%201.png)
While both influencers and brand ambassadors play key roles in increasing your brand’s reach, the type of partnership you choose makes all the difference. So what really is the best approach to drive brand awareness and loyalty?
Influencers often provide exposure through engaging, creative content tailored to their large audiences. In contrast, you can foster a deeper, long-term partnership with brand ambassadors that aligns closely with your brand’s values and mission. Choosing between the two can depend on a variety of factors
In this article, we’ll explore the key differences between influencer marketing and brand ambassadorship, helping you determine which approach might be the most effective for your brand’s growth.
Brand ambassadors are individuals who have been using your products for a considerable amount of time so essentially, a fan turned consumer.
They understand your brand’s mission and values and align with them. When communicating about your brand, ambassadors know exactly how to convey the right message, as they are experienced, satisfied customers.
By fostering a long-term relationship with a brand ambassador, you create a partnership with someone who can consistently expand your brand’s awareness by speaking from genuine, first hand experience. This authenticity drives deeper customer loyalty, which is invaluable in today’s competitive market.
For example, when Emma Watson became an ambassador for Prada Beauty. As a public figure aligned with sustainability, elegance, and intelligence, she represented the brand’s luxury products in a way that resonates with socially conscious consumers.
An influencer is a creative, engaging social media presence who can range from a micro-influencer to a celebrity, across various platforms and niches.
Content creation is their full-time job, and they thrive on producing content that resonates with their audience.
Partnering with an influencer gives your brand significant exposure to potentially massive audiences while also establishing trust by association.
Get to know the different types of influencers:
Nano: 1 - 10K
Micro: 10K - 100K
Macro: 100K - 500K
Mega: 500K+
Celebrity: 1M+
They often build an audience over the years, and they care about how they promote your product because they also need those engagement rates to go up as they directly impact their livelihood.
On average, influencer campaigns see a 4.2% engagement rate, which is higher than what traditional ads usually get. (Source: https://www.charle.co.uk/articles/influencer-marketing-statistics/)
For example, macro influencer Tatiana Ringsby’s collaboration with Dr. Martens benefits both by expanding the brand’s reach to her fashion & lifestyle-focused audience, while her strong sense of style enhances the partnership.
A brand ambassador goes beyond product promotion, embodying the brand's values and image both online and offline, often becoming its "face." You can form deep connections with ambassadors and their audience due to their genuine alignment with your brand’s values, often as satisfied customers.
On the other hand, influencers typically have a short-term, flexible relationship, chosen for their reach and engagement to promote specific products through authentic content that resonates with their followers.
Here are some other key differences between a brand ambassador and an influencer to take into account:
Creating a brand ambassador program takes time and effort, but one of the advantages that makes it worth it is the long-term relationship you get to build with a creator who understands and represents your brand’s mission and values, because they were a satisfied customer first.
Their genuine commitment to a brand they already love, combined with their deep knowledge of your product, makes the collaboration authentic and effective.
You’re not just collaborating for a single post—brand ambassadors often become a lasting part of your team, helping you build trust with your audience over time.
In fact, 70% of creators state that they usually prefer long-term partnerships over one-off campaigns. This deeper connection can foster trust with your audience and enhance credibility. (Source: https://www.sprinklr.com/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics/)
Since they are already satisfied customers, their passion and enthusiasm naturally passes on to their followers, turning potential buyers into loyal ones.
This directly relates to the 61% of customers who trust social media creators when making a purchase decision. (Source: https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics)
With every campaign, they seamlessly incorporate your brand’s message into their content.
Keeping things entertaining and authentic by enhancing storytelling, a key ability brand ambassadors have, can actually boost conversion rates by 30%. (Source: https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2019/12/20/how-storytelling-boosts-content-marketing/)
Ambassadors typically already have a trusted relationship with their followers. This allows you to leverage trust by association.
Currently, 52% of brands are implementing brand ambassador programs to foster more authentic and meaningful connections with creators. When their audience sees them as a credible source, every recommendation they make feels genuine and reliable. (Source: https://www.aspire.io/blog/10-influencer-marketing-statistics-you-need-to-know-in-2023)
With over 12 million YouTube subscribers and 15 million Instagram followers, Emma’s relatable personality and strive for authentic content remains relevant and trusted among younger generations.
