Meet the brand ambassadors
These Guys and Gals
Have the Power to Sell
Alia Akkam

A DAY IN THE LIFE
From training bar staff on a brand’s distinctive qualities, to hosting consumer events at local accounts to sitting in on marketing meetings and offering insights from “the field,” the role of a brand ambassador is vast. Just like government diplomats, this is one crew that logs in thousands of air miles a month to promote their respective brands, never letting cramped seats and lost luggage sour their dedication.

According to Chris Patino, Pernod Ricard’s manager of brand specialists and trade education, “If a brand ambassador is doing their job right, no two days should look the same. Sure there are goals to meet, trainings to conduct and meetings to attend, but the beauty of the role of brand ambassador is that you never know what exactly is in store for you.”

Every morning, Angus Winchester, Tanqueray brand ambassador, starts off by checking his emails and reading blogs to see what’s been percolating in the world of gin. “If I am in one of my markets, then I will often have a lunch meeting where I will interact with anyone from sales teams to distributors to bartenders, and teach them about gin and Tanqueray, or coach them on how to serve or sell it better,” he says. “It’s then off to visit some account to see what people are doing with the brand.” After a dinner, often with distributors or media, he’s off again, “either to do some research and development by seeing more bars, or if I am lucky, guest bartending, where I use a special menu and get to make some people’s evening.”

The day is just as packed for Bernie Lubbers, “Whiskey Professor” of Beam Global Brand Education, who spreads the word about Maker’s Mark and Beam’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection: “On a typical day I will fly into a city, meet with our local sales team and visit a popular bourbon account to chat with the owner, management and staff. Then I’ll visit our distributor partner and give a talk to the sales staff on the bourbon category and our brands, and offer tips on how to sell certain brands into liquor stores or in bars and restaurants,” he says. “The evening will usually feature a bourbon dinner at an account in which consumers are invited to attend and learn more about America’s native spirit.”

FACE TO FACE MARKETING
Brand ambassadors may be criss-crossing the globe in the name of beverage alcohol, and the payoff might be worth it. Take Charlotte Voisey for instance. After opening Apartment 195 in London, she served as Hendrick’s U.S. brand ambassador, before becoming William Grant & Sons USA’s company mixologist. Similarly, Simon Ford, who was the international face of Plymouth Gin, tackled a new position as Pernod Ricard USA’s director of brand education and trade outreach. Hardworking brand ambassadors have a chance to evolve within brand structures.

But is the investment worth it to suppliers? Jo Ann Craner, senior brand manager of Appleton Estate Jamaica Rums thinks yes: “Willy Shine of Contemporary Cocktails is our brand ambassador. He oversees four additional local market brand ambassadors in New York, Boston, San Francisco and Miami. All of them help us gain exposure to their inner circle of mixologists. They can speak about our offerings—the complexities of the products, depth of flavors and how their flavor profiles enhance various styles of luxury cocktails. Their direct connection is unsurpassed in delivering information.”

Brands require different approaches from each of its brand ambassadors. Patino believes the value depends on what the brand is trying to achieve in the marketplace: “Not all brands need someone who can go toe-to-toe with tier one bartenders and discuss why the size and shape of the ice used in a cocktail will affect the outcome of the drink. Some brands simply need a friendly face to remind consumers that they are still there, or that they have a new product on the market.”

Knowing the nuances of the product they’re promoting is obviously an asset, but a truly successful brand ambassador also needs to be enthusiastic. “My connection with rum is directly linked to my birthplace in the Caribbean,” reveals Juan Coronado, Bacardi’s brand master. “If I have to use a word to describe it I’ll use passion, because that is my fuel.”

For Jim Ryan, Hendrick’s brand ambassador, his job is a pure reflection of his love for the gin: “When I was going through the interview process for the ambassador position, I literally asked myself, Is Hendrick’s a gin that I can allow myself to focus on? Is this a brand that I can travel endlessly, wake up and fall asleep to? Well, clearly the answer was a resounding yes.”

