Turning employees into brand ambassadors: a qualitative study of four companies in Durres and Tirana

The main aim of this study is to investigate some of the strategies that four companies of different sizes in Durres and Tirana Municipalities use for turning their employees into brand ambassadors. It is inevitable for the success of an organization to be measured by the importance that the organization gives to its employees. Employees are considered a significant asset of the organization: thus, they must be treated accordingly. Organizations must pay attention to the complex and increasing demands of their customers. In this regard, managers have to realize the importance and role of the employees in meeting the customer’s demands. Employees represent the image of an organization, which is why activating new strategies and techniques that optimize the workforce efforts would help achieve the organization’s vision and mission. Under these considerations, four face-to-face interviews were conducted with the owners or HR Managers, or Marketing Managers of one shipping agency, one medium-sized production company in Durres, one big-sized production company, and one company that offers telecommunications services in Tirana, Albania. This study first underlines the importance of evaluating marketing and brand management objectives, and afterward explores the strategies that these companies use for turning their employees into brand ambassadors. Within the framework of this study, the advantages of turning employees into brand ambassadors and the problems that the companies face have been examined. The research results show that the motivation of companies to turn their employees into brand ambassadors is high, but most companies lack proper strategies. One of the big-sized companies chooses to turn into brand ambassadors only those employees who accept or have an interest in using their personal social media in this regard and/or have a great curiosity in marketing and technology.