This is what it takes to be a brand ambassador

You’ve seen local celebrities in TV commercials, for instance Jalang’o, the radio presenter and comedian advertising and endorsing milk or toilet paper brands, international celebrities such as American actor Brad Pitt endorsing designer Fragrance, Chanel, American actor Jennifer Aniston endorsing Emirates Airlines, or famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo endorsing Nike sportswear.

All these individuals are brand ambassadors. A brand ambassador simply is an individual hired by a company to represent the brand positively, increase its awareness, as well as sales of the product.

MyNetwork had a chat with some of Kenya’s very own brand ambassadors who shared insight on what it really takes to be a successful brand ambassador.

Antony Owich

Title: Jameson Whisky Brand Ambassador, East Africa

Period Active: Two years

1. Did you know much about whiskey before taking up this job?

Not a lot. Thanks to my job, I am now exposed to more knowledge on various whiskies across the globe. My favourite is Jameson Select Reserve.

2. What traveling opportunities has being a brand ambassador afforded you?

I have travelled widely across Kenya and East Africa for Jameson events. I have also visited Ireland and Dubai – this is a dream job, isn’t it?

3. Do you drink as much as is perceived alcohol brand ambassador’s do?

Absolutely not! I usually compare my job to that of someone who works in a chocolate factory; they don’t eat lots of chocolate. True, I have a lot of whisky at my disposal, but it is for conducting tastings and running events and trainings. I only drink maybe three doubles occasionally.

4. What’s an average day like for you? Is it just endless partying?

Absolutely not, again. Normally, I wake up at 7am, go jogging, and then report to the office by 8.30am, where I do my reports for the previous day and plan my day. I usually have a scheduled tasting for bartenders or consumers. Once I am through, I do a couple of outlet visits to hotels, clubs, and restaurants and maybe in the evening visit an outlet to see the client traffic.

5. What do you enjoy most about being a brand ambassador?

Every day it is a different challenge, a new experience. Every day varies; it could be an event with CEOs and corporations, to an event with chefs and bartenders; it is dynamic.

6. How much impact do you think your presence as a brand representative has in swaying public action and opinion?

I have a following based on the fact that I am knowledgeable about whiskey and popular market trends. To be a brand ambassador, you need to connect with specific passion points; such as lifestyle, popular trends, food, film or even music and determine how best to remain relevant. I am highly sociable and enjoy interacting and meeting new people from different parts on the region.

7. What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you during brand activations?

A consumer once came to me holding another brand and insisted that his was better than mine. I invited him to a tasting session where he tried three different brands, Jameson included. As a brand ambassador, you need to listen to other people’s point of view, and work out how to make them understand what makes brands unique.

8. What’s your advice regarding the reality of what being a brand ambassador entails?

There is more to being a brand ambassador than looking good, partying, attending events and drinking. It is about balancing that and office work. I have to ensure that the party scene is alive in the various outlets that Jameson products are available. Striking a balance between day roles and nightlife is key.

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Janet Mbugua

Title: Brand ambassador for Lifebuoy’s Help A Child Reach 5 campaign

Period Active: Four months

1. You have been the Lifebuoy brand ambassador for almost four months now, what drew you to them?

As a mother, I find it heart-breaking that so many children don’t reach the age of five; and incredible that such a simple act; hand washing with soap, could help save so many, especially during the first 28 days of life. As the founder of the Inua Dada Foundation, which seeks to restore dignity to the girl child through providing necessities such as sanitary towels, this campaign is right up my alley!

2. What exactly do you do as the brand ambassador of this campaign?

My commitment is towards the cause of spreading awareness about hand washing with soap. I host twitter chats, engage people in communities and continue to encourage more people to come on board and help champion this cause.

3. How do you keep people engaged with your brand constantly and avoid fatigue?

The campaign is very interactive and hasn’t been carried out to this extent in Kenya. These two factors don’t seem to be slowing it down, and I’m keen to see the message spread across Kenya, so this gives us a lot of work to do!

4. How do you balance building your personal brand and also Lifebuoy’s brand simultaneously?

The two go hand in hand. I like to think of my personal brand (which I’m still building) as aspirational and social-impact driven. Being the ambassador for this campaign is certainly social-impact driven and, therefore, fits well with what I believe is my brand strength.

5. What is your advice to young people who would like to be a brand ambassador like you, in future?

Don’t look at it as a money-making opportunity alone. Yes, the perks are a bonus, but what is it doing for your profile? How much work are you putting in on your end as opposed to the brand pushing all the content from their end? It’s a fantastic opportunity, but you need to look beyond the ‘pretty’ side of it.

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Grace Msalame

Title: Brand ambassador for Vivo Active Wear

Period Active: Two years

1. How did this opportunity come about?

I’ve always had a love and passion for fashion, so when I discovered Vivo, it was out of pure excitement that I became a regular at their stores and found myself posting my outfit of the day bought in the store because I loved how confident and comfortable each outfit made me feel. I then reached out to Wandia Gichuru, the Managing Director, and asked her if she’d be interested in working with me, now here we are two years later. The lesson therein? If you believe in something, go for it!

