Building Brand Advocacy

In this week's episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Samantha Critchell, VP of Corporate Communications at e.l.f Beauty, explores how e.l.f built a zero-distance community by blurring the line between employee passion and consumer co-creation.

We also unpick how generosity, cultural alignment, and asking consumers what they actually want transforms advocates into brand co-creators, and why straying from your core values is where advocacy collapses.

In this episode, we cover:

•

How e.l.f's zero-distance community model blurs boundaries between brand and consumers

•

Why employee passion and internal alignment fuels external advocacy

•

The importance of consumer co-creation & digital community

•

Using purpose, values, and generosity as advocacy currency

•

How to adapt with consumers without sacrificing authenticity

Chapters

00:00 Introduction To Samantha

01:20 e.l.f.’s Zero Distance Philosophy

03:34 Hiring For e.l.f Culture

05:24 Values, Cost, Quality, And Speed

07:00 The Significance Of Superfans And Co Creation

10:41 The New Age Of Social Content As Conversation

14:31 The Purpose Led Advocacy Flywheel

18:30 Zero Distance In Practice

24:27 How Generosity Fuels Word Of Mouth

28:07 Unexpected Community Activations

29:22 Cannes Goals And Wrap Up

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

FOLLOW SAMANTHA

Samantha Critchell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-melissa-critchell1016/

e.l.f Beauty: https://www.instagram.com/elfcosmeticsuk/

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

In this week's episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Lindsey Gamble, creator economy strategist at IZEA, unpacks the latest creator economy shifts, from B2B vs B2C creator strategy to behavioural psychology, and the value of content creators in the modern industry.

We also delve into which brands are winning at advocacy right now, how to turn consumers into advocates, and the impact of showing up in AI-powered search.

In this episode, we cover:

•

The creator economy landscape; key trends, creator value, and why popularity is surging

•

B2B vs B2C creator strategy

•

How brands connect with consumers vs creators

•

The state of brand advocacy, who's doing it right, and how to earn it

•

Showing up in AI-powered search

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Cannes Lions

02:38 Top Creator Trends

05:30 B2B vs B2C Creators Explained

11:21 Creator Tiers and Trust

14:14 Everyone Is a Creator

17:12 The Current State of Advocacy

22:18 Earning Brand Love

26:20 How AI Search Will Impact

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

FOLLOW LINDSEY

Lindsey Gamble: https://www.instagram.com/lindseygamble_/?hl=en-gb

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

In this week's episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Camilla Craven, former Global Brand & Marketing Director at FaceGym and now Fractional CMO & Consultant to multiple beauty brands, unpacks why advocacy is becoming the backbone of modern marketing strategy, from the operational realities of building community to the rise of employee-generated content and AI's growing role.

We also dig into why the best marketing leaders aren't just measuring advocacy, they're listening.

In this episode, we cover:

•

Advocacy's place in modern marketing and why it's no longer a nice-to-have

•

Community, influencers, and the power of actually listening

•

Tuning out industry noise to focus on what genuinely makes impact

•

Operational struggles, team structures, and the rise of employee-generated content

•

AI's growing role in how brands build and scale advocacy

Chapters

00:00 Welcome Back Camilla

02:45 Advocacy Over Performance

10:20 What To Believe When Everyone’s an Expert

16:28 Fractional CMO Patterns

20:10 Tools, Data, and Adoption

21:57 The importance Of Listening First

23:41 Measuring Advocacy Impact

25:30 Influencer Performance Nuance

27:07 Future Generations and The Social Media Ban

28:29 Martha Stewart MAC Campaign

33:39 The Rise In Employee Generated Content (ECG)

39:39 AI Tool Consolidation

43:14 Who Does Advocacy Best?

44:41 TikTok Shop Brand Dilution

49:56 Cringe or Community Game

51:39 Wrap Up

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

FOLLOW CAMILLA

Camilla Craven: https://www.instagram.com/camillablyss/

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

In this week's episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Verity sits down with Georgie Fox, Head of Brand at LOOKFANTASTIC, to dissect what it actually takes to rebuild a brand's foundation from the inside out, and how community became their sharpest growth lever.

