All companies big or small needs someone to represent them. And most big companies hire celebrities for this purpose. They sign contracts worth crores and get these celebrities to endorse their brand. They do signings, launch products and are covered in press releases.
Unfortunately, that’s not the luxury that startup founders have! But then who can become our brand ambassadors? The CEOs of course.
A CEO in a startup just doesn’t have to be the lead for business development and marketing. He should also be the spokesperson for the startup. I would go so far to say that the CEO has to be the brand he is representing. Take Steve Jobs, for instance. He positioned Apple as an inspiring brand by himself taking launch event speeches and endorsements and giving that communication in his media statements. Elon Musk for Tesla could be another example. Here are three reasons why the CEO has to be the brand ambassador:
You know your brand best
No one can tell what your startup is going to look like; except you, the CEO. Because you have envisioned it. You know its rights, its wrongs, its wins, its losses, its successes and its failures and there is no one better to talk about them than you. When you give a press conference or launch a product or communicate with the journalists, you are the best person to talk about your brand.
Feedback loop is completed
Brand ambassadors often get direct queries and complaints and feedbacks. Customers will walk down to a brand ambassador at a launch event and ask him queries on things that matter to the customer. Imagine if someone else is your spokesperson, he will be taking that feedback and he may or may not be having the time or the interest to communicate the same to you. But if you are the brand ambassador yourself, the feedback comes to you first-handed. You get praised and bashed on social media. But at least you know what is going right or wrong with your company and can use those suggestions to keep improving your product.
CEOs are the startup culture
A company is made of its employees. And a startup has very few of them. Obviously whatever the CEO and the founders are, become a part of day to day startup life. A CEO thus not just represents the brand but also the company culture and thus it makes it easier to attract prospective partners, clients and future employees when he himself is the spokesperson.
If you have any queries write to Rajeev@TBSPlanet.com.
Rajeev Tamhankar
@rajeevtamhankar
Rajeev Tamhankar is IIT-R Alumnus, Entrepreneur of The Year’17 (Print Business) and the Founder of TBS Planet Comics