Two years of corporate influencers at Otto: “We have to learn to let go”
Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2025 5:56 am
Experiences with the Job Ambassador Program – an Interview
When the online retailer Otto announced its job ambassador program almost exactly two years ago, there was a lot of media attention. The topic of corporate influencers - i.e. brand ambassadors from the ranks of the company's own employees - was just starting to take off in Germany. But there were very few publicly documented examples, especially for comprehensive programs in larger companies. Now, job ambassadors are a very special form of brand ambassador. However, employer branding and especially employee recruitment is, as I have realized in numerous projects, a very important aspect in almost all brand ambassador strategies. This bitcoin data applies regardless of where they are located in the company - even if they are completely managed by corporate communications, for example. That's why I was very interested in what experiences the Otto team has had in the meantime. Eugenia Mönning, HR spokesperson, answered my questions.
Question: Given your experiences over the past two years, how do you view job ambassadors within the overall topic of corporate influencers?
Eugenia Mönning, Press Officer HR, Otto (Gmbh & Co. KG)Eugenia Mönning: We can no longer imagine life without corporate influencers. Who could speak more credibly about Otto than our own employees? They are passionate about their work and infect others with their passion. Potential applicants benefit from the direct insight and experience of the ambassadors.
What's special: Our colleagues can register for one or more of the six profiles and receive tailor-made training for the respective module. This means they can actively contribute to who the new colleague could soon be. 1
Has the focus changed since the start? How has the program developed overall?
The number of our corporate influencers has doubled since the start of the program, to 200, which is a great confirmation of our success. But the personal conversations and stories also generate great interest externally and encourage even more interested parties to apply to us.
Nevertheless, we try to adapt the program to the changes in the company culture and to continually improve it. We talk to our job ambassadors about what additional skills they need and continue to develop the training program. In any case, it has become an integral part of our recruiting strategy and employer branding.
When the online retailer Otto announced its job ambassador program almost exactly two years ago, there was a lot of media attention. The topic of corporate influencers - i.e. brand ambassadors from the ranks of the company's own employees - was just starting to take off in Germany. But there were very few publicly documented examples, especially for comprehensive programs in larger companies. Now, job ambassadors are a very special form of brand ambassador. However, employer branding and especially employee recruitment is, as I have realized in numerous projects, a very important aspect in almost all brand ambassador strategies. This bitcoin data applies regardless of where they are located in the company - even if they are completely managed by corporate communications, for example. That's why I was very interested in what experiences the Otto team has had in the meantime. Eugenia Mönning, HR spokesperson, answered my questions.
Question: Given your experiences over the past two years, how do you view job ambassadors within the overall topic of corporate influencers?
Eugenia Mönning, Press Officer HR, Otto (Gmbh & Co. KG)Eugenia Mönning: We can no longer imagine life without corporate influencers. Who could speak more credibly about Otto than our own employees? They are passionate about their work and infect others with their passion. Potential applicants benefit from the direct insight and experience of the ambassadors.
What's special: Our colleagues can register for one or more of the six profiles and receive tailor-made training for the respective module. This means they can actively contribute to who the new colleague could soon be. 1
Has the focus changed since the start? How has the program developed overall?
The number of our corporate influencers has doubled since the start of the program, to 200, which is a great confirmation of our success. But the personal conversations and stories also generate great interest externally and encourage even more interested parties to apply to us.
Nevertheless, we try to adapt the program to the changes in the company culture and to continually improve it. We talk to our job ambassadors about what additional skills they need and continue to develop the training program. In any case, it has become an integral part of our recruiting strategy and employer branding.