What can Brand Ambassadors do to a Brand?

Brand building is aholistic approach. What can a representative, a Brand Ambassador do to buildthe brand image of apparels?

A distinctive brand is one of themost influencing factors in manipulating the consumers behavior towards the particularproduct, and other similar items. Building a good brand image is therefore apriority for the success, and long standing of any business irrespective of itssize and scope. Brand development is a delicate process which is normally donethrough qualitative research, focusing on the target consumers.

Brand Ambassadors: Key forattracting customers:

Apparel brands are the work ofart of fashion designers. Based on the fashion; brands generate; trends tendto spread rapidly; even crossing the countrys boundaries. The assortment ofgradually evolved clothing brands indicates the commercial metamorphosis offashion business in the past years. Today, people are becoming more and morebrand conscious, and retailers are cashing on it; earning big bucks. Consumershave an urge to look and feel good, which can be reflected through the clothingthey wear. Media awareness and promotional strategies are widespread among thepeople of today. People are eager to shell out a fortune, buying brandedapparels. Brand indicates quality, style, and status to people. Being brandconscious is the new fashion mantra, which makes people spend a ransom withmuch ease.

Businesses will have to come upwith novel ideas to retain the existing customers, and attract more new people.Brand ambassadors play a vital role in positioning the brand image. They gainthe confidence of prospective customers, and retain the loyalty of the existingpatrons. They can speak directly to the target market which will enable tocreate a brand awareness which will go a long way.

Notable apparel brands andAmbassadors:

Ambassadors for apparel brandspromote their brand in a unique way by giving it a face, using their strongpersonalities. They become a permanent part of the brand, and are thereforedifferent from the people who feature the same product in advertisements. Theybecome household public names, and at times; celebrities in their own rightswith a personal, alluring brand value.

Knitwear label St John featuresmodel Karen Elson as its brands face. Model Sophie Choudry is the brandambassador for the renowned Madame clothing brand. Haute Couture brands such asArmani, one of the biggest brands has Beyonc, at its celebrity face, Chanelhas Keira Knightley, and Dior in association with Monica Belluci, seekingperfection for their brands. The preppy looking British action Nicholas Houltis the brand ambassador for showcasing Tom Fords designer collections for2010. Actor John Abraham was declared as the brand ambassador for V Dot, the clubwears of Van Heusen. ITCs John Players is being represented by actor RanbirKapoor, who personifies vibrancy, panache, and youthfulness which would beappropriate to promote the brand. Donatella Versace, a fashion diva representsVersace, Tom Ford represents Gucci, and Karl Lagerfeld represents Chanel andFendi.

After H&M employed KarlLagerfeld to display its clothing line, the designs turned out to be a hitamong the consumers; worldwide. The brand experienced a 12% increase in theirsales within the first month. Following this success, H&M engaged thecatwalk queen Stella McCartney to exhibit a new range of designer clothes athigh street prices.

Brand ambassadors are thebreathing and walking representative of a brand, supporting the promotionalcampaigns. Currently, their position has become more of an official job due tothe numerous apparel outlets where they promote the brand, and where severalpeople can discuss the brand. They give a powerful edge over the competitors.

Employee Brand Ambassadors:

Employee brand ambassadors are prevalent in a positive work environment where they are motivated to create brand awareness. Here, the employees represent the brand whole heartedly creating a win-win relation with the consumers. High end apparel brands such as Fitch and Abercrombie uses its sales representatives as its brand ambassadors. Advocate employees as brand ambassadors is practiced in a large scale during the recent past after the rise of social media and personal blogs. An employee maintaining his own blog can bring significant effect on the companys visibility through his positive blog posts about the brand.

A brand ambassador transcends all aspects of a brand, and manipulates the psychological factors of perception, motivation, and attitude of the consumers. A business that has appropriate association with its brand ambassador can transform into a sturdy icon, rather than the vast amount of cash spent on other promotional and advertising efforts.

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