2. Had you ever considered being a brand ambassador before you were engaged as one?

Having been in the media industry for well over 10 years, I’ve always known and admired how brands collaborate and together reach greater heights, so yes, it was not an alien idea.

3. What exactly do you do in this position beyond adorning the clothes and sharing updates on your social media pages?

Well my job is to sell the brand, so being the face of it means I work on monthly campaigns to push Vivo’s collections and pieces. I try to add a personal twist by having a story or quote with each outfit, to push Beauty with a Purpose; look fab on the outside, but start within and keep working on your spiritual, emotional and mental state, constantly growing and learning.

When I attend events, I of course wear the brand – in a nutshell, I use every opportunity that comes my way to market the brand. I think the biggest moment of validation was when I was picked with three other lovely female bloggers and fashion guru’s to attend an Athleisure conference in Barcelona, Spain, because of my engagement with Vivo.

4. How much impact do you think your presence as a brand representative has in swaying public action and opinion?

I sure hope it has a positive impact. I am humbled when I bump into women and they tell me they started shopping at Vivo after seeing our posts, or when I walk into a Vivo store and the ladies at the store tell me clients ask for exactly what I was wearing on a post, right down to the exact colour. All this is very humbling for me and makes me happy. The aim here is for the engagement to result into revenue for the brand or I will have failed at my job.

5. What kind of a compensation package do you receive?

Well I believe each partnership is unique – mine comes with a monetary package and wardrobe allowance as well. Just like most jobs, every month I get my dues, so when you see my regular posts online, it’s all part of the job, which I thankfully really enjoy.

6. What kind of impact has it had on your family life if at all (good and bad)?

 My social media numbers definitely took a huge leap after my engagement, thanks to all the fab clothes. I must say however that all the attention can be very unsettling sometimes, something I’m not sure I was 100 per cent ready for. I’m your text book example of an introvert, so you won’t find me out on the public scene; I am either at home or at work, so my everyday schedule is quite boring - social media truly has a life of its own. I made the conscious decision to use my platform to inspire, motivate, and in my own small way be a change agent.

7. What is it like being a brand ambassador? Is it all fun and games?

It is not a walk in the park like most would imagine. One needs to have good business sense, good networking skills and a clear purpose and plan because it is a great avenue to make some extra revenue. However, it can only be successful if it is authentic and well executed, so do your homework and invest in your brand so that other brands notice you and want to work with you. Being committed, professional and easy to work with also helps, and of course know your worth.

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Uchey Malo

Title: Brand ambassador for myNetwork Magazine

Period Active:  Four months

Uchey is a fourth year student at Kenyatta University studying sociology and gender studies. Being a brand ambassador for myNetwork magazine means that she represents the Daily Nation brand as well.

What does being a brand ambassador for this magazine entail?

It is part of my everyday life. I talk about it with friends and people I meet wherever I go and tell them what it is about, who it targets, where they can get it, and why they should get it.

How did you become a brand ambassador?

I think my pro-activeness got me noticed; I am very talkative and people think I am funny. I am also very open-minded and I believe everyone has a right to have a different view about life, so am always willing to listen and hear their side of the story. This year, I was selected to attend a focus group organised by myNetwork, and ended up being picked as one of the brand ambassadors.

What has the experience been like so far?

It has been amazing! I have attended events at prestigious hotels such as the Villa Rosa Kempinski just because of my role, and have met numerous influential and popular local personalities at these events. I also get free cool merchandise related to the brand before everyone else does. Of course I also get paid.

What marketing activities do you hold?

I am part of a WhatsApp group where we hold regular discussions with young people like me who are the magazine’s target group – I get to conduct discussions daily on various topical issues. I also send out discussion topics around the brand to different groups to get people’s views about feature topics that are done by myNetwork. Considering that my age group does not buy the newspaper regularly, this is one way of engaging them and getting them interested in the content as well as the brand. We also carry out activations in various universities, the aim to get the target audience to know more about the brand.

How do people respond when you tell them about your role?

My close friends are proud of me, but the “How much are you paid?” question almost always comes up when I tell people what I do. With my generation, it is always about how much you are making, though I believe that while money is important, there are other important factors as well, such as experience and the networking that comes with such a role.

How can a young person with the desire to be a brand ambassador like you go about realising this dream?

Do not seek this opportunity with the money you will make in mind. I feel like many of my peers lose opportunities because they are too hang up on the money. If you are passionate about a certain brand, start by being conversant with it and find out everything there is about it. Also know the target market and be very open to learning how it operates, how it respond to the market, and what the brand’s lifestyle is like.

How do you balance your job and school?

I set my priorities so that one does not suffer at the expense of the other – both of these roles are important to me, so I give them the attention they deserve.

— Interviewed by Kimani Mbugua