Ambassador of the Brand

Webster defines Brand Ambassador as undefined – they do not know this term. The term is a newer marketing term and almost unheard of in the construction industry. Even though it is not a well known term, it can not be ignored.

Wikipedia defines Brand Ambassador as a person employed by a company to be the sales rep and physical representative of the company with respect to sales and marketing. The Brand Ambassador is meant to embody the corporate image in appearance, demeanor, values, and ethics. Advertisers have been using well known personalities from the world of entertainment and sports to endorse their brands. As celebrity endorsement increased over the years, advertiser evolved the concept of brand ambassador.

That definition is good, but not entirely true. Everyone involved in your company/work is a brand ambassador, good or bad, not just someone with the job title as brand ambassador. If someone cuts you off and gives you the one-finger salute in their company truck, that is added to your perception of that company’s brand therefore making that person a brand ambassador. No matter how good of a business developer you are, you can not compete when your execution team performs poorly or has poor “public relations” like the one finger salute previously mentioned.

One of the newer avenues to market consumer-based product is to hire brand ambassadors and have them travel the country in a product branded bus, stopping at fairs, festivals, and street corners encouraging people to try the new project. The visibility of the bus and brand ambassadors along with this experience with the product fuels sales and word-of-mouth marketing. This is a great way to get out a product and execute a PR campaign (the Boy Scouts did a great job with their centennial anniversary campaign a couple of years ago).

These brand ambassadors, part marketer & part entertainer, should be a walking/talking embodiment of a product and always represent a brand in a positive manner. Even Kate Middleton is an ambassador for the upcoming London Olympics and of England. Think about when celebrities get into trouble and all of their endorsements are dropped (see AFLAC duck).

You have to train your entire team to represent your brand positively and also enforce it. This goes for your sub-contractors, vendors, temporary hires, and even the projects you can take. Taking the time to train your people to do things the way your company expects will prevent costly problems & headaches in the future.