This episode covers the brand-partnership relationship, why consumer connection has to run deeper than product, and how brands can fill the gap left by traditional media. Georgie shares the internal culture shifts that made it possible, LOOKFANTASTIC’s anti-gatekeeping approach to knowledge, and the "sausage machine" analogy that redefines what good marketing looks like.

In this episode, we cover:

•

Rebuilding LOOKFANTASTIC's brand foundation, closing the business-social understanding gap, and why consumer connection must run deeper than product

•

How brands can fill the void left by traditional media and publishing, using community as the gateway through access

•

What good marketing actually looks like and how to measure it effectively using the "sausage machine" analogy

•

Building a fuelled 360 creator and affiliate strategy, from nurturing genuine partnership relationships to scaling the brand x partner model

•

Anti-gatekeeping as strategy, making employee content creation part of the role and earning real buy-in across the business

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

05:47 The Home of Iconic Beauty

09:09 Building Brand Foundations

16:29 Proving Brand Impact

21:45 Anti Gatekeeping Strategy

27:30 Creators and LOOKFANTASTIC’s Aspiration Balance

29:43 Influencer Strategy Origins

31:31 From Funnel To Flywheel

37:29 Reddit And Authenticity

41:12 Molly Mae’s Evolution

42:51 Ambassadors Within The Community

53:04 The Future Of Brand Marketing

54:58 Cringe Or Community Quickfire

56:01 Wrap Up

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

FOLLOW LOOKFANTASTIC

LOOKFANTASTIC: https://www.instagram.com/lookfantastic/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lookfantastic?lang=en

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

In this week's episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Beth & Michael, founders of Slice social media agency, break down their 5-Step Social Strategy: Discovery, Storytelling, Challenge, Problem-Tension-Goal, and Solution. Plus, why the "Fast & Slow" approach to social is the framework that separates brands that win from brands that just post.

This is an episode designed to give you direction in social media, to integrate a purpose into your posting and work strategically to reach your end objective.

In this episode, we cover:

00:00 Introduction

05:15 The 5-Step Social Media Strategy

06:45 Step 1: Discovery

20:06 Step 2: Storytelling through strategy

29:24 Step 3: The Challenge

33:39 Step 4: Problem, Tension, Goal

34:50 Step 5: Solution

44:17 The Fast & Slow Approach To Social

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

CONNECT WITH BETH & MICHAEL

Beth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betheleanorthomas/

Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrichardcorcoran/

Slice Social: https://www.slice-social.com/

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Paul: TikTok: ⁠www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy⁠

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

In this weeks episode of Building Brand Advocacy, we invite the CMO of Cannes Lions to join us ahead of the festival to unpack what's actually shifting in advocacy, creator marketing, and how the Lions are judged in 2026. plus hard strategies for measuring community, elevating marketing in the boardroom, and driving real ROI.

In this episode, we cover:

•

What to expect from Cannes Lions in 2026

•

What’s changing in advocacy & creator marketing

•

The Lion judgement process at Cannes

•

Opportunities for CMOs to elevate marketing in boardrooms

•

How to effectively measure community

•

The next generation of CEO & CMO’s

•

Building community through credibility

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:36 How Cannes Lions Has Evolved

05:20 CMO Pressure and Priorities

09:05 How Cannes Lions Judging Works

15:12 Proof Creativity Drives Growth

18:31 Merging Brand and Performance

22:14 Boardroom Alignment and Metrics

29:31 How to Measure Community Impact

34:19 The CMO of 2030

39:25 You Cannot Buy Attention

42:28 AI and Creative Possibility

45:01 Cannes Week Wrap Up

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

CONNECT WITH ILARIA

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/ilariapasquinelli

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Paul: TikTok: ⁠www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy⁠

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

In this live episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Verity sits down with Manuel Albuquerque, founder & CEO of Prime Tag, to unpack the AI revolution reshaping the creator economy from the inside out.

From the real pressures facing time-poor marketing teams to the problems AI is actually solving (and the myths it's not), Manuel brings the entrepreneur's perspective that brand builders need right now.

In this episode, we cover:

•

Manuel’s journey to entrepreneurship in the influencer space

•

The time poor pressures of marketing teams

•

How AI is influencing the creator economy

•

The problem that AI is solving for marketing teams

•

Busting AI myths around the creator economy

If you're navigating influencer strategy in an AI-first world, this one is essential listening.