Her influence helps build credibility, as her followers are more likely to trust and try the products she promotes.
By aligning with Emma’s authenticity, Lancôme positions itself as more relatable and modern, appealing to consumers who value transparency and real connections with influencers.
Influencers create authentic content that resonates with their followers, helping your products reach a broader or niche market in a relatable way.
To get ahead of the game, a 2024 report suggested that 60% of those who responded to a survey related to the influencer marketing industry, who budget for influencer marketing, intend to increase their influencer marketing budget over 2024. (Source: https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/)
By partnering with influencers who focus in certain areas, you’re tapping into a highly targeted audience that’s more likely to connect with your product.
Here are 5 trending influencer niches for 2024:
Make sure you keep it dinamic by allowing creative freedom. Balancing branded content with organic influencer content can be a good idea when focusing on engagement rates.
From giveaways to story shout-outs, product reviews or event promotions, UGC driven by influencers can lead to engagement rates that are 28% higher than traditional brand content. (Source: https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics)
Smaller influencers often have a more personal relationship with their audience.
With micro influencers (10k - 100K) sharing sponsored posts 67% more often than macro influencers (100K - 500K), their followers are more likely to engage with and act on their content, providing a 2.8% higher instagram engagement rate than big following creators. (Sources: https://emplifi.io/resources and https://www.sprinklr.com/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics/)
Smaller influencers can offer substantial brand exposure at a more affordable rate, making them ideal for businesses with tighter budgets.
According to Spoutsocial, influencer pricing by 2023 generally went by:
Based on their engagement rates, this cost-effective approach usually delivers the desired results without large financial investments.
This partnership led to a significant boost in engagement, with one of Nespresso's Reels hitting 1M views, far surpassing their typical view counts.
Mathis is a popular influencer known for his stylish, culinary-focused lifestyle and his ability to connect with a young, dynamic audience.
His casual yet visually appealing content allowed for a seamless promotion of Nespresso, creating a relatable experience that resonated with both his and Nespresso's target market.
While it’s great to have someone represent your brand over time, it can also tie you down. If the relationship doesn’t go as planned, it can get tricky.
Make sure you always communicate your expectations clearly.
Since brand ambassadors often focus on very few brands, their account might lack dynamism, meaning you might miss out on new potential customers compared to influencers with a more varied, fresh audience.
The ambassador’s personal actions or controversies can reflect on your brand, so any shifts in their public image could have a lasting impact on your reputation.
The cost of influencer collaborations can be unpredictable, especially when dealing with influencers with larger followings.
You might end up spending a lot more than expected just for a short-term boost.
Influencers are usually great for short-term bursts of attention, but if you’re looking for deep, long-lasting relationships with your audience, you might find it harder to build that kind of loyalty with someone so used to a different plan of action.
As each influencer has their own unique style, you might have limited say in how they create or deliver the content. Keep in mind that trusting them with your brand means they might present it in a way that doesn’t always perfectly align with your vision.
As a brand, measuring the return on investment (ROI) of influencer marketing versus brand ambassador programs gives you a clear picture on how much you should reinvest in your next creative campaign.
On average, campaigns involving influencers yield an impressive return of $6.50 for every $1.00 spent, equating to a 6.5x% ROI.
This demonstrates the effectiveness of leveraging a trusted presence to promote your brand. (Source: https://brandchamp.io/blog/influencer-and-ambassador-marketing-is-delivering-huge-returns/)
Influencer marketing's ROI is 11 times higher than that of banner ads.
This contrast highlights how influencer campaigns often provide greater efficiency in reaching new consumers. (Source: https://nealschaffer.com/influence-marketing-roi/)
Ambassadors often become extensions of the brand, facilitating stronger emotional connections with consumers.
According to a study by Harvard Business Review, emotionally engaged customers are 3 times more likely to recommend a brand, and they spend 2 times more than customers who are less emotionally connected.
This deeper connection often results in a dedicated customer base more likely to repeat a purchase, therefore boosting ROI. (Source: https://hbr.org/2015/11/the-new-science-of-customer-emotions)
Influencers typically require compensation to promote your product or service, while brand ambassadors often share their support for a brand voluntarily as they are already consumers.
