Exante Striker VI: The Era of Evangelists and AI-based Business Enhancement

Brand evangelism isn’t even new. It’s basically word-of-mouth marketing, a concept that existed even before the Industrial Revolution. The difference between this and official endorsers is that the personalities are not representing the products or services of the company for specific periods.

With brand evangelism, you’re producing figures that support your vision. They’re saying your message as if they are a part of you. Evangelists can be the business owner, company personnel, or even consumers – the range is practically as wide as it can be.

Take a look at successful examples like Apple, BMW, and Adidas – according to a 2017 study by Cohn & Wolfe. These three brands radiate their message and vision through its leadership, its campaigns, advocacies, and even in the way they work.

See how their leaders and representatives speak on-stage, online, and off the camera. The late Steve Jobs was a clear example of Apple’s innovative spirit, which he made consumers and even competitors feel outright. BMW’s Tobias Weber, Head of Brand & Entertainment Cooperations and KOL Relations, is a prime example of a figure who understands the intricacies of refined lifestyles and technological forward-thinking. Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted heads a company that believes that through sport, they can change lives – which they are doing in numerous efforts worldwide.

These figures are not only leaders in their respective companies but also as personas. They embody what their brands represent. Evangelists have this quality that brings forth movements: a genuine character.

The best way to forward this movement is with authenticity. Embody what your company vision and mission outlines you would do. Support advocacies you stand for – whether it’s for the environment, social subjects, or causes. Develop excellent products that serve to answer needs and wants of people and not just current customers.

Evangelists are your vanguard, helping you mould your business in the eyes of the community you serve.

Brand evangelism starts with yourself. If you’re a company leader – say, the CEO, part of the leadership or top management, or even middle management – you’re the key to the authenticity movement.

What you speak turns into what you do, and this is what sets leaders apart from bosses. True leaders are followed as they are a motivational force rather than a driving force. They focus on their external and internal customers and use their strengths to leverage them.

If you’re excited to start the concept, here are the steps you can take to “convert” yourself, customers, and even employees into evangelists:

1. Research and Envision

Knowledge is power, and in creating a path for evangelists to take it is also a necessity. Have you asked yourself what your vision and mission means to you? Have you made it a point of focus for your stakeholders and associates? If not, then it is your first priority. Find out what are problems or wishes you can solve through your products and services. See what people need and want.

Once you have a solid image of what your company is, it’s time to make it a “who.”

Open up your mind and envision your brand as a personified set of ideals. Can people identify with your brand? Can you identify yourself with your brand? If your answer is no, then you should rethink how you can better relate to the brand, and live with it as its “partner.”

If your answer is yes, then congratulations. All you need to do now is live the ideals you and the company share. Afterwards, it’s time to make “friends.”

What kind of people does your brand want to be associated with first?

We’re not talking about endorsers – that’s the other way around. Evangelists can have different personas, albeit being aligned to your brand. Take for example athletes for sports brands – they differ in profession and personality, and yet can still be the living, breathing models of your brand come to life.

Write down the kind of people you are willing to support and build up. Evangelists can come from various walks of life, and are determined to show their peers, loved ones and colleagues how your brand is part of their life.

A board that identifies the possible outcomes can help serve as a compass for your marketing and leadership to tap and maximise.

3. Empower People and Be Relatable

The last step is to forge strong relationships with your brand evangelists. Give them value, recognition, and appreciation. Invite them to your events. Feature them in social media. Ignite their passions by creating campaigns that forward their advocacy or platform.

See how Unilever brought about monumental impact to the world – not just its consumers – with the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.

Likewise, the community you serve and the community at large should be able to see your brand and vision as entities they can trust. Creating this relatable persona in the age of omni-channel presence is a must.

You may play around the steps a bit, but what’s important is to understand the gist of what brand evangelism can do for your brand. It starts by becoming an embodiment of your company’s ideals.

When you are empowering people in a forward-thinking manner, you should also empower your organisation with progressive technology.

Where human interaction is most efficient in the front, AI is best at running in the background. Employing the help of software robots in the right places and roles will surely boost your company’s performance.

It is estimated that the AI market will grow to more than $47 billion by 2020, as it grows to become a necessity in future-ready businesses. The power of AI in handling complex calculations, providing transparency and security and analytics, is only further improving their reputation. Machine learning is also augmenting the capabilities of AI to make a secure backbone for digital company infrastructures.

Many firms in competitive industries such as financial services, retail, and trade benefit from enhanced risk analysis, KPI monitoring and more through AI processing.

How do you employ AI to help your business?

1. First you introduce AI to relevant stakeholders, with the intention of helping them grasp the concept of how AI can benefit their work and augment their productivity. It’s meant to help them, not conflict with them.

2. Next is to gauge what kind of AI implementation should be made with an AI readiness audit. You can consult with an AI expert to determine the extent of your transformation or implementation. Assemble and align your decision-makers and leadership and ensure that everyone’s on the same page. Gather your knowledge, present your problems, and tackle the AI needs with your consultants.

Following this, your consultant should outline the aspects, reach, and a clear roadmap of how the data will be processed and its output optimised for consumption by relevant departments or stakeholders.

3. Finally, you implement your strategy. This can be done in-house or in partnership with an implementation agency so you will have time to adjust to this new enhanced work environment. Delegate the AI-related tasks appropriately and set up their structure within the organisation. These people should be able to support the company’s data processing needs to provide departments with measuring and reporting capabilities in a horizontal approach. Kasper

This ensures no area is left behind and everyone can benefit from the AI implementation. It can help them collaborate easier and work better towards achieving their targets.