CHAPTERS

00:00 People And Data First

01:18 Creator Economy Boom

01:59 From Basketball To Tech Startup

04:08 The Influencer Stigma Debate

05:24 Current Status: Bad Data And No Time

06:38 AI Mindset Myth

09:02 Augmented Intelligence Not Artificial Intelligence

10:42 Myth Busting Rapid Fire

12:17 How AI Is Changing Business Models

15:29 Finding Effective Creator X Brand Matches

16:45 Brand Advocacy Advice

🔔 Subscribe to Building Brand Advocacy for weekly conversations with the people reshaping how brands grow.

CONNECT WITH MANUEL

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuelvicalbuquerque/

PrimeTag: https://www.primetag.com/

FOLLOW US

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

We’re back with another mastermind episode. This week, Grace Andrews takes us through her 5 step framework for building a high performance content engine, from identifying content signals (before selecting platforms) to measuring success metrics that are relevant to you and your brand.

In this episode, we cover:

07:05 Step 1: Identifying Content Signals

11:47 Step 2: Approach To Content Formats

26:31 Step 3: The Platform Specific Strategy

28:43 Step 4: Where Creators Fit Into Your Content Strategy

32:56 Step 5: How To Measure For Success

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

CONNECT WITH GRACE

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/graceandrewsss/⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@graceandrewsss⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@graceandrews7⁠

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: ⁠www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy⁠

Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy⁠

TikTok: ⁠www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy⁠

Paul: TikTok: ⁠⁠www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy⁠⁠Verity: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

In this episode of Building Brand Advocacy, I sit down with Alice Ratcliffe, Head of Brand at TRIP — the wellness drinks brand rewriting the rules of brand positioning in one of the most crowded categories on the market.

Alice pulls back the curtain on how TRIP went from scrappy challenger to a brand that commands culture, loyalty, and shelf space — and what it's really taken to scale that story into the US.

In this episode, we cover:

•

How to stand out in a saturated wellness & drinks market

•

TRIP's influencer strategy and why it's built differently to most other brands

•

Integrating celebrities into your brand without losing authenticity

•

The real strategy for brand building in the US

•

Why employee advocacy is one of the most underrated tools in a marketer's arsenal

•

How to integrate AI for effective brand building in 2026

•

The honest challenges of being the underdog and how to turn them into an advantage

CHAPTERS

00:00 The Polished Brand Problem

02:03 Finding Branded White Space

06:00 Regulation Into Advantage

07:36 Always On Brand Building

10:17 How To Earn Consumer Trust

16:06 Creators Influencers Celebs

23:25 US Expansion Playbook

26:30 Approaching Employee Advocacy

28:39 Scaling Without Gatekeeping

29:51 Email List vs Community

31:15 AI Vs IRL

33:36 Hosting Inclusive Brand Events

35:50 Winning on TikTok Shop

39:52 Global Growth and Accounts

44:26 Powerful Founder Partnerships

🔔 Subscribe to Building Brand Advocacy for weekly conversations with the people reshaping how brands grow.

CONNECT WITH TRIP

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trip.drinks/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trip.drinks

FOLLOW US

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

In this mastermind episode of Building Brand Advocacy, we break down the Advocacy Maturity Model, a strategic framework for diagnosing exactly where your brand sits on the advocacy spectrum and the precise steps to move from passive mentions to a fully activated community-led growth engine.

Think of it as your strategic advocacy playbook, the kind of session your brand team needs to align on advocacy as a core brand lever rather than a marketing afterthought.

Inside this episode:

•

The 5 stages of brand advocacy maturity and how to identify which stage you're at right now

•

Why most brands plateau at stage 2 and never break through to genuine brand love

•

The structural shifts your team needs to make at each stage of the model

•

How to turn community-led growth into a measurable brand asset

•

The metrics that actually matter when tracking advocacy momentum

If you’re a marketing leader trying to restructure your team's advocacy strategy, this episode gives you the framework to stop guessing and start growing with intention.

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy
Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

In this episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Verity sits down with Grace Andrews to unpack the real shifts happening in social right now and what forward-thinking brands are doing to stay ahead in 2026 and beyond.

Grace brings a sharp, strategic lens to one of the most underutilised growth levers in marketing today: employee advocacy. We go deep on why building brand growth from the inside out isn't just about brand culture but something much bigger.

