Among brand and branding experts , the two terms brand ambassador and celebrity endorsement are considered two different concepts and have relatively clear boundaries. But in the advertising industry and in the minds of many managers, both in Iran and in other countries, the border between these two concepts is very vague.
We hear the term Brand Ambassador more than ever in recent years.
Navid Mohammadzadeh becomes the brand ambassador of Sun H. Behnoosh Tabatabai takes the position of ambassador of Novin Leather brand. In different years, Mohammadreza Golzar takes on the role of Hype and JUM brand ambassador. Refah brand chooses Mehran Moderi as its brand ambassador and dozens of other examples that each of us read and hear in the media several times.
Sometimes we see celebrities who are only in promotional teasers, but they are called brand ambassadors. On the other hand, some people unintentionally assume the role of ambassador of that brand and create many opportunities and troubles just because they have been in the advertisements of a brand.
Although this article is obviously about the definition of a brand ambassador and the duties of a brand ambassador , we will start our discussion with celebrities as endorsers and then move on to the concept of a brand ambassador.
The presence of models and the endorsement of celebrities
Models have entered the advertising space almost since widespread visual advertising in the form of outdoor advertising, television advertising, and advertising in magazines and newspapers began.
Men and women who were usually seen in the advertisement of goods and services based on their beautiful face or fit and attractive body. The AIDA model said in advertising that everything begins with attention, and advertising agencies and brands concluded that the presence of models can help attract the attention of the audience.
Models could be seen everywhere. They were leaning against cars, holding toothpaste, their faces were seen next to cosmetics, they were holding bags and putting on shoes.
The use of models in advertising never stopped and is still considered one of the dominant trends and common tools in advertising. With the expansion of social networks and especially image-oriented platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, Iqbal increased in this way, and today we see many people who use the term “modeling” to introduce their profession.
Maybe it is better to consider the use of models more related to advertising than branding . Because we are not supposed to know the models or know anything about them. Models are only supposed to draw our attention to the ad and then be forgotten.
But gradually, branding specialists started a new trend in the field of explaining brand identity : isn’t it better to go to celebrities and those who are somehow better known to people and audiences and have an initial image of them in mind instead of models? For example, why not use the image of a famous writer or actor or athlete?
In the use of models, the focus was on attracting attention , and in the use of celebrities, advertising and branding , it moved towards credibility and identity .
In this form of advertising, it is assumed that when people give credit to a person and have a positive image of him in their mind, this credit and positive image can be transferred to the brand.
When we like an actor, we may also feel good about the brand he promotes. At the same time, we may say to ourselves: if this brand was not big and prestigious, a certain actor would not work with them.
This way of using celebrities is called Celebrity Endorsement .
Obviously, when using celebrities to endorse a brand, it makes sense to try to choose someone who can imagine a relationship between him and the brand. For example, Ding internet taxi service once chose Ali Dai for its advertisements. Although Ali Daei has worked in the field of sports, in the minds of many people, he is known for his wealth and luxury and expensive cars. So maybe you can imagine a justification for using Dai for an internet taxi, as our service is so luxurious and convenient that owners of luxury cars are willing to use us.
On the other hand, a group of analysts criticize the choice of Navid Mohammadzadeh as the endorser of the SunH brand, saying that there is little alignment between the identity of Navid Mohammadzadeh and the SunH brand.
These critics believe that the image we have of Navid Mohammadzadeh in his films, as well as the image he has made of himself outside the space of films, can hardly be associated with the image of a traditional, established and conservative brand.
Of course, even if we accept the inappropriateness of choosing celebrities for brands, it does not necessarily mean that advertising with the help of these people will be ineffective.
Also, this form of advertising may help to temporarily increase sales and the success of advertising campaigns . But we have to admit that instead of Celebrity Endorsement, we have used a celebrity as a model.
Choosing a brand ambassador
If we go one step beyond Celebrity Endorsement, we reach Brand Ambassador .
Here, our concern is no longer simply to attract attention or even to gain credit. Rather, we have entered the realm of communication with the audience. The brand ambassador is supposed to speak to the audience on behalf of the brand. Deliver brand messages to customers and potential audiences and create a deep and effective relationship.
One of the common mistakes that we see in Iran in choosing a brand ambassador is that the brand ambassador is chosen solely on the basis of fame and having an audience. On the other hand, brand managers and ambassadors are not comfortable to say that they are employed only as a model or an endorser. The term brand ambassador seems more dignified and socially a higher status.
But in the end, we see that the brand ambassador has little role beyond that of the endorser. If somewhere the brand ambassador really decides to step into the role of ambassador, strategic and troublesome mistakes can be made.
As an example, it is possible to mention Mrs. Behnoosh Tabatabai as the brand ambassador of Novin Leather. The leather industry is always facing the criticism that it uses animal skin and is somehow based on cruelty. Of course, the activists of this industry also have answers to these criticisms. For example, they say that animals are killed for their meat anyway, and their skin remains, and as long as humans are carnivores, there is also skin, and animals like cows are not killed just for their skin.
In the meantime, Mrs. Behnoush Tabatabai, due to her unfamiliarity with the leather industry and the challenges of a leather brand, put forward a similar argument in an irrelevant way for a hat made of fox skin, and caused her to be stung and teased by the media for a long time that: Behnoush Tabatabai thinks We eat foxes.
Naturally, in such a situation, the brand will not be spared from the consequences of its ambassador’s position.
Choosing a brand ambassador does not mean that we sign a contract with someone and pay him and record some clips and publish them in different media.
This is assuming that it is effective and useful simply to get an endorsement from a celebrity or to use them as a model.
A brand ambassador should be involved with the business. To attend various meetings. Know business processes. Get to know the opportunities and threats of the industry.
To know the possible challenges and criticisms of customers and audiences or to be justified about them. And finally, it can become the expressive language of the brand . If this does not happen, at best it will become the face of the brand and will not have a lasting effect on the formation and development of the brand identity .
It is interesting for me to know, among the examples of celebrity endorsements and brand ambassador selections that you have seen in recent years in our country, which case do you consider successful and has remained in your mind?
