Celebrating the Brand Ambassador

In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Adrian Biggs, Director of Trade Advocacy North America. Within this role, he is responsible for developing the strategy for the Brand Ambassador team's operations, activation, and fostering a culture within the advocacy program. Additionally, we have the honor of featuring Jen Marshall, who at the time of this episode was the Community Advocate at Casa Lumbre, focusing on developing program strategy and industry activation for Community Vodka. Jen Marshall has since transitioned to the role of Senior Trade Advocacy Specialist - National at Moet Hennessy. Show Notes Translating Hospitality Skillsets to Brand Success Adrian and Jen discuss the skill sets acquired in the hospitality industry that have seamlessly translated into their successful roles working for brands. They emphasize the significance of managerial experience as a major advantage when transitioning between the two sides, particularly in understanding what works for specific accounts and audiences. Learning from Observations and Politics They share the value of observing successful ambassadors, replicating effective strategies, and learning from the shortcomings of others. Adrian elaborates on navigating workplace politics and how it has broadened his perspective, emphasizing the importance of considering key players before presenting ideas. Navigating Career Progression Adrian delves into the best practices he employed to advance in his career, from being a Brand Ambassador for a vodka to leading a team of 70 as the Director of Advocacy. These practices include active listening, seizing opportunities to voice opinions, and consistently being prepared to present. They also discuss the post-Brand Ambassador career trajectory, stressing the importance of familiarizing oneself with sales and actively pursuing desired roles. Guidelines for Social Media Engagement The conversation turns to the guidelines followed for social media engagement, including adhering to industry standards such as DISCUS rules and leveraging tools like Grammarly. Adrian shares insights from a study on the impact of social media on bartender behavior and recommends using a brand’s social media as a research tool for interview preparation. Advocacy, Goals, and Culture They shed light on the steps taken to advance in their careers, emphasizing self-advocacy and the pursuit of meaningful goals. Jen shares her experiences and challenges working with "Community Spirit" vodka, a brand dedicated to giving back to the community, while Adrian discusses his approach to cultivating a cohesive culture among his team of Brand Ambassadors. Valuable Advice for Aspiring Brand Ambassadors The episode concludes with insightful advice from both guests, including the importance of networking, seeking mentorship, and mastering tools like PowerPoint through readily available resources such as YouTube tutorials. This episode offers invaluable insights into the world of trade advocacy and brand representation, providing practical guidance for aspiring and current professionals in the industry.

In this interview episode, we have the opportunity to hear from Leva O’Neal and Emmanuel Pena. Leva was employed at Lyre’s Spirit Co.and Manny was Brand Ambassador for Diplomatico Rum during this period of their careers. At the time, Leve O’Neal  held the position of Brand Ambassador Team Leader -Central & EAstern Europe with Lyre’s Spirit Co, while Manny served as the Brand Ambassador for Diplomatico Rum.. Since this interview took place, both individuals have moved on to new roles: Leva is currently working in Amsterdam, while Manny  now holds the position of CCO of Bosscal Mezcal.. Introduction In this episode, Manny and Leva delve into the world of Brand Ambassadors in the liquor industry, shedding light on the challenges, triumphs, and unique experiences they encounter in their roles. Challenges of Working in Different States Manny discusses the challenges of working as a Brand Ambassador in New Jersey, a franchise state, and the intricate politics of dealing with distributors within the state. Additionally, they explore the unique hurdles of working in control states such as Pennsylvania and Texas. Transition to Brand Ambassadorship The hosts share insights into their professional journeys, detailing their careers before becoming Brand Ambassadors and the driving forces that led them to take the leap into this role. They also touch on what specifically appealed to them about representing their respective brands. Alignment with Brand Values Leva emphasizes the importance of finding a brand that aligns with her personal values, highlighting the significance of this alignment in her role as a Brand Ambassador. Managing Stress and Challenges The discussion delves into the stress and challenges inherent in the role of a Brand Ambassador, offering valuable insights into how they effectively manage these demands. Additionally, they address the difficulties of saying no and share strategies for handling such situations. Preventing Burnout The hosts explore the factors that can be exhausting in their line of work and provide actionable tips for preventing burnout. They stress the significance of creating rituals to start and end the day as a means of maintaining balance and well-being. Trends and Industry Insights Leva and Manny share their perspectives on the evolving landscape of the liquor industry, with Leva focusing on the challenges and potential of selling a non-alcoholic brand, and Manny highlighting the emerging trends in the rum sector and its future trajectory. Building Relationships and Adapting Approaches The conversation extends to the art of building relationships with multiple distributors and adjusting approaches based on diverse cultural backgrounds. They also touch on their experiences with off-premise strategies and leveraging e-commerce to connect with consumers, especially during challenging times such as shutdowns. Differentiating Off-Premise and On-Premise Manny delves into the major differences between off-premise buyers and on-premise, offering valuable insights into the distinct dynamics of these two facets of the industry. Navigating Drinking Pressures and Non-Alcoholic Options The hosts discuss the pressures associated with drinking and the growing appeal of non-alcoholic cocktails, shedding light on the benefits and considerations surrounding this evolving trend. Insights from Experience Leva and Manny conclude the episode by reflecting on their experiences and sharing valuable insights they wish they had known when they first started as Brand Ambassadors. Conclusion This episode provides a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the world of Brand Ambassadors in the liquor industry, offering valuable perspectives on the challenges, strategies, and evolving trends within this dynamic space.