We then go onto discuss how to build an effective and experimental content eco-system as well as understanding how to navigate YouTube as long form presence is growing within the digital landscape.

In this episode, we cover:

•

The evolution of social trends shaping brand strategy in 2026

•

A strategic framework for building genuine employee advocacy

•

How to drive real brand growth through your people not just your paid channels

•

Effective content experimentation strategies that actually move the needle

•

Why YouTube is the deepest, most underrated content channel for brand building

•

The trends smart brands are already preparing for in 2026/2027

CHAPTERS

00:00 Episode Trailer

01:30 Meet Grace Andrews

02:23 2024 Trend Check

06:52 Employee Advocacy Basics

09:20 Building The Employees Advocacy Infrastructure

14:52 Ownership And Founder Role

17:11 Incentivising Employee Advocacy

19:22 Building A Content Experimentation System

22:29Dummy Social Channels for Safe Testing

24:09 Case Study of the Shameless Network

28:48 YouTube vs Social Scrolling

31:29 Where YouTube Fits into Teams

33:48 Low Lift YouTube for Brands

35:30 Future Creator Brand Partnerships

Whether you're a founder, marketing lead, or brand strategist — this conversation will change how you think about where your next wave of growth actually comes from.

🔔 Subscribe to Building Brand Advocacy for weekly conversations with the people reshaping how brands grow.

CONNECT WITH GRACE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graceandrewsss/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@graceandrewsss

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@graceandrews7

FOLLOW US

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

In this episode of Building Brand Advocacy, we're unpacking the seismic shift happening in marketing right now: is branded entertainment replacing paid ads?

We dig into why the smartest brands are investing in long-form content, storytelling, and entertainment-led campaigns, and how this changes everything from team structure to ROI measurement.

What we cover:

•

Should brands have Global or local social media accounts

•

The perfect niche to scale strategy

•

Branded entertainment vs paid ads

•

The Redbull playbook

Whether you're a founder, a marketing lead, or a brand builder trying to do more with less — this is the episode that reframes where your budget should actually be going.

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

CONNECT WITH PAUL & VERITY

Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

FOLLOW US

Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Are communities replacing influencers? In this episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Paul sits down with Nicola Gunby, co-founder of CLIQ, to talk about why the brands winning right now aren't chasing reach, they're building belonging.

We go deep on the concept of the 'third space' and why it might be the most underutilised tool in your brand's growth strategy right now.

In this episode we cover:

•

The journey behind CLIQ and why Nicola built it

•

What 'third space' communities are and why they matter for brands

•

What it actually takes to build real, lasting community (it's not what you think)

•

How brands can use CLIQ as a community-building tool

•

Frameworks for measuring community impact — beyond vanity metrics

•

Online vs IRL: which builds deeper brand loyalty?

This one is essential listening if you're a CMO or marketing lead questioning where influencer budgets should actually go in 2025.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

04:29 Community as the Third Place

08:19 Where Brands Go Wrong with Community

13:59 Cliq Brand Case Studies

19:21 Measuring Community ROI

26:17 Measuring Community Event Demand

28:30 Tap Into Existing Communities

29:40 Samsung Community Case Study

35:17 Online vs In Person Community

37:34 Sub Communities Strategy

41:40 Geo Local Community

44:18 Cringe Or Community

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

CONNECT WITH NICOLA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolargunby/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-gunby/
CLIQ: https://www.instagram.com/findyourcliq/

Is influencer marketing dead? Jordan Schwarzenberger, the man behind the Sidemen's evolution from creators to a multi-million pound enterprise, thinks brands have got content eco-systems wrong. In this episode of Building Brand Advocacy, we break down why the smartest brands are ditching traditional influencer marketing and becoming organic content engines instead.

Jordan reveals the exact content strategy that scaled the Sidemen from a YouTube group into a business empire and how any brand can steal from the creator economy strategy. We go deep on building a content hemisphere, why entertainment-first marketing beats ads, and how to turn community into customers through brand advocacy.

In this episode we cover:

•

Sidemen evolution from creators to an enterprise business.

•

The opportunity for brands to become content engines.

•

Why influencer marketing is dead.

•

Why brands and 10 years behind in content and how to create a solution to get ahead.

