Until a year ago, Miss Nepal 2010, Sadichha Shrestha, was the face of Everest Bank Limited (EBL), which, upon appointing Shrestha as its brand ambassador, also launched “Sadichha Deposit” to infiltrate the youth market and encourage sound investment from an early age  while also creating a collective fund for the underprivileged youth. Given her influential impression on the youth as former Miss Nepal, Shrestha made for an ideal choice to present EBL. Other popular celebrity brand endorsements in the country are actor duo MaHa Jodi , Madan Krishna Shrestha and Hari Bansha Acharya, who represent Sanima Bank Limited and Shikhar Insurance; cricketer and current captain of Nepal national cricket team Paras Khadka who has represented National Life Insurance Company Ltd, ABC Choice Noodles, clothing brand UFO, European automobile brand Fiat and cricket gear producer SM Company; and prominent actor Rajesh Hamal, the face of Wai Wai noodles, Dabur Chyawanprash, and Cosmic Yin Yang, Nepal’s first motorbike, among others.

If a brand is the name for a company, its brand ambassador, who embodies the brand he or she is endorsing, is its personification. Brand ambassadors are more than just a face on your product; they humanise it and provide credible visibility and promotion in desirable demographics or target groups by exerting their influential persona. They embody the corporate identity of the company they are representing and champion the brand they are endorsing. Celebrity brand endorsements are a popular PR strategy and a powerful marketing tool as they are seen as a reliable and trustworthy source with an established following, and have a large, and often influential, presence in the media.

Given the influential power in a brand ambassador’s advocacy, choosing the ideal celebrity for your key spokesperson, while optional, can be a critical decision. Tripti Dhungana, Executive of Department of Public Relations at Prisma Advertising, shares, “A brand ambassador acts as a catalyst to promoting brand recognition by involving themselves personally and, to an extent, emotionally, with the promise and vision of the brand that they are endorsing. In this way, they act as one of the greatest communications and marketing tools that inspire customers, who place trust in the ambassador and value their choices, to buy the product and simulate brand recognition through positive word of mouth.”

“Choosing a well-liked celebrity to represent your brand creates more than just a buzz in the market for your product, it inspires the public that idolises said celebrity to test the product they are endorsing with enthused anticipation,” elaborates Dhungana. However, Subu Shrestha, Executive Director of Advantage Group, is careful not to overrate a brand ambassador’s importance. He shares, “Brand ambassadors are not as important as people think. Every brand does not need a brand ambassador because most of the time, people end

up remembering the ambassador but forgetting the brand they are endorsing. Brand ambassadors are rather used by brands targeting instant recognition, and that are looking for the goodwill of the ambassador to rub off positively on the brand.”

Shrestha further expands on choosing the ideal brand ambassador for your product and shares, “Just reflecting the image and values of your corporation is not enough. It is only when your ambassador embodies the essence of the brand and is someone that is admired or emulated by the target audience that the brand alignment bears fruit. A quick example: a lifestyle brand could rope in a musician that reflects the brand’s image and values, but if the core target audience doesn’t listen to this star’s music all too much, then it’s a faulty alignment.” Extensive market research into the target audience is of the utmost importance; so that the appointed brand ambassador fits the profile and is able to exert positive influence on prospective customers, inspiring goodwill and driving sales. It is only then that having a representative for your brand translates to success.

Dhungana elaborates on the cost-effectiveness of brand endorsement with well-liked personalities by linking their social influence to their social media. She confides, “These days, social media is a strong platform for real time marketing and branding, and we all know it takes an entire army to win a battle. The current market is on a marathon; every brand in the market is aggressive in PR; so having a celebrity represent your brand helps spread the brand in not only said celebrity’s social circle but also on their social media that has the ability to reaching out to hundreds and thousands of customers in just a click.”

However, despite the potential advantages of affiliating your product with a brand ambassador, it is crucial to reiterate that appointing a brand ambassador to represent your product is at the discretion of the company and isn’t a pre-requisite for success. Shrestha disagrees that the decision to associate a well-liked personality to your brand is fundamental, saying, “Appointing a brand ambassador cannot be a make or break situation. If such is the case then you don’t have a credible brand to begin with. The right ambassador will create added value, synergy and visibility to the brand, but the ambassador is not the brand and should never be.”