The ability to delineate a brand’s unique message is another must. As a female representing one of the world’s most storied Scotches, Glenfiddich’s brand ambassador, Heather Greene, has a particularly unique role. “When I speak about whisky at an event, it becomes less alienating to a non-typical whisky drinker in attendance,” she says. “Loyalists tend to open up a bit more with me, so that I can really get in there and see the gaps in understanding and education. Glenfiddich was a pioneer in its category, and I think that having a woman ambassador for this world-renowned whisky keeps that pioneering spirit alive.”

Quick thinking is vital to any brand ambassador on the rise. “One has to have the ability to hit the ground running as time is often tight—you have to meet new people, size up a city’s bar scene and get moving within hours of stepping off a plane,” says winchester. “And, there are some less well-trained ambassadors who work for less well-known or credible brands, and if they got there first sometimes you have to de-program your audience before you can start telling them about what a wonderful product Tanqueray, or, even gin is.”

For Lubbers, he believes his past life as a stand-up comic gave him a leg up as a brand ambassador: “Being able to stand in front of an audience and deliver a message—whether that is a room of 150 sales people or a staff of four at a restaurant—is very important. My approach is always tailored to the audience. I teach about the category, not just about our brands, so they can go out afterwards, read a bourbon label and make up their own mind about a purchase instead of just looking at how pretty a bottle is. I’ve found that people really enjoy becoming more knowledgeable instead of just seeing how we distill something.”

THE BARTENDER: AN AMBASSADOR’S BEST FRIEND

One of a brand ambassador’s essential roles is developing cocktails. If they are not comfortable shaking and experimenting on the fly, there is no amount of product information that can give them the proper street cred. Creating new cocktails and building a rapport with the on-premise is any brand’s mission. For a brand like Tanqueray, where a Tanqueray No. 10 and tonic is one of the most popular bar calls around, one might think Winchester’s job is made. He, however, disagrees. “In the U.S. there is great brand recognition and love, but often, familiarity brings contempt, and bartenders often crave the new and odd rather than the stylish and classic,” he notes. “But when we get the bartenders to overlook the hype and just try the product, we soon regain the respect it deserves. It doesn’t matter how slick I am; it’s the product realities that help rather than reputation.”

Interacting with bartenders, constantly reminding them why the said brand is the best is often achieved when bars invite brand ambassadors in for the evening. In New York City, this is very apparent at Louis 649 where Tuesday Night Tastings often feature brand ambassadors showing off their products, from Suntory Whisky’s Gardner Dunn to Willie Tait flaunting the nuances of Scotch with samplings from The Dalmore, where Tait is also the master distiller, to Claire Smith of Belvedere vodka showing off the latest flavor developments. This casual forum, which tends to attract numerous trade tastemakers, is a great platform for new brands like Ilegal mezcal to introduce themselves. At La Biblioteca, the Tequila shrine in the basement of Zengo in Midtown, each Tuesday evening is devoted to a guest speaker from a Tequila or mezcal brand. Recently, Ruben Aceves, the Guadalajara, Mexico-based brand ambassador for Casa Herradura appeared, introducing guests to the portfolio’s selections.

“The key is to transform bartenders and decision makers into believers so they can deliver the legacy and beauty of Bacardi rums to their customers. I always try to leave my cocktail fingerprint into cocktail menus across the country,” reveals Coronado.
Ryan, meanwhile, loves reaching new bartenders: “While Hendrick’s has gained a lot of traction lately, and the bartenders and customers that know about this marvelous little gin are dedicated to it, the general awareness of Hendrick’s has a whole lot of room for growth. The transformation from trial to loyalty that I witness bartenders and customers go through is one of the most exciting parts of my job.”

Greene, while stressing the importance a bartender plays in promoting Glenfiddich, feels it’s only part of the package. “They are an important building block for reaching the consumer, and my hope after a visit is that they understand what is so special about Glenfiddich,” she says. “I was a bartender for many years in Manhattan, and I think that is also the key to communicating with a bartender—understanding where they come from, speaking to them about their world and ultimately helping them to get excited about the brand so that they can effectively communicate to the consumer after I leave.”

The relationship between a brand ambassador and bartender is invaluable. As Patino points out, “Before you can gain the respect of the trade, you must gain their trust. It’s a slow build versus a five case drop. You are basically forming a partnership based on mutual admiration, which takes time, but once you have developed that relationship the possibilities are limitless—just don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.”

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