Launchmetrics adds new tool for more accurate measurement of brand ambassador ROI

Just when you’d got used to a metric like Media Impact Value, along comes a new one — Voice Reach. It’s the latest way Launchmetrics is aiming to make sense of a world in which brand ambassadors are increasingly important to fashion, lifestyle and beauty (FLB) labels.

And navigating this area to meaningfully measure return on investment (ROI) is increasingly complex. The company has just launched its Brand Ambassador Marketing 2025 report with survey results showing 58% of FLB professionals report increasing their investment in ambassador marketing over the past five years, and 34% now paying ambassadors over $500k annually—“solidifying ambassadorships as a cornerstone strategy”.

But 60% “still struggle to measure ROI, revealing a persistent gap between investment and insight, and underscoring the need for more accountable, value-driven approaches”.

Other data turned up includes 30% of FLB professionals dedicating 31%-40% of their budgets to brand ambassadorships, while a quarter of survey respondents are allocating over 40% of their budgets to these partnerships.

In total, over 85% of survey respondents said they work with brand ambassadors (including celebrities, athletes and/or influencers).

So how do brands measure the impact of all this activity? It seems that many continue to use less nuanced metrics than have recently become available, simply measuring, for instance, reactions to ambassador and brand content. In fact, 74% of FLB professionals still rely on traditional engagement metrics to evaluate ambassador performance despite “77% of a partnership’s impact [being] driven by indirect mentions — from media, partners, and other third-party voices — proving that true value extends far beyond ambassador and brand content alone,” Launchmetrics explained.

That said, nearly 40% do leverage Media Impact Value (MIV) for a more holistic measurement of brand ambassador marketing ROI, which also factors in social media engagement.

Enter Voice Echo. It’s described by Launchmetrics as “a new measurement framework powered by our AI-driven MIV algorithm” and is claimed to capture the full scope of ROI across three pillars — Direct Impact (ambassador content), Owned Media (brand channels), and Indirect Impact (external amplification) — “offering a more holistic, data-driven view of how ambassadorships influence brand performance”.

We’re told it can “empower brands to move beyond surface-level engagement stats and make smarter, more accountable decisions around partnership strategy and spend”.

The company’s analysis of a range of campaigns from some of the leading FLB brands globally revealed that on average, while 53% of the values tied to brand ambassadorships were directly driven by the ambassador, nearly half of them were centred on lifestyle and audience connection. 

And Launchmetrics’ overall new proprietary AI-powered framework is said to uncover the “hidden layers of ambassador impact — delivering qualitative insights into how talent shapes brand identity, not just visibility. 

The aim is to help brands move from “tracking where impact happens to understanding why it happens — and what it truly means”. 

CEO Michael Jaïs told FashionNetwork.com: “As brands operate in increasingly complex cultural spaces, ambassadorships in 2025 are no longer just about reach — they’re about resonance. Today’s most valuable ambassadors aren’t selected for scale alone, but for their ability to shape perception, spark relevance and align with a brand’s long-term vision. With audiences demanding authenticity and meaning more than ever, leading brands are moving beyond surface metrics — pairing ROI with qualitative insight to ensure every partnership reflects their values and strategic direction. In this new era, where true ROI is rooted in relevance, brands that understand the stories their ambassadors help shape won’t just participate in the cultural dialogue—they will lead it.”