Brand Ambassador vs Sponsor: What’s the difference?

If you’ve spent any time on social media at all, you have probably come across terms like ‘brand ambassador,’ ‘sponsored’ and ‘endorsed.’ So, what do they actually mean? And what’s the difference? Most importantly, as a brand, which should you be investing in?

What is a brand ambassador?

A brand ambassador is someone who helps to promote a brand or product. They’re usually someone with some influence – whether that’s because they’re a celebrity or because they’ve built up a decent following through blogging or social media.

Essentially a brand ambassador acts as a spokesperson for the brand. They’ll use their influence to encourage their community to buy a brand’s products or services.

You might be wondering what makes someone a brand ambassador rather than just an influencer. Well, becoming a brand ambassador is something that many influencers strive for. Not only does it formalise their relationship with a brand, but it also tends to signal a long-term relationship, rather than just a short, one-off collaboration

What is sponsorship?

Sponsorship in marketing is when a brand (the sponsor) aligns itself with something or someone, usually to boost brand awareness.

Most often, a brand will align itself to an aspect of another brand – for instance, an event like a sports match or conference. Depending on the agreement, they might offer money or other resources in return for advertising (their branding featured on posters and banners, for example).

But in reality, brands could choose to sponsor pretty much anything, including TV programmes or even celebrities – which is where sponsorship can start to look very similar to the role of a brand ambassador!
Brand ambassadors vs sponsored athletes, musicians, etc

So, we’ve touched upon the similarities between brand ambassadors and sponsored individuals at surface level. But now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Here, we’ll look at how brand ambassadors and sponsored athletes, musicians or artists compare in a range of different ways.

The individual

Brand ambassadors and sponsored individuals can both take many different forms. But brand ambassadors tend to vary much more in terms of who they are and why they’re in a position to be able to promote a brand.

Generally, anyone could be engaged as a brand ambassador who has a certain level of influence over others and is in a position to be able to encourage a community to buy a brand’s products or services.

On the other hand, individuals who are getting sponsored tend to fit a much smaller description. They tend to be professionals in a field that gives them a decent amount of visibility – as opposed to professional influencers. Brands can therefore link themselves to these individuals in the same way as they would a sports team, event or TV programme, to increase their brand awareness.

Promotional activities

In general, sponsorship comes with a more formal requirement – promotional activities tend to be agreed upon at the outset of a partnership and incorporated into a contract. Activities might include using a brand’s products in public, mentioning the partnership in their social media bios, taking part in photo shoots, creating a set number of social media posts per month or even attending expositions to represent the brand.

On the other hand, a brand ambassador will be much more left to their own devices in terms of how they choose to promote a partner brand. Whether their audience is on social media, readers of a blog or elsewhere, it tends to be a brand ambassador’s responsibility to leverage their audience in whatever way they feel will resonate and achieve the best results for their brand partner. In this way, it’s a relationship that’s built on trust and mutual respect.

Remuneration

So, how do brand ambassadors and sponsored individuals get paid? Well, that will vary hugely depending on the agreement reached. That said, typically, sponsored individuals will get paid more than brand ambassadors – as much as $1 billion in the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s the richest Nike athlete in the world after signing a lifetime endorsement deal.

Exclusivity

Wondering where brand ambassadors and people who are being sponsored stand with regard to exclusivity? Well, sponsored athletes, musicians and artists will usually be expected to promote their brand partner and its product exclusively – this generally comes down to the fact that someone who’s being sponsored will typically be compensated more than a brand ambassador.

Often, a sponsored athlete will have multiple sponsors, but they’ll all be from non-competing brands. For instance, a professional tennis player might have a racket sponsor and an apparel or footwear sponsor.

Competitiveness

Many individuals who are suited to being brand ambassadors wouldn’t necessarily be suited to sponsorship opportunities. This is especially true for influencers who have made a name for themselves on social media.

Well, sponsorship opportunities nowadays are relatively few and far between, largely because of the prominence of influencers who are happy to promote a product for a small discount or commission. Ultimately, the more athletes, musicians and artists agree to promote a brand without receiving much in return, the less a brand will feel the need to invest in more expensive deals.

Sponsorship vs endorsement

To complicate matters still more, you may have heard the term ‘endorsement’ bandied about. So, where does this fit in? Well, endorsement is essentially a type of sponsorship.

Sponsorship is a general term that encompasses brands that link themselves to events, charities, sports teams, TV programmes, sportspeople and more. On the other hand, endorsement refers to a type of sponsorship where an individual is paid to actually stand behind – or ‘endorse’ – a brand, product or service.

Last line

So, it’s clear that the brand ambassador vs sponsor debate isn’t black and white. The terms can mean different things to different people, and the terms are often used interchangeably. However, one thing is clear – both sponsorship and brand ambassadors deserve a place in your marketing strategy.