In this interview episode, we have the opportunity to hear from Nick Crutchfield and Laura Lashley, who were both employed at Diageo Wine and Spirits during this period of their careers. At the time, Nick Crutchfield was Division Educator with Diageo Hospitality Partnership, while Lauren Lashley served as the National Education Manager for @Seedlip. Since this interview, both individuals have moved on to new roles: Nick is currently serving as the Director of Advocacy for Lyres, while Laura now holds the position of On-Premise Manager for Northern California at Diageo.   Show Notes ·In our podcast episode, we delve into the actions taken by Nick and Laura within their hospitality careers that made them stand out to brands. We also explore their motivations for making a career change. ·  The transition to a new role often presents challenges, and we discuss the obstacles faced by our guests during this process. Furthermore, we explore how they effectively adapted to their new roles. ·  We emphasize the importance of promoting oneself and provide practical tips on how to accomplish this. It is crucial to showcase your achievements and abilities. ·  We highlight various courses that can enhance your career, such as Toast Masters and Excel. These educational opportunities can greatly amplify your professional growth. ·  Our guest, Nick, elaborates on the numerous benefits of being involved in Toast Masters. He shares insights on how this organization has positively impacted his personal and professional development. ·  Laura shares her experience of transitioning from a bartender to a Brand Ambassador. She candidly discusses the challenges she faced during this career change. ·  We share effective tactics for maintaining balance and organization in our lives. These strategies help us navigate our personal and professional responsibilities more efficiently. ·  Laura provides an insider's perspective on Seedlip's early days before it became part of Diageo. Her insights shed light on the brand's journey and growth. ·  Working for a small brand offers unique advantages and opportunities for skill development that may not be as readily available in larger companies. We explore these advantages in detail. ·  We provide valuable guidance on creating mutually beneficial relationships with accounts and offer key considerations to keep in mind during the process. ·  Clear communication with stakeholders about the role and responsibilities of a Brand Ambassador is essential. We emphasize the importance of effectively conveying expectations and limitations. ·  Training distributors on best practices in both in-person and virtual settings is crucial. We discuss the do's and don'ts of this training process. ·  Nick and Laura reflect on their experiences and share the knowledge they wish they had possessed earlier in their careers. 

In this interview, I had the pleasure of interviewing Aleka Ross for Hotaling.co and Daniella Solano from Makers Mark.   These two ladies hold jobs similar to being Brand Ambassadors, but slightly different @Aleka Ross is the  Business Development Manager in SF @Hotalingco, and Daniella Solano a NY Diplomat for @makersmark.    In this episode, we dive into what exactly that means and such more, including: Aleka and Daniella - discuss what their roles and responsibilities are  Why it is important for BA’s to have direct access to the Distillers  Brief interlude story about how I was introduced to Junipero Gin The ladies discuss how they keep the brands top of mind with the Distributor  Alex- creates a newsletter with important information, sales sheets and events How to streamline your brands to only focus on the ones that connect to them. Daniella explains why she has the title of NY Diplomat and not Brand Ambassador. Daniella & AleKa speaks to the advantages and disadvantages of working with a big brand. The ladies share stories about working for other companies, and the valuable lessons they learned, good and bad.   We discuss how to choose the right job at the right stage of your life.  The importance of speaking to people within a company to get a sense of what it is like working for this company. Before you take a job decide how you want to spend your time day to day.  Learning to say no to things that will not help you get to the next level. Learning to say no to things and why you should.  How to build relationships with the sales reps, how and when to say no.  What gives them anxiety and tools they have used to help manage it and be better at your job. 

