What Does a Brand Ambassador Do? 50 Top Companies Explain

What do brand ambassadors do? They align with great companies and products they love. Together, they form long-term partnerships to grow the brand and spread the word organically. 

Are you thinking of becoming a brand ambassador? Fantastic! This is the perfect time.

Maybe you’re a company looking to expand your marketing reach with this form of marketing. Again, woohoo! This is a perfect time to set up an ambassador program.  

Regardless of your situation, you need to understand the basic scope of what a brand ambassador does.

Brand marketing is evolving. Many changes happen due to technological advances, but others occur because they are so successful. During the last decade, ecommerce brands have pivoted away from traditional digital ads and focused on peer-to-peer connections, namely brand ambassador marketing. The mass addiction to social media (the technology side) and strategies that work (brand ambassadors) have created an incredible opportunity for individuals.  

Get clear 

Before we get into what this person does, let’s define what is a brand ambassador and make sure we’re clear.

A brand ambassador is a person who authentically creates buzz with their network because they genuinely like a company. Ambassadors are often loyal customers and promoters who generate content, awareness and sales for a company.

Does this sound like you? 

Now that you understand the definition better, we can unpack the role and talk about the actual work. 

This article will focus on the functions and responsibilities. We’ll also discuss what ambassadors do to spread the word, how they interact with their audiences and the companies they work with, the responsibilities they have, how do they work, and whether or not they receive compensation for their efforts.

The foundation of every good brand ambassador program is passionate people who love a particular company or product. Ambassadors work with organizations to bring products, messages and brand awareness to their networks. The exact arrangement is distinct for every company.

What does a brand ambassador do?

What are the responsibilities of a brand ambassador? The scope of involvement ranges quite a bit depending upon the brand and the goals of the program. To understand their primary responsibilities, we looked at 50 companies that use Roster as their all-in-one platform for managing their efforts.

All good advocacy programs empower devoted people to bring products, messages, and brand awareness to their networks. 

The number one thing ambassadors do is SHARE. In fact, 98% of all companies we examined specifically highlighted “share” on their ambassador application.

It’s no surprise that this is the primary responsibility. Remember the definition above: 

Ambassadors create a brand buzz with their network.

Those with strong social media profiles and plenty of social connections are favored by corporations looking to form brand ambassador programs. To be considered for an ambassadorship role, applicants need to have a personal internet presence. Having profiles on social media sites such as Instagram is critical.

Ambassadors generate buzz and chatter in several significant ways. They spread the word about brands and products they use and love. It’s easy, and friends, family and followers know it’s real and authentic. This word of mouth is way more persuasive than brands running ads.

Case in point, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising. (Nielsen)

Here are the audiences and communities companies want their ambassadors to connect with, spread the word to and share news and information with.

• Share with your friends!
• Share with your friends and family how much you love our brand!
• Share your experiences.
• Share your journey with our merchandise through photos and videos!
• Share your love of our products with your family and friends.
• Share your custom discount code with family and friends.
• Share your routines with our beauty products. (Be sure to tag us, we may just repost!)
• Spread the good word about real nutrition and brand products.
• Strengthen the brand by introducing an on-brand presence in stores.
• Represent our brand.

Some companies have unique or specialized requests for their ambassadors. Merchandise that might need more explanation or education is prime for advocacy programs. For instance, a health food brand asks that ambassadors spread the good word about actual nutrition and its products.

On, which sells Swiss performance running shoes and clothing, sends all ambassadors’ apparel and shoes. In return, On expects its On Run Crew members to wear the gear during runs, workouts and races. In On’s words,

“The easiest way to share is to wear.”

PNG (Pinnacle Nutrition Group) uses a smart and easy way to spread awareness.

“We ask PNG ambassadors to hold PNG sports bottles at all podium celebrations and apply PNG logos to athletes, helmets, jerseys, or graphics.” 

In a very authentic way that’s impossible to replicate, they share their love, experiences, knowledge, and custom discount codes with their individual friends, family and customers.

Brand ambassadors share

Photos and videos 

Once again, in studying how some of the most successful brands work with their ambassadors and uber fans, we found many similarities. The top requirement was to create and share PHOTOS, with 93% of the brands listing this activity on their ambassador application.

Going hand in hand with photos is making and sharing videos. Brands ask for VIDEO creation in 73% of ambassador applications.

Content 

Tying for first place at 93% in the share category is creating CONTENT. Essentially, photos are content, so photos probably rank first as the most essential responsibility ambassadors have.

