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/

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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

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Instagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy

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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/