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/