Advertise on podcast: 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: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy Verity: 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: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy TikTok: 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: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy Verity: 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: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy Verity: 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: 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.advocacy⁠ Verity: 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: 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.advocacy⁠ Verity: 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: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy TikTok: 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: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy TikTok: 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: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacyVerity: 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: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacyTikTok: 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: www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/ Verity: www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/ FOLLOW US Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/ Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy TikTok: 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: www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/ Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacyTikTok: 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: www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/ Verity: 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