And, of course, they need to share the photographs and content with friends, family and other consumers.  

There are many ideas for content. Brands especially ask for these types of photos, videos and content.

• Create and share content that helps tell the brand’s story and mission.
• Create content documenting your adventures with the products.
• Create photo and video content documenting how you use our product.
• Create images and video content portraying you receiving or placing your orders.
• Create photo and video content describing your brand moments.
• Create photo and video content featuring the products.
• Create photo and video content showcasing the products.
• Create photo and video content talking about the product.
• Create photo and video content using products.
• Create photo and video content utilizing your products.
• Create photo or video content showing off your products.

As an ambassador, make sure you create and share content that authentically features, showcases and documents how you use the products.

Content that tells a story and connects it to your lifestyle and community is particularly effective.

Brand ambassadors engage

Coming in at a very close second, brands want ambassadors to ENGAGE. 91% request that ambassadors participate together with them. Engaging comes in a few forms. For instance, 20% of brands want their advocates to participate in campaigns.

If you’re asking “how does being a brand ambassador work?” The answer is, “engage with your friends and family and engage with the brand.”

• Spread positivity and good health amongst the community.
• Refer our products to your clients or patients.
• Regularly engage and participate in campaigns we invite you to join.
• Regularly engage in our Wellness Campaigns—you’ll love them!
• Participate as you see fit in our monthly campaigns.
• Participate in the campaigns (once a month) that you see fit.
• Participate in the campaigns that you see fit in exchange for product incentives.
• Participate in the campaigns in exchange for rewards.
• Perform in-store demos while engaging with consumers and selling products.

Tag brands

Tagging and including hashtags is also important. Thirteen percent of brands specifically ask for this activity. As an ambassador, you should always tag brands and include relevant hashtags, even if a brand doesn’t specifically ask you to do this.

Also, all brands expect ambassadors to follow them on all their social media channels.

Product feedback

Since ambassadors are often customers and super fans, they can get an insider’s seat with company execs and product designers. One in every three brands highlights product feedback as both a responsibility and a perk of working closely with the company.  

• Provide feedback regarding products.
• Give feedback about opportunities to expand brand presence and sales.
• Provide insightful feedback regarding opportunities to improve the brand experience.
• Please provide us feedback about our brand, product, marketing, service and anything else that can help us get even better.
• Give us feedback on your experience to help expand brand presence and sales.

Product development

Not only do ambassadors get to spread the word about great brands and products, they also have a unique opportunity to help with product development and innovation. Another enormous benefit for brands is this open dialogue with committed customers and superusers.

At the same time, this opportunity is excellent for individuals as well. People who use products can have ingenious ideas to make them more useful and better. Ambassadors and brands that work together form solid bonds and long-term relationships. As a person wondering what brand ambassadors do, the answer is: they create partnerships.

Paid positions

Sometimes ambassadorships can be employment positions. Companies such as Red Bull, Wilson, PINK, Coca-Cola and dozens more have paid ambassadorships. These roles are akin to part-time jobs.

Salaries also vary widely. Compensation may be nothing, or it can be a portion of referral sales. Influencers with mega audiences demand thousands for posts and endorsements. For paid ambassadorships, individuals will receive an hourly wage. Learn all about paid positions with the Ultimate Guide to Brand Ambassador Salary in the US.

Ambassadors commonly track their working hours themselves and submit them to the company.  

Responsibilities for paid ambassadors include:

• Strengthen the brand by introducing an on-brand presence in stores.
• Work 15-35 hours in stores per month.
• Ensure all products are merchandised optimally.
• Monitor product inventory and ensure all products have been down-stocked to the retail floor.
• Install new displays, ensuring all displays are in good repair and fully functioning.
• Educate store associates about the technical attributes of our products, the brand and key marketing messages through training sessions and one-on-one interactions.
• Engage consumers on an informal basis on merchandise and provide consumer sales support to retail associates.
• Perform demos in-store while engaging with consumers and selling merchandise.
• Provide consumer feedback about our brand, product, marketing, service and anything else that can help us get even better.

Again, ambassadors are people who are enthusiastic about a brand and its products. They share this passion with their world of family, friends, followers and consumers.

With genuine interactions, they build company recognition and accelerate sales. These cheerleaders help companies grow with grass-roots marketing through personal connections and trust.

When it comes to understanding what an ambassador does, there is one key thing to remember. Ultimately, a brand ambassador is an extension of the company and, most notably, a long-term ally.