Countries have diplomatic ambassadors whose work is representing and promoting the interests of the country. Similarly, companies have brand ambassadors who advocate for the interests of the company to potential clients. For centuries, customers satisfied with the companies' services have been the ambassadors of the companies. The customers could share their experiences with their few friends who could, in turn, prefer the company's products and services. This paper discusses the brand ambassador program in Nokia Company and the impact of using such a program. It also discusses ways of introducing a brand ambassador program to an organization.
Nokia uses employees as its brand ambassadors. The employees are given free rein to talk about the company on social media platforms. The human resource executives are credited with the work of ensuring that all the employees in the Nokia Company are equipped with the knowledge about the company. For instance, they know the company's first product, which is rubber books, and a Kenyan bought the billionth mobile phone it manufactured. The employees feel associated with the company because they are allowed to talk about the company anywhere ad whenever something negative or positive is said about the company.
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To make the employees effective in an ambassadorship, Nokia gives them a Social cast tool that enables them to stay connected with each other to share stories about the brand. Some interest groups are included in the platform to enrich the lives of the employees and entertain them to ensure that they bond. The events are not only entertaining but also very informative about the brand. Nokia's management appraises the employees on the mission of the company and their vision and targets. The employees are also encouraged to take ownership of the company by becoming the ambassadors of the brand. Nokia company employs this type of brand ambassador due to its innumerous benefits.
To begin with, according to Turner (2017), the use of employees as brand ambassadors motivates them. The employees live the company culture because they feel associated with the brand. Whenever they hear the brand mentioned, they take the responsibility of providing relevant information that positively. It is one of the ways of empowering employees. The employees feel that they are part of the company and that they control their work. They have a sense of belonging and align their values with those of the company (Lee, Willis & Tian, 2018). As a result, the employees are willing to support the company even outside the workplace. The employees are free to generate ideas that are useful to the company. Companies that use their employees to promote their brand are more successful since the workforce is highly motivated.
The use of employee branding affects the broader market. One of the advantages of using employees to brand a company is that it leads to customer satisfaction (Alshuaibi et al., 2016). The success of any brand depends on how satisfying it is to the customers. Gone are the days when customers could convince a friend to buy a certain product. Now companies are addressing a more substantial market through social media platforms. Clients' satisfaction depends on how best the company's employees perform their duties. It is easier for a customer to be convinced by an employee that a company's CEO due to interaction and association. Employee branding, therefore, creates more trust in the customers leading to a broader market.
Employee branding is the best method for promoting a company's products and services. Due to its many advantages, as discussed above, I can advise all the clients to use this method. The employees, when presented with new ideas, react differently. It is human nature to feel uneasy in embracing a change (Mudzakir, 2018). Generally, when a change is announced in any organization, people will be divided into three groups. Some will easily accept the change; about 20%, some will be at the center, agnostics; about 60%, some will ultimately deny the change; about 20% (Knox, 2016). Therefore, it is upon the CEO to ensure that the more significant percentage of the employees buy his ideas. Here is a method one can use to initiate and implement a brand ambassador program.
The first step towards a successful brand program is setting goals. Know what you want to achieve. This will enable you to channel all your efforts towards achieving the set goals. It will also give a sense of direction. The goals should be achievable within the stipulated time (LINK). Some of the goals one could have is building the brand's awareness, improving the brand image, increasing sales, and retaining customers. When setting the goals, it is essential also to consider the ambassador’s goals. Their goals should align with the organizational goals. This way, the ambassador will be more motivated.
Defining your real ambassadors is of great importance. Here one has to weigh out options. I recommend using employees for branding. Define your values. Let the values of the employees’ match those of the organization (Campbell, 2016) . It is also essential to involve the employees in the setting of the goals of the program. By doing this, they feel part of the deal and will be more motivated. Let the ambassadors live the values of the organization. The employees are more trusted compared to the CEOs when it comes to providing information about a brand.
Ambassadors work best when the organization recognizes them. Let it be a mutual relationship. Appreciate the ambassadors whenever they make an extra effort. You may use an affiliate partnership by giving them a certain percentage of the sales they make. The program must always outline ways of motivating the ambassadors. It is of great importance to ensure that the best methods of empowering the ambassador employees are used. Some can have negative effects on motivation (Lee et al., 2018). Understand your ambassadors first before determining ways of empowering them.
In implementing the change, convince those that do not support your idea fully. The agonists can either buy your idea or fall in the group of those who are resistant to change depending on how you do your things. Articulate your vision in the most precise way possible. Give an example of where your ideas have worked and how they worked. Show your agonists of how your idea will better their lives and improve the company. Do not focus on the organization alone. Focus on their needs. Kick off the program as soon as you convince them. Let them see success. You will find more employees buying your idea owing to success.
In conclusion, the use of employees in branding has yielded a lot of benefits. If the ambassadors’ program is successful, the organization also becomes successful. Apart from the manufacture of a brand, the company has more significant responsibility for attracting customers through branding.
References
Knox, Harmish. (2016). Converting Fence Sitters To Change Champions: 4 steps to get them off the fence and support your initiative. Leadership Excellence Essentials. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hr.com/en/magazines/all_articles/converting-fence-sitters-to-change-champions_itvb7jdy.html&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjS8t7B9pLqAhVCUxoKHfaBBf8QFjAAegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw3iIH_7cF5LSpxagpX_g_HL
Lee, A., Willis, S., & Tian, A. W. (2018). When Empowering Employees Works and When It Doesn't. Havard: Havard Business School.https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hbr.org/2018/03/when-empowering-employees-works-and-when-it-doesnt&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiBg-qI-pLqAhXaAGMBHbYHBHoQFjAAegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw0D_gIhEboqUFX987yA9WA-
Alshuaibi, A. S., Mohd Shamsudin, F., & Abd Aziz, N. (2016). Developing brand ambassadors: the role of brand-centered human resource management. International Review of Management and Marketing , 6 (S7), 155-161.
Turner, Arielle. (2017). How does intrinsic and extrinsic motivation drive performance culture in organizations? Cogent Education. 4. 10.1080/2331186X.2017.1337543.
Campbell, A. (2016, December). The Human Element of Change. FEATURE , pp. 1-2.
Mudzakir, F. (2018, October). The Influence of Brand Ambassador Usage Toward Brand Image of Oppo. In Prosiding Industrial Research Workshop and National Seminar (Vol. 9, pp. 648-654).
