Appointing brand ambassadors is one of the most expensive tricks in the modern marketing book, with brands spending fortunes on celebrities who in turn give ‘spontaneous’ endorsements of products at strategic moments.
But surely the best people to be brand ambassadors are the people who work for a brand, regardless of where they are on the status ladder in a company? These are the people who eat, sleep and breathe a brand, because it is their livelihood.
It is up to each employer to create the working experience that makes their employees brand ambassadors rather than brand assassins, however. This goes far beyond paying well and offering cursory perks, according to Amaechi Nduka-Agwu, counselling psychologist, career and executive coach, and the founder of Wholehearted Coaching.
“The world of work has evolved and so have the demands of the talented workforce,” she says. “For many professionals it is no longer enough to have a job: they want to have an experience. Entry-level professionals seek organisations that share their values. Mid-career professionals take a critical look at the organisation they are in and the role they are fulfilling. Employees need to feel engaged by their company in order to become powerful brand ambassadors.”
She points out that every employee represents the company that they work for — whoever they are — and a disengaged or demotivated employee can become a powerful, destructive representative, rather than a positive brand ambassador.
“We know from the research that in order to create that identification and engagement, multiple factors play a role,” she says. “These include the degree of fulfillment the work or work environment provides, both from a career, and increasingly a personal, perspective.
“Further vital factors for engagement include the recognition that is afforded (“is my effort appreciated?”), a degree of autonomy (“am I able to direct my own life?”), and purpose (“am I able to make a meaningful impact?”). We know that people are motivated by the opportunity to get better and better at something that matters. Talented individuals like to work with other talented people, so they can be stretched and challenged.”
Katherine Benbrook of Mind-the-Gap, a skills development consultancy, agrees, saying the true success of a business can be measured by its employees and their attitude towards work. “Employees that are proud of the brand they represent (externally) and that feel looked after, like they matter, and are heard within a company (internally) are more likely to contribute positively to business processes, building client bases and improving themselves,” she says.
“Trends in retaining and creating loyalty with employees have moved from the traditional carrot and stick approach,” comments Alexandra Hadfield, founder of a-Ha! Consulting. “Employers have to be creative in the ways they make their employees feel appreciated and valued. Old management and leadership styles may not work in this new way of building productive and happy workforces. Inspired leaders that walk their talk, deliver on promises and foster trust, responsibility and accountability in their employees, by allowing them an element of freedom through various soft benefits are the leaders that are going to be supported by a strong group of brand ambassadors, whether they’re the cleaner or the CIO.”
Hadfield and Nduka-Agwu agree that making a brand ambassador out of an employee starts before they even begin working at a company.
“Engaging an employee starts before they even apply for a position,” says Nduka-Agwu. “Many graduates or final year students at university often already have an idea of what kind of company they want to work for and this choice is usually motivated by a combination of intrinsic incentives as well as compensation. The job ad and recruitment and interview process provide an opportunity for both parties to test out the fit.”
Hadfield says that the first 20 people you hire can make or break your company. “These first employees will define your company values and key qualities that you are trying to build. It is important that you do not compromise on the type of people you want to recruit. Defining your key values and ensuring that the future employees live, breathe and walk your talk is vital, as values are the foundation of any relationship. If your employees don’t get your values, this could lead to problems down the line,” she points out.
Nduka-Agwu says that creating brand ambassadors is about so much more than team rallies and motivational posters strategically located throughout the office or factory.
“Companies that effectively turn their employees into brand ambassadors are aware of what their company values are, not just in beautifully designed wall posters, but what behavior this translates into on an operational as well as strategic level,” she says. “They are deliberate about how they recruit and how they reward people. For example, organisations that value innovative and creative thought are more likely to attract (and retain) such talent if idea generation becomes part of the key performance indicators, rather than just a general, vague invitation to “think outside the box” while following the same old brief.”
She cites US company WL Gore and Associates, the inventor and manufacturer of Gore-tex, as an enduring example of an organisation that treats its employees differently, with the result that every person working there is a positive brand ambassador.
It starts with the employer’s approach to its people: everyone at WL Gore is deemed to be a knowledge worker, everyone makes their own commitments to completing their tasks. There are no rankings or titles, and there are no managers — rather, there are leaders and sponsors who are there to mentor, support and inspire, and everyone is known as an associate.
CEOs are not appointed at WL Gore — they are chosen by election, with all employees voting for their preferred candidate.
The basic principles set down by founder William Gore are freedom, fairness, commitment and ‘water-line’ (consulting with other employees before making critical decisions)’ Associates have the freedom to encourage, help and allow other associates to grow, they should demonstrate fairness to each other and everyone they come into contact with, they are provided with the ability to make their own commitments and they are expected to keep them, and they are expected to consult with one another before taking action that could impact the reputation or profitability of the company.
This company has won multiple awards for being a workplace of choice and has a culture that is premised on creating engaged knowledge workers by giving them the autonomy and tools they need to do their jobs — and then getting out of the way and letting them do it.
Nduka-Agwu and Hadfield both mention Discovery Holdings as a local organisation that has a brand ambassador complement, rather than a staff complement, working for it with softer benefits like on-site medical care, drycleaners and selected retailers taking the stress out of employees‘ days.
Hadfield says that employers that try and reduce stress by providing creative ways of assisting employees to avoid rush hour traffic, drop and pick up kids from school, or work from home where possible seem to have a winning recipe.
“Hardworking employees value and appreciate management more when they see that management is willing to give them the space that they need to manage their own lives in such a way that the company’s interests are also taken care of,” she concludes.
This article forms part of a larger supplement which can be found here. This supplement has been made possible by the Mail & Guardian’s advertisers. All content has been independently sourced by the M&G’s supplements editorial team