When you need a helping hand: as marketers struggle to accomplish more work with fewer resources, some are using volunteer 'coordinators' to assist with campaign demands in the branch or other departments.

• Author: Marlin, Brenda
• Position: Frugal Marketing - Cover story

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As marketing department budgets are cut and staff size is shrunk, marketers have to devise new strategies to utilize existing manpower to the fullest.

One technique involves shifting some marketing responsibilities to other employees--sometimes referred to as "marketing ambassadors"--within the organization. These employees act as marketing "foot soldiers" at the branch or department. They work also as the eyes, ears, hands and feet of the marketing department without being official marketing employees. They help to launch and maintain marketing campaigns and meet other marketing objectives.

Each bank uses a different name for marketing ambassadors. Some banks call them "branch ambassadors" or "marketing representatives" and so forth.

One area that marketing ambassadors play a key role is in merchandising. Good merchandising is necessary to maintain the bank's brand image and to meet marketing's strategic goals. However, many marketing departments are pressed for time to ensure that collateral and point-of-sale pieces are in their proper place. A solution is to appoint a marketing ambassador at key branch locations.

In government, an ambassador serves in a foreign land as a representative of his home country. In banking, the ambassador serves as a liaison for the marketing department. A good ambassador must possess certain key attributes in order to represent the marketing department in the right light.

Like an ambassador of a country, the role of marketing ambassador comes with privileges and perks as well as responsibilities. Generally speaking, marketing ambassadors do not earn any additional pay for their added responsibilities; however, what they do receive is an opportunity to be in on the inside track of what is going on within the world of marketing.

We spoke to four marketers in different parts of the country and asked them to describe the organization and scope of their marketing ambassador programs.

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Assuring that Everyone Is on the Same Page

Dena Kapperman

Senior Vice President, Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Prosperity Bank

St. Augustine, Fla.

Asset Size: $1 Billion

Number of Locations: 21

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Dena Kapperman established the role of what she calls "marketing partners" because it gives marketing a point of contact at each of the banking centers.

The type of person that she is looking for is someone who is energetic and creative. There is no extra pay for...