This week on Episode 28 of "Celebrating the Brand Ambassador," I have the pleasure of interviewing Zach Berger then Brand Ambassador for Edrington and Tommy Mauriello, NY Area Manager for Edrington.  Zach shares his incredible story about how he was discovered behind the bar and why he made the leap to become an Ambassador. We discuss why being “on” all the time is so important to building your career. Tommy discusses the differences between a Brand Ambassador and a Market manager and where there is crossover. Tommy discusses what the role of area manager entails.  They discuss the importance of being part of the internal brand conversations and how many Ideas get crushed and why. What an Ambassador can you do to get their ideas accepted We discuss the challenges of switching from bartender to brand ambassador. Why and how to schedule PTO  Why doing your reporting is so important. Tommy discusses best practices of how a  BA should work with the distributor  Tommy discusses what a BA can do to build relationships with sales team and what practices could ruin your relationship. Zach discusses how he helps reps achieve their goal and make them an advocate for your brand. Zach shares best practices of using the cost per ounce to sell in your product.  We discuss how to conduct the casual training across the bar.  Tommy and Zach speak to the challenges of switching from representing known brands to unknown brands and how they overcome it. What hard lessons have they learned and would like to share with others.

This week on Episode 27 of "Celebrating the Brand Ambassador," I had the pleasure of interviewing, Nathan S. Reffell, the Multicultural Brand Ambassador for Bacardi and Kyle McHugh Director of Advocacy for Samsung and Surrey. If you like what you hear please subscribe and leave a review. Show Notes Discuss their current roles and responsibilities, Nate as the Grey Goose Brand Ambassador in Texas and Kyle as Director of Brand Advocacy for Simon Surrey. Nate- Shares how he went from Bartender to Brand Ambassador Kyle shares the story of his history in the industry and how he landed his role at Samson Surrey Nate- shares how he came to learn about Grey Goose and the challenges of promoting vodka Nate - gives a great demonstration of how to place your brand messaging into a conversation organically Nate- speaks to how he made bartenders advocate for the brands Kyle talks about the early days of Brand Ambassadorship and how he first became a Master of Whisky Kyle discusses the training program created, so each ambassador earned the title "Master of Whisky." Tactics we have each learned to give better presentations. Nate discusses how entering competitions change his career. Nate speaks to his new role as the multi-cultural role for Bacardi We discuss why getting out of your comfort zone is vital to spend time in different neighborhoods and communities. Kyle speaks to some of Samson and Surrey's efforts to build a more diverse and inclusive community. Kyle explains why your career development plan is essential for building a well-rounded BA team. Why goals are important to your career Being careful about social media and what unexpected consequences it can have. Kyle speaks to how BA's should approach the off-premise. We all discuss how to have a successful work with - do's and don't Kyle and Nathan share last words of advice

This week on Episode 26 of "Celebrating the Brand Ambassador," I had the pleasure of interviewing, Kirsten, "Kitty" Amann @drinkinglikekitty, the MA / NH Brand Steward for @UncleNearest Premium Whiskey and author of Drinking Like Ladies and Camille Austin also known as “La Loba Alpha”, the Director of Advocacy for Mexican craft spirits company @CasaLumbre. ⁠ Show notes Camille and Kitty introduce themselves, their roles, and what their responsibilities are Camille and Kitty share their backstories of where they work within the hospitality industry and why and how they transitioned into the brand side of the business. Camille speaks about keeping her word as a buyer and how it all comes back around. Kitty speaks about what it is like working with the legendary Fawn Weaver and Uncle Nearest. Camille speaks to the importance of creating her own identity as a brand ambassador. We each speak about what we did to build our brands above and beyond our company, including Camille creating a wolf character, "La Loba Alpha" or she-wolf, Kitty writing a book, and me working on Bar Rescue and beyond. Kitty tells how the book “Drinking with Ladies” came to be. Camille speaks to the fact that we are in the business of telling stories, and how we tell our stories can make us stand out in the industry. Kitty talks about the research she did at the beginning of her career and Uncle Nearest to better understand the black-owned businesses in Boston and discover how much she did not know and what she did to overcome it. Camille talks about the ways of working within her company, the importance of the advocacy team working alongside the marketing team, and what this looks like. We each speak to the challenges and the benefits of working within the off-premise and some of the best practices learned. Kitty discusses what to expect when visiting the " Uncle Nearest Distillery." Camille speaks about the importance of not getting caught up in the minutia and seeing the big picture. Tactic to get over the fear of "I am not good enough," Both share last words of advice they wish they had known when they started.

