Being a brand ambassador looks glamorous and downright simple – but the ‘celebrity endorser’ game is a big part of the modern marketing mix, requiring focus, intelligence and commitment.

Siya Xuza (26) – Rocket Scientist, Engineer & Entrepreneur

At just 26, Siya Xuza has already invented a cheaper, safer rocket fuel, attended the Nobel Prize ceremony, won the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in the USA, been elected as a fellow of the African Leadership Network, graduated from Harvard University and had a planet named after him.

Clearly a born innovator, Mthatha-born Xuza has a special interest in combining entrepreneurship with renewable energy in the interests of fostering sustainable development on the continent.

It’s rare to see engineers and scientists as the face of brands, but Audi South Africa named Siya as a brand ambassador in 2014, handing him his first-ever car – a red A4 2.0T Quattro. “I was surprised and humbled when Audi recognized and saw value in my work,” says Xuza. “The sophistication and progressiveness associated with the Audi brand are most appealing to me. Audi and I both have a relentless commitment towards innovation. We strive to be at the forefront of our respective fields; from developing next generation transportation, in Audi’s case, to developing disruptive energy storage technologies, in my case”.

His ambassadorial role is to inspire fellow innovators across the country, but has also exposed him to new opportunities. “I had a great opportunity to be exposed to new technologies – particularly during Le Mans 2014 – that have deepened my engineering knowledge,” he says. Xuza feels there’s also potential for collaboration with the Ingolstadt-based company – especially when it comes to powering future vehicles through fuel cell and lithium ion battery technologies.

Sameerah Bhabha, Press & Public Relations Manager for Audi South Africa says that Siya is a perfect fit for the brand for a multitude of reasons. “We believe that he represents the enormous potential of South Africa and his passion for his subject is truly inspiring. Siya has already had an enormous impact on his generation and his innovative spirit is perfectly representative of the Audi brand and its values. Audi South Africa is very proud to be associated with such an inspirational role model and a true gentleman,” she says. “Siya has really caught the attention of our Audi colleagues internationally. The possibility for Siya to address the Board of Management of AUDI AG on topics of innovation has already been proposed and we are excited at what his expertise may bring to the brand in the future”.

Patrick Lambie (25) – Cell C Sharks & Springboks

Pat Lambie has seemingly been wearing either Black & White or Green & Gold for so long now, that it’s hard to believe he’s only 25. He made his debut for both the Sharks’ and Springboks’ senior team in 2010 and has since made more than 90 domestic and 40 international appearances, scoring over 1000 points. 2016 sees him take on the additional responsibility of captaining the Cell C Sharks.

“I think its important to be able to identify strongly with any brand if you’re going to represent it – you need to share the same principles, let alone use the product,” says Lambie. He’s intimately involved in testing the adidas Predator Incurza rugby boot – and will wear the product himself. Adidas also have a dedicated Athlete Services Centre in Germany, which creates made-to-measure product and customised accessories for their star athletes – working on the premise that making their athletes as comfortable as possible will yield the best-possible on-field results. Lambie visited the Athlete Services Centre at the end of 2014, along with fellow ambassadors Handre Pollard and Bryan Habana. “It was incredible to see the depth of preparation that goes into producing all of adidas’ products – and encouraging as well, as it’s great to know that there’s so much work going on behind the scenes,” he says.

Both Jockey and adidas share the philosophy that their ambassadors need to ‘live the brand’, so both spend time immersing anyone associated with the brand in the philosophy and history. Johan Scholtz, Manager – Sports Marketing Portfolio Management: Team Sports at adidas SA: “We have a brand induction program and the intention is to make sure that our athletes get in touch with the ‘three stripes’ story. We want them to identify themselves with the various brands of the adidas Group as well as to get an emotional connection to the brand – because adidas’ athletes should be proud to belong to the adidas family,” he says.

Garlai Combrinck, Marketing Associate for Jockey SA, says that getting Pat on-board was achieved in phases. “The first step was to get him to live the brand, and completely understand why it really is Jockey or nothing. We did this by getting him to wear Jockey and we regularly send him new developments  to try,” she says. “The second step was for him to understand how unique the Jockey offering and set-up is. We are a proudly South African company, and all of our manufacturing takes place at our factory in Durban – something very unique to the apparel industry. For him to appreciate just how big and successful our operation is, we invited him to attend a factory tour”.

Between training, traveling and playing, Pat doesn’t have much spare time – but commits to attending sponsor events and working with his partner brands whenever he can. “Social media has become increasingly important because of the time factor, so we do a lot of competitions and interactions with both adidas and Jockey on Twitter and Facebook,” he says. “Having the Jockey factory close to home in Durban means I regularly get to interact with the team there, and also take part in a number of their CSI initiatives, which is very rewarding”.

Scholtz says that Pat is a perfect fit for the adidas brand not only by virtue of being a world-class athlete, but also because he’s a role model for the youth of South Africa because of the way he conducts himself on and off the field. “He appeals to the brand’s target market, which makes him very marketable – not only for rugby-specific product and campaigns – but across all categories. He is easy to work with and always willing to help when he can”.

Jockey SA’s Combrinck says that the company’s ideal brand ambassador is someone who represents what the brand stands for – as opposed to a model who simply looks great in their garments. “A brand ambassador is also someone who has a prominent social standing and therefore has the ability to positively influence our consumers,” she says. “Pat is ideal because he’s not only an extremely-popular South African sportsman, but he is very well-liked by a broad spectrum of our consumers – from young to old, men and women, different races and backgrounds. In addition to this, he is fun-loving, ambitious, fit, healthy and trustworthy – everything that we stand for”.

Sidebar – 5 Essential Self-Promotion Skills

• Be present – know your game, understand your competition and be focussed on what you want to achieve.
• Be approachable – if people are drawn to you, your chances of making connections and taking the next step are much better. Basically, don’t be Kanye.
• Be sensitive to timing – knowing the ‘when’ is as important as knowing the ‘what’. Pick your moment to shine!
• Be a role model – Lambie and Xusa lived their own brands before the big brands came knocking. And that’s also WHY the big brands came knocking!
• Be able to take credit gracefully – don’t diminish your achievements, but show respect when someone takes the time to praise your work. See: don’t be Kanye.

*A version of this article originally appeared in Destiny Man magazine.