Breaking Brand Ambassadors - 'Facing' the Music!

A brand ambassador offers credence to the brand. The brand is personified with the qualities of the brand ambassador and thus the brand is transformed in identity to take in the characteristics of the brand ambassador in value and spirit. 

Celebrities are used as brand ambassadors in organizational campaigns. Companies leverage the identity of the brand ambassador to have a rub-off of the ambassador’s lofty image on the brand. The synonymous identity struck between the brand and the brand ambassador is built by using repeated associations in communication. The reach of such communication results in the reinforcement of the personality traits of the brand ambassador as the tenets of the brand itself. Cadbury was earlier faced with the worm infestation crisis and since then it needed to reposition itself as a credible brand. The engagement of Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador has adorned its campaigns all these years and it has reinforced a great deal of trust in the brand.

It has become commonplace for brand owners to project themselves as their brand ambassadors in recent times. Vasanth & Co, is a home electronics and household appliances retailer whose owner is H. Vasanthakumar, a Congress party politician in Tamil Nadu. He is featured in the brand logo itself, which is in the form of a quality and trust seal. In all the communication campaigns of the retailer Mr. Vasanthakumar is starred. More known as a trusted politician in the catchements of his stores than the proprietor of Vasanth & Co, his identity has indeed helped promote his brand of stores in Tamil Nadu.

We have been witnessing the emergence of the yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his associate Acharya Balkrishna as the brand ambassadors for the Patanjali brand in India. In fact the range of herbal and ayurvedic products has been built on the aura of the yoga guru Ramdev. All the Patanjali retail stores feature the image of the guru on their signboards! Whether it is Patanjali Atta Noodles or Patanjali Cow’s Ghee, Ramdev signs off with his yogic credentials, anchoring his stance as the brand ambassador!

Motivated by the owner turned brand ambassador concept, the owner of the New Saravana Stores in Chennai has become the value retailing company’s brand ambassador. The youthful looking hero-like owner dances to the advertisement tunes amidst a show of expensive cars, pompous models and sartorially elegant clothes! A non-entity otherwise, he has quickly become synonymous with the brand and the whole audience now knows that it is the proprietor of the brand himself who has become the brand ambassador! The ads feature popular actors like Tamanna and Hansika also (along with him), whose faces sway the audience's attention from the unknown face of the brand ambassador who tries too hard to sell himself. Has it worked for the brand? Only time will tell us!

We may see many such owner-cum-brand ambassadors standing by their own brands in future!

After all, a Trump is only known by his brand to the World!!

 - Dr. Gibson Vedamani