This makes brand ambassadors a more cost-effective choice.
By tapping into their genuine enthusiasm, your brand can enjoy ongoing promotion and loyalty without spending as much, which ultimately impacts on its return on investment.
In summary, both influencer marketing and brand ambassador programs provide great ROI compared to traditional marketing.
To get the most out of their efforts, you could try using both strategies: influencers for quick visibility and ambassadors for lasting trust and loyalty.
By recognizing the strengths of each, your brand can create more effective marketing strategies that connect with its target audiences.
Making the right choice of whom to partner with is crucial for your brand’s success. Before collaborating with creators who you think align with and can represent your brand, it is essential to consider your brand’s long-term goals.
If your goal is to build lasting, authentic relationships and establish ongoing trust with your audience, a brand ambassador is the way to go.
When aiming to create authentic connections through brand ambassadors, choose someone who resonates with your brand. Zoella, a UK-based influencer known for her relatable lifestyle content, has built deep, long-lasting connections with her audience.
Her partnerships with brands like FeelUnique and ASOS highlight her ability to foster trust and loyalty among followers.
If you’re looking for quick, high-impact results, such as promoting a product launch or creating immediate brand awareness, an influencer might be the better choice.
For fast results and increased exposure, opt for influencers with large, highly engaged followings. Addison Rae, a top TikTok influencer turned pop star with millions of followers consistently generates instant buzz.
Her ability to reach a broad audience quickly makes her an ideal choice for product launches or campaigns focused on driving immediate visibility and engagement.
If your brand targets a specific demographic or niche, working with micro/macro (<500K) influencers can be highly effective. Alyssa Coscarelli, a fashion and lifestyle influencer, excels at reaching eco-conscious and style-savvy audiences.
Known for her work with sustainable and independent brands like Staud and Réalisation Par, Alyssa taps into a dedicated community of consumers who share her values.
She’s a great fit for brands in the sustainable fashion or niche lifestyle sectors.
Some brands, like Adidas, combine both influencers for launches and ambassadors for long-term advocacy, offering the best of both worlds.
The right choice depends on whether your focus is on building deep relationships or maximizing immediate reach.
Brand ambassadors are generally more effective at fostering brand loyalty than influencers.
This is primarily because ambassadors build long-term relationships with the brand and its audience, creating deeper emotional connections and trust.
While influencers can provide immediate visibility and engagement, their impact tends to be short-lived compared to the sustained advocacy that ambassadors can offer.
A prime example of successful brand ambassador strategy is Nike. The company has partnered with athletes like Serena Williams and LeBron James, who embody the brand's values of perseverance, excellence, and empowerment.
The collaboration with Michael Jordan resulted in the creation of the iconic Air Jordan sneakers, which grew into a cultural phenomenon and multi-billion-dollar brand. Additionally, in Nike’s partnership with Serena Williams, she co-designed a custom catsuit for the 2018 French Open.
The brand not only showcases its collaborators in social media but involves them in every step of the process.
Whether it's the design, developing, or testing of a product, it's all hands on deck, allowing them creative freedom and input on its marketing campaigns.
Both examples showcase how Nike chooses ambassadors based on their passion and performance, prioritizing those who excel in their fields and authentically align with the brand’s values.
A notable example of Sephora’s influencer strategy is Miguel Ángel Vivas, a Latin TikTok influencer who became part of the Sephora Squad. Vivas, known for his beauty tutorials and creative makeup looks, brought a fresh and diverse perspective to Sephora’s audience.
His content resonated with his followers by showcasing Sephora products in an authentic and relatable way.
This vibrant approach further strengthened the brand's connection with the Latinx beauty community and expanded its TikTok reach.
Once you know what your brand needs, you can leverage your social media presence by partnering with those who contribute to your brand’s success.
Influencer marketing and brand ambassadors each bring distinct advantages that can greatly influence the growth of your brand. Influencers deliver instant visibility and engagement, while brand ambassadors offer lasting dedication and a deeper sense of brand loyalty.
The optimal decision depends on your business objectives. Whether it’s an influencer or a brand ambassador, your brand’s potential will thrive if it has someone committed and hardworking behind it.