Whether you're a CMO, marketer or brand founder, this episode is your blueprint for building a content marketing strategy that actually compounds.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

02:38 Building the LADBible Agency

07:16 Scaling The Sidemen Businesses

11:16 Defining A Content Infrastructure

12:27 Side Plus Membership Model

17:27 How Brands Should Be Working With Creators

20:23 End Of The Transactional Influencer Model

23:04 Discovery IS Replacing Followers

26:07 The Influencer Economy Collapse

28:33 Traditional Campaigns Are Dead

30:04 Monoculture To Micro Communities

38:24 The CMO Playbook

41:40 Contribution Marketing To Serve Then Sell

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

CONNECT WITH JORDAN

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenberger/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanschwarz/

TiKTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanschwarzenberger

FOLLOW US

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

AI for brands is already here. It’s making a shift and as marketing teams, we should be reactive. But the reality is that most brands are still figuring out where to start.

In this episode of Building Brand Advocacy, we break down the real state of AI for brands right now. What's working, what's just noise and how to make AI work for YOU without losing the human touch that drives real brand advocacy.

In this episode, we cover:

The current state of AI for brands

How to make AI work for you and your team today

How AI will reshape marketing resources and team structures

Practical ways to use AI in your day-to-day work life

Using AI to create real efficiencies across your content and marketing ops

How to build, scale, and manage an AI team from scratch

CHAPTERS

00:00 Build Your AI Native Dream Team

02:32 Manager of Infinite Minds

03:54 Onboarding and Feedback Loop

09:49 Future Proof Marketing Roles Form AI

15:14 Building AI Agents into Your Workflow

22:30 Repurposing Content With Agents

25:54 Scaling To 11 Agents

31:58 AI Native Mindset Shift

34:45 Create A Preference Sheet for AI

38:34 Training Cadence And Growth

Whether you're a brand team trying to do more with less, or a marketing leader figuring out how to upskill your team, this episode is your AI starter kit.

🔔 Subscribe to watch our new episodes every Tuesday.

CONNECT WITH PAUL & VERITY

Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

In this mastermind episode, Sophie Miller (founder of Pretty Little Marketer) breaks down the exact tactical steps she’d take to build a high-engagement community from scratch in 2026.

If you’re a brand, marketer or founder trying to turn followers into a real community engine, this episode is a step-by-step guide to catapult your community strategy.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

00:00 Introduction to community building

00:56 The Platform Strategy

05:06 Step 1: Connection Point

08:19 Step 2: Mission Sentence

11:09 Step 3: Connection To You, Connection To Each Other

16:24 Step 4: Thin Content

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

CONNECT WITH SOPHIE

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiealicemiller/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiemillerrrr/

Pretty Little Marketer: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prettylittlemarketer/

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: ⁠www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy⁠

Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy⁠

TikTok: ⁠www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy⁠

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

Are you building a real community around your brand or just spending budget on meaningless partnerships and vanity metrics?

In this episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Verity sits down with marketing consultant Lauren Spearman who has worked with Global brands including Benefit Cosmetics, MADE.com, Trinny London to unpack what genuine advocacy looks like today vs. a decade ago and why most influencer strategies are still stuck in 2014.

We go deep on how to move from fabricated, performance-led “community” to truly invested brand advocates who buy, refer, and defend your brand online.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•

Evolution of brand advocacy over the last 10 years

•

How Benefit Cosmetics build a ‘warm’ brand through effective influencer strategies

•

How to find organic advocacy in your existing community

•

How to build real relationships with your influencer partners

•

What went into creative authentic advocacy at http://made.com/

•

The work behind Trinny London Tribe

CMOs, brand and social leads, and anyone tired of pouring budget into influencer campaigns that don’t convert into real advocacy, retention, or revenue, this episode is for you.

CHAPTERS

02:37 Netmums and Real Community

06:24 Inside Benefit Cosmetics

12:20 Employee Advocacy in Action

19:33 Benefit Mascara Maldives Launch

21:37 Reframing advocacy at MADE.com

24:52 Building the Advocacy at MADE.com

30:28 Brand Advocacy vs Performance

34:26 Treating Creators as True Partners

37:26 Behind the Trinny Tribe Community

40:36 Quick fire and Wrap Up

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenspearman/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenspearman/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@spearmanlauren

FOLLOW US

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Glow For It didn’t just “do well” on TikTok Live, they drove 6-figures in revenue in a single live shopping stream. In this 5-minute masterclass, founder Daisy Kelly breaks down exactly how it happened and what every modern brand can steal from their TikTok strategy.

