The True (Brand) Ambassador

In a pursuit of the face of an organisation
As a newbie in the development sector, I learned so much about how the industry works and how the communication within the sector works differently from what I practiced. My views changed as I discovered a lot of interesting things at my work. One of them is how my definition of a brand ambassador.
When you heard the words ‘brand ambassador’ what comes to mind?
A representative. An image. The face, the look, the voice that embody the right value of a brand.
In the world of public relation, brand ambassador is described as:
“A person who represent a brand to increase brand awareness and sales.”
Choosing an ambassador is never easy, especially for an NGO, as he or she has to believe the cause we are supporting — not only the right ‘face’. Celebrity could be one option as a brand ambassador. They have the influence and the voice and the followers. Better yet, the media loves them.
We had worked with celebrity as our brand ambassador before. And it turned out great. We have received so many publications and reached so many people in a way that we could not without the ambassador(s).
My work includes advocating and promoting the Wonder Women program. Making sure that our work on ground is noticeable. As well as taking our Wonder Women to numerous of speaking opportunities. As the program became more and more well-known, opportunities for these women to appear not only in national conferences but also in mainstream media such as television network or national newspaper became much wider.
And I am very lucky to be able to attend and accompany these women in various occasions. I am not only proud, but also humbled to see how these women can give so much influence to the public.
I realised that for an NGO, brand ambassador isn’t the face, the reps, or the spokesperson. Brand ambassador could be the people we serve, could be the impact we made. Because at the end of the day, that’s what matters. We exist because we wanted to create impact, we wanted to serve people. And it is at the best interest of public that we do this very well.
And there’s no better way of showing it or representing it other than themselves; the impact that we wanted to create, the people that we serve. They are the real brand ambassador.
Written circa 2016.
