Persuasion and Unpopular Brands: Advocating for a Polarizing Group

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Congratulations! As a result of your fine work in this class, you have been offered a position as a brand ambassador for your campus. Brand ambassadors are individuals who work “at the grass roots level of marketing campaigns to deliver messaging to individuals on a word of mouth basis” (brandambassador.org, 2013). Many professionals believe that brand ambassadors are a type of “marketing gold” when trying to connect to college students (Rosman, 2012). Companies and organizations ranging from the music industry, to technology, to fashion, to social causes have enlisted campus brand ambassadors in the past—largely because they have found that college students “love brands,” but are ambivalent about the process of branding (Hartwell, 2010). Moreover, these positions have been embraced by many college students, as they can receive a salary, add a line on their resume, and develop valuable work experience for doing things they likely do every day anyway: talking with friends, using social media, going to classes, and following popular culture (Singer, 2011).