The growing demand for face-to-face marketing and brand ambassadors
October 2023
The appetite for in-person events and face-to-face interaction is undeniable. A recent survey tells us that a whopping 94% of the seemingly ‘online generations’ millennials and Gen Z are attending an in-person event this year.
This growing demand for real-life experiences and face-to-face ambassadors reflects the evolving dynamics of marketing and consumer engagement in the digital age. ‘Ambassadors’, often referred to as brand ambassadors or experiential marketers, are individuals who represent a brand in person and engage with potential customers at events, trade shows, product launches, and various experiential marketing campaigns.
Brand ambassadors are a key part of any experiential marketing strategy. From non-verbal communication like body language and eye contact to helping create a memorable experience, brand ambassadors allow you to sustain longer-lasting connections with your customers.
In a digital world, the need for a human presence as a part of your marketing strategy is more important than ever, and this post will explore exactly why.
Personalisation
Face-to-face interactions provide personalisation and connection that online marketing and AI tools simply cannot replicate. Consumers often trust and remember brands more when they have a positive, real-life experience with a friendly ambassador. Brand ambassadors are able to read a room, and adjust their tone of voice, body language, or even marketing strategy depending on the individual. For example, your demeanour would be very different talking to an elderly participant, compared with a Gen Z participant. This is something that’s difficult to get right when operating solely online.
Live experiences
Nothing quite compares to a live event or a live experience. This could explain why there is still such a huge investment going into live music venues right now. It’s been said that millennials would rather invest in acquiring experiences than possessions, and it’s safe to assume this may translate to Gen Z too. Live experiences enable marketers and brands to directly engage with their audiences. This provides a multitude of opportunities and benefits from observational feedback and data, to fostering meaningful and long-lasting relationships.
Live experiences can often feed into an online strategy, as participants are led to share their experience and content online, creating a buzz around the brand. Brand ambassadors are a key part of this experience as they can interact with attendees and activate brand interaction online, including user-generated content and more. Live experiences will always be a part of experiential marketing, but brand ambassadors can make or break the success of a live event.
Memorable experiences
One of the key objectives of a brand experience event is to create memorable, unique, and immersive experiences for attendees. Face-to-face ambassadors play a crucial role in ensuring that these experiences are engaging, memorable, and aligned with the brand’s values. Some of our most memorable experiences in life are created alongside other people, why not replicate that with your brand?
Trust
Trust is a critical factor in consumer purchasing decisions. Face-to-face ambassadors can build trust by offering information, answering questions, and fostering a genuine connection between the brand and the consumer. It’s perhaps fair to assume that people trust other people more than they do chatbots and AI robots.
Product demonstrations
For many products, especially those with complex features or high price points, consumers often benefit from live product demonstrations. Face-to-face ambassadors can showcase products, highlight their benefits, and address concerns or questions in real-time, helping potential customers make informed decisions and drive them towards a purchase decision that’s right for them. This ultimately results in more satisfied customers and loyalty.
Feedback
Ambassadors can gather valuable feedback from consumers in real-time! Whether through surveys, observations, or incentivised feedback forms; this information can be used for product improvement, marketing strategy adjustment, and customer service enhancement.
Social Media
In marketing, the virtual and the real-life experience must also find a way to combine seamlessly. The presence of face-to-face ambassadors at events can help to promote interaction with your brand online including user-generated content, photos, and videos that can be shared on social platforms. User-generated c
Diversity and inclusion
Having experienced and talented brand ambassadors allows you to adapt to the audience at each event, making it possible to reach diverse demographics and tailor messaging to different consumer segments.
Competitive advantage
In crowded markets, the ability to create a unique and unforgettable brand experience can give a brand a competitive edge. Face-to-face ambassadors are instrumental in achieving this advantage.
Brand consistency
Ambassadors are trained to embody the brand’s values and messaging, ensuring a consistent brand image across various events and touchpoints. You have the power to select your ambassadors and draw up criteria for what kind of person you are looking for to represent your brand.
The demand for face-to-face ambassadors in brand experience events is driven by the desire to create authentic, engaging, and memorable interactions in an increasingly digital and competitive marketing landscape. When executed effectively, these ambassadors can help brands leave a lasting impression on their target audience, driving brand loyalty and, ultimately, sales.
Get in touch
Purity People is our award-winning staffing solution with a diverse pool of talented and multifaceted brand ambassadors who can adapt to your requirements. If you would like to explore the use of brand ambassadors for your next campaign, give us a call today.