Episode 25 of "Celebrating the Brand Ambassador," I had the pleasure of interviewing, Jordan Zimmerman @Jzimmerman_tx  Premium Whiskey Education & Advocacy Leader at @Brown-Forman and then Brand Ambassador for The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky Cam Millar. Don't forget to hit subscribe to stay up to date on the latest episodes and please leave us a review. In this episode we discussed: What their roles are and all the responsibilities that fall under their roles. Cam discusses how he discovered the role of Whisky Ambassador as a person not coming from the cocktail industry and what he did to prepare for the role. Why being authentic is the approach to the role. Jordan discusses how they honed in their hiring by focusing on the skilsets that you cannot training: Being able to connect Willingness to learn Things that Jordan and I did to grow in our roles and connect with the trade as outsiders to the industry. What they did to educate themselves to become comfortable giving any presentation. How do you handle the question that you do not know the answer to and establish your expertise - Cam speaks to some of the interviews he conducted during the pandemic that not around McCallan but more about life, culture etc..  Keeping it topical but not tone deaf to what was happening in the world. Jordan speaks about bringing social media to the forefront during the pandemic. Standard guideline to follow on Social. Cam discusses how he helps bartenders become advocates for your brand  - (50:13) Jordan discusses how out of necessity she developed a digital google form for BA’s to fill out for every activations to streamline legal approval to get the yes. Jordan discusses keeping a folder of templates that can easily filled out by BA’s and be easily legally approved i.e. menus, invites etc. Cam discusses best practices of working with Distributor by being proactive and managing upwards to make sure you are both able to achieve your goals. Jordan - discusses why being selective with your reps is so beneficial to your success and what leg work you can do beforehand to make you are paired with the right one. The value of saying “no” Great practices of coming back into the market after covid. Advice to new brand ambassadors such as: Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Write down your Why- why do you love this job Nobody knows how to do this job. Have a goal

In Episode 24 I have the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Pullen then Vice President of Trade Marketing at Q Mixers and Stelio PapadoPoulos based in Greece, the co-owner of the Tequila bar Barro Negro and  the Global Brand Ambassador for Jose Cuervo. Stelios and Anthony share the stories of their interesting careers before going into hospitality. Stelios was a seaman working on Cargo ships, and how and when he switched to working with Cuervo. Anthony speaks to how he was supposed to be a rugby player; when that didn't work out, he went back to college, got a degree in chemistry, and ended up working with Procter Gamble before realizing the hospitality industry was more his speed. Both speak to their time as flare bartenders in the past. Both speak to the tactics they use to build and maintain their networks around the globe, including: Be curious and be engaging. Have intentions for your interactions, especially when they are brief. When you have limited time in a mark, plan your time carefully to connect with the right people. Writing down conversations and critical information points to remember details about the people you meet. Anthony shares a great tip about using the reminder function on your apple phone to trigger a reminder not at a particular time but in a specific place. Within this reminder, you can input all the information about the account, including names, conversations, etc.. Using google maps to create a report of where you went, who you met, and conversations you had in each city. We speak to quality vs. quantity conversations- Why having four meaningful connections is better than ten meaningless ones. Stelios speaks to how he gained his passion for Tequila from Tomas Estes, the steps he took to earn his CRT tequila certificate, and his recommendation of how to understand a category truly. They discuss best practices for building relationships with the distributor, including: Knowing your distributor's portfolio so you do not present a competitor's product. Being a former bartender helps brand ambassadors to be an excellent middlemen between the bars and the sales rep. Anthony speaks to his philosophy of selling a signature cocktail, over focusing on selling cases and why and how it has worked. 2nd Tactic he used to convince bars to utilize a more expensive canned soda over the cheaper soda gun. Stelios speaks to how he convinces an account to bring in more Tequila in a country where most accounts only carry two. Stelios, Anthony, and I give final words of advice to all new BAs doing the job.

On this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing  "Robert Mariana" Italian-born mixologist, currently living in London working as the Global Project Manager at Martini for the iconic MARTINI brand, its vermouths & bitters. Along with "Cameron George,"  a Whisky evangelist born and raised in Seattle, Washington, spreading the word about whisky around the  USA  as the National Brand Ambassador for Ardbeg, the 4x reigning World Whisky Distillery of the Year. Cameron and Roberta start by speaking about their past experiences working as bartenders. They share their challenges of first becoming a Brand Ambassador: Finding balance in their life. The adjustment to corporate life and their communication style when presenting a solution to a problem. Learning to schedule their time relentlessly while learning to live in the grey when things don't go as planned. The lesson of knowing you're worth, when to stand up for yourself and when to roll with the punches. Why pictures are critical when creating a needs list for events, video shoots, etc., to ensure you receive what you request and other shortcuts to execute an event efficiently. Actions they take to maintain their network around the globe. How to provide value to others, and how that helps you expand and deepen your network relationships. Cameron speaks about using his platform to increase diversity and inclusion within the Scotch industry. Roberta speaks about using her platform to help others achieve health and wellness, including the Martini Rossi Bartender bike program. Cameron speaks about competitions and how to use them to build your career and get noticed by brands, and hone your skill sets. We all speak to mistakes made early in our careers when giving presentations, including trying to mimic other people's styles. How finding your presentation style and speaking to the things you connect to is more important than presenting what is on the slide. How to make technical information relatable Roberta explains why it is crucial to understand the big picture behind the brand and the value you, as a BA, bring to the table. Lastly, they both speak to the challenges of creating and implementing cocktail strategies for the brands.