How brand ambassadors are re-defining influencer marketing.
In today’s market, college students hold a considerable (and growing) amount of purchasing power. How does a brand target these highly-coveted consumers? Create brand ambassadors.
What is a Brand Ambassador?
Brand ambassadors are a component of influencer marketing. Typically, they are employed to promote a company’s products and brand personality in their communities. Whether this is in-person or through social media, these ambassadors are generating valuable word-of-mouth impressions. Per research published on Invesp, word-of-mouth impressions create 500 percent more sales than paid media impressions. Nearly 90 percent of consumers report that they are more likely to give their hard-earned cash to a brand recommended by a friend.
Ambassadors are becoming increasingly prevalent, especially on social media platforms, such as Instagram. Typically, an ambassador will post a photo featuring a product sent to them by a company. Ambassadors often explain the product and brand in the photo’s caption. They also include a special discount code for their followers to apply to online purchases.
Photo by Jens Johnsson on Unsplash
Brands on Campus: Why They Work
Influencer marketing is also common on college campuses. I have seen ambassadors for companies such as Red Bull, Kind Bar and Bumble at UT Austin. They understand the immense purchasing power of students, especially due to mobile purchasing, and want to reach them in as many ways as possible. Brand reps often give away swag, free products, and sponsor campus events.
Millennials are interested in building their online presence through social media. They are willing to feature exciting products for companies with little in return. Though ambassadors are not paid, there are many perks to their ‘job’. These include free products, access to brand-sponsored events and networking opportunities throughout the industry.
The True Value of Ambassadors
Brand ambassadors have proven valuable to the companies they represent as well. They increase a company’s social presence by constant content generation. They also provide consumer feedback, personally and from their peers. Companies value this insight from their most-coveted target market.
When I return to school in the fall, I expect to see many brand ambassadors on campus. Some of my favorite past examples include when Kind Bar gave students free breakfast bars during finals week. Express ambassadors, or students part of ‘Express U’, set up tables on campus to showcase the clothing company’s newest products.
I can’t wait to see how brands show up on campus this school year!