTok, Olivia never fails to connect with fans on every level.
This partnership then perfectly reflects Lancôme's commitment to connecting with a younger demographic through influential and relatable figures in the entertainment industry.
Lara Sophie Bothur is the first full-time German corporate influencer in a BigFour consultancy.
Focused on topics such as "Tech for Good" and "Women in Tech", Bothur significantly boosted Deloitte's digital engagement. Her LinkedIn posts have garnered substantial attention, often surpassing the engagement levels of Deloitte's official posts.
She has been named top 20 LinkedIn influencers worldwide and a top LinkedIn Creator in the categories of technology and IT.
This approach reflects the growing trend we previously discussed, where companies leverage employee influencers to enhance brand visibility and authenticity, effectively bridging the gap between professional services and public engagement.
Demetra Dias, a 17-year-old TikTok influencer, is the profile teenagers go to when it comes to shopping reviews and deals.
On the surface, Demetra looks like a lot of teenage girls in North America. But, with over 3.6M followers on TikTok, she isn’t actually like any other girl: she’s the name behind the term “The Demetra Effect”.
This effect represents the impact her fashion hauls have on social media, as girls started going out and buying the clothes she promoted and then posting their own videos, actively saying they were copying her.
As CBC stated, the Demetra effect equals successful marketing, and so Steve Madden looked no further for their new brand ambassador. The iconic footwear brand makes trendy and quality shoes at an affordable price, and Demetra Dias is recognized for making her paid partnerships seem a very relatable and casual video. It’s a match made in heaven!
While they are both key opinion leaders hired to promote a product or brand, there are key elements that distinguish them from each other:
Influencers and brand ambassadors have their pros and cons individually, but together they make a magic combo for constant exposure, augmented reach and long-term growth!
While affiliate programs for customers are very similar to what brand ambassadors are intended for, no affiliate program is the same as an ambassador program.
Similar to influencers, affiliates take a more monetary role, where they recommend a brand or product to their community in exchange for a commission on every sale made. On the other hand, ambassadors are meant to go beyond monetary compensation and are more committed to the brand on a long-term basis.
In short, they both aim for the same result, but the way they promote a brand or product is what makes them different.
Obviously any marketing strategy’s results must be analyzed, as it is crucial for maximizing the success of influencer marketing campaigns.
First, tracking ROI (Return on Investment) helps determine whether your investment in a brand ambassador yields tangible benefits, such as increased revenue or cost savings. Make sure to include all costs associated with the ambassador, or at least the most direct ones.
Then, metrics like engagement rates, follower growth, website traffic, social media mentions, lead generation, and conversions attributed to the ambassador’s efforts reveal how well ambassadors align with your brand values and resonate with your target audience.
Additionally, sentiment analysis of customer feedback and the ambassador’s ability to foster authentic connections with their audience provide qualitative measures of success.
Here are 22 KPIs you should monitor when doing brand ambassadorships, in order to refine your strategy, strengthen partnerships, and ensure your ambassador program contributes to a sustainable growth.
Brand ambassadors are a key element of modern influencer marketing, offering brands a way to build trust, authenticity, and long-term customer relationships.
Whether they are celebrities bringing widespread visibility, influencers creating relatable content, employees enhancing authenticity, or loyal customers advocating from experience, ambassadors have the power to connect brands with their audience in a personal and impactful way.
By leveraging the right type of ambassador for your strategy and objectives, you can achieve constant brand exposure, deeper customer engagement, and improved ROI. Now, it’s your turn to implement these insights and drive your brand’s success!
A brand ambassador represents and promotes a company's products or services, embodying its values and identity.
Their responsibilities include increasing brand awareness, engaging with the community, providing feedback, and fostering customer loyalty through authentic advocacy.
While both aim to promote brands, brand ambassadors typically engage in long-term partnerships, deeply aligning with the brand's values and consistently promoting its offerings. Influencers, on the other hand, often participate in short-term collaborations focused on specific campaigns or products.
Implementing a brand ambassador program can lead to increased brand credibility, enhanced customer trust, expanded reach through authentic word-of-mouth marketing, and valuable insights from ambassadors' feedback, all contributing to sustained brand growth.
Aspiring brand ambassadors should build a strong personal brand, engage authentically with their audience, and align themselves with brands that reflect their values.
Networking, creating quality content, and demonstrating genuine interest in a brand can attract partnership opportunities. Most brands include a sign-up page to become their partner, so make sure to check your favorite’s brand website for a possible opportunity!
Effective brand ambassadors possess authenticity, strong communication skills, a genuine connection to the brand, the ability to engage their audience, and a positive reputation. These qualities enable them to represent the brand credibly and foster trust among potential customers.
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