In this episode, we unpack:

•

How Daisy turned community obsession into real-time purchase intent

•

The TikTok LIVE moment that tipped Glow For It into 6-figure territory

•

The structure of a high-converting TikTok Live Shopping session

•

Why TikTok Shop is replacing traditional “influencer trips” for smart brands

•

The mindset shift founders need to win in live commerce

If you’re a founder, marketer, or growth lead wondering how to turn views into live sales, this is your shortcut. Think of it as a behind-the-scenes launch debrief: no fluff, just what actually moved the needle.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Inside a Six-Figure TikTok Live

01:24 The First 60 Seconds: Hooking Viewers with a Giveaway + Hero Offers

02:24 The Offer That Made It Pop

03:40 Behind-the-Scenes Chaos

04:45 The Six-Figure Moment

🔔 Follow us to watch our new episodes every Wednesday.

CONNECT WITH GLOW FOR IT

Glow For It TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@glowforitshop?lang=en-GB

Glow For It Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glowforitshop/

FOLLOW US

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Influencer trips are dead and they’re killing your organic brand advocacy.

This episode is your permission slip to stop burning budget on one-off influencer posts and replace them with an advocacy engine that compounds over time and generates serious EMV.

In this advocacy masterclass, we break down a clear 3-step system to build organic brand advocates: the customers, creators, and community members who talk about you relentlessly without a pay cheque in sight. If you’re deep in your influencer strategy and unsure how to switch that to building real brand advocacy, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

•

Why the traditional influencer marketing model is broken in 2026

•

The 3 steps to building a customer-powered advocacy engine

•

How to turn brand customers into high-impact brand ambassadors

•

The difference between one-off “influencer trips” and scalable advocacy systems

•

How to calculate EMV so you can prove ROI to your CMO, CFO, or board

If you want to build a brand that customers proudly talk about, this 3-step strategy is your new advocacy playbook.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why influencer marketing is broken

04:29 The problem with influencer trips & brand dinners

06:10 Building an organic advocacy engine: map your brand network

07:41 Activating advocates: channels, CRM, and ROI of marketing to fans

11:14 The 3-part framework: Who → Activities → Rewards (airline loyalty lessons)

14:13 Advocacy is a feeling: experiences, founder hustle, and early community building

16:43 From influencer pyramid to advocate segments (pro vs amateur vs semi-pro)

19:23 Measuring real brand advocacy: real EMV, revenue, and content value

24:05 The most untapped opportunity: employees & retail teams as advocates

26:36 90-second tactical recap + wrap-up

🔔 Subscribe to watch our new episodes every Wednesday.

CONNECT WITH PAUL & VERITY

Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

FOLLOW US

Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Most brands think they have a community, but they’re actively building an audience, not community engagement. In this week's episode, we dive into community building strategy with Sophie Miller, Founder of Pretty Little Marketer. Sophie reveals why relying on followers alone is a dangerous game for modern brands.

“If you don't build your community, someone else will define it for you”. We break down exactly how to transition from "broadcasting" to "building" and why community-led growth is the most defensible asset your brand can own in this era of digital marketing.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•

The exact 3-step system to build a loyal brand community.

•

Audience vs. Community: The critical difference that most marketing teams miss.

•

Why silence is a liability and how to take ownership of your brand narrative.

•

How to turn passive followers into active brand advocates.

Whether you are a Social Media Manager or a Brand Director, this episode covers the marketing strategy you need to future-proof your brand.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Sophie Miller

02:25 The Birth of Pretty Little Marketer

04:50 From Despare to Community Building

06:35 Strategic Growth and Community Engagement

13:22 Community Monetisation and Membership Launch

20:28 The Power of Community in Business

21:04 Navigating LinkedIn and Social Media

22:51 Building a Community-First Strategy

24:01 3 Pillars of PLM's Community

28:30 Measuring Community Success

33:30 Common Mistakes in Community Building

37:26 Final Thoughts and Community Advice for Brands

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.

CONNECT WITH SOPHIE

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiealicemiller/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiemillerrrr/

Pretty Little Marketer: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prettylittlemarketer/

FOLLOW US

Verity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy