RISE OF THE BRAND AMBASSADOR: SOCIAL STAKE, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND POWER AMONG SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS

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2 RISE OF THE BRAND AMBASSADOR: SOCIAL STAKE, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND POWER AMONG SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS Brian Smith, Ph.D. Megan Kendall Devin Knighton Temi Wright Cody Blake Wilson Purdue University This project is associated with a Fulbright award

3 Ad vs. Ambassador post

4 Why Brand Ambassadors? Critical but under-examined stakeholder group Engage organizations through access and visibility of digital media Primarily external stakeholders, unofficial association Influence organization s brand, reputation, and relationships.

5 Literature Review Stakeholder Theory (Freeman, 1984) Organizations owe responsibility to groups that legitimate and support the organization s existence Brand ambassadors a unique stakeholder group Predominantly created through social media use and popularity as a vehicle for influence

6 Literature Review Social Media & Public Relations Often organization-centric Social media communication strategy & relationship cultivation the focus Need for public-focused insight Social Stake (Smith, 2010) Individual s sense of influence through and with their social media networks. Social legitimacy of social media users Values & risks of social media behavior vis-à-vis users social networks Identity, power, and considerations of an organization s socially responsible behavior all factor into a brand ambassador s sense of legitimacy.

7 Research Questions 1. How do brand ambassadors define "brand ambassadors" and how is this different from other forms of sales and representation? 2. How do brand ambassadors navigate their stake between the brand and publics?

8 Method Participants 14 Total interviews [ongoing] minutes Female (87% ) & Male (13%) Ages Had to self identify and be active online to participate Mixed industries: Fashion/lifestyle, health, technology, entertainment, other represented Focus of Interview Questions & Codes: 1. Identity 2. Sense of Influence 3. Power 4. CSR 5. Social Media Motivations

9 Emergent Themes Ambassador definition Compensation & feelings Ambassador influence Influence over others Ambassador power w/org Power over brand Social media use

10 Analysis Code: Ambassador Definition Identity and stake with both brand and consumer. Compensation, influence and power as motivators I think if you are an influencer, you are influencing someone to make a purchase or go somewhere or inspiring them to do something similar, and that includes power. That is powerful. (#8)

11 Analysis Theme: Compensation Reciprocity from the brand Money, materials, trips and/or giveaways or contests Because if I like their stuff then I ll be pretty motivated to work with them because who doesn t want free stuff that they ll really like? (#2)

12 Analysis Theme: Influence Intersection of ambassador identity and legitimacy with followers. Trust, honesty, perspective as means of exerting influence. I think if you re willing to be honest about your opinion about different things there s a certain level of charisma that people are drawn to you they want to talk to you and want to hear what you have to say. They see you as a source of information and they trust you like I said earlier. (#2) I really feel like influence is giving you a perspective to help you make an informed decision. (#4)

13 Analysis Theme: Power Dynamic between the brand and the ambassador. View selves as independent collaborators in the relationship, with autonomy and the ability to walk away If it s just in terms of me wanting to work with them, it just depends on what they re selling. Because if I like their stuff then I ll be pretty motivated to work with them because who doesn t want free stuff that they ll really like. But there are pretty of other brands that reach out to me that I m like ehh that doesn t interest me so it s not worth the time for the product. (#2)

14 Analysis Theme: CSR Awareness & interest in CSR, but little direct impact. Not actively involved, aware of CSR efforts, but agreed on importance. Corporate social responsibility is something I want to learn more about because I think it s a new expectation we have of our companies to do better and bring value in addition to just taking out money (#1) So finding a way to tie fashion to a charitable cause, I love that idea. Brands that do that I gravitate to even more. Because it shows that they have a social conscious and it shows that they re willing to do good. (#7)

15 Discussion Influence with followers Based on online community and ambassador identity Trust, honesty and independence from the brand as important factors for credibility & influence. Power in Org Relationship Built from the relationship with the brands. Brand ambassadors position selves as collaborators with power to reject or walk away from the brand. They seek to maintain their independence and distance from the brand to keep their own identity.

16 Practical Implications Social PR Brand ambassador as a strategy an important consideration for organizations, esp. in CSR Autonomy is important, compensation is flexible. Online Practice Social media as an effective space for building stakeholder relationships.

17 Questions? Contact Brian Smith Megan Kendall