Building Brand Advocacy

Is Influencer Marketing officially dead in 2026? The era of paying for posts and chasing reach is breaking down. Influence hasn’t disappeared, but it has shifted, out of platforms and into people. In this episode, we unpack why the traditional digital marketing playbook is no longer fit for purpose, and how leading brands are reorganising around Brand Advocacy activating customers, creators, and communities as a measurable growth engine, not a one-off tactic.We discuss the huge shift from "buying attention" to "earning trust" and reveal the exact team roles you need to hire (and fire) to succeed in this new landscape. If you are a CMO or marketing leader still relying on 2024 tactics, you might be wasting your budget.In this episode, we cover:The "Death" of traditional influencer marketingThe current state of brand advocacy in 2026Why your digital marketing team structure is failing youHow to pivot from paid reach to community led growthActionable steps to turn customers into your best marketersListen to the full conversation to future-proof your brand strategy.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction to Brand Advocacy in 202600:46 Reflecting on 2025: The Rise of Advocacy02:35 The Decline of Influencer Marketing05:01 The Future of Marketing Teams07:27 The Importance of Community Building09:58 The Shift in Social Commerce13:09 Unlearning Old Marketing Strategies17:10 Effective Brand Advocacy Approaches20:35 The Difference Between Paid Influencers and Earned Advocates21:09 Top of Funnel vs. Bottom of Funnel Advocacy22:04 The Importance of Culture and Commercial Creators23:10 Brands Underutilizing Their Advocates23:45 Understanding and Activating Advocates26:22 Channel Strategies and Creator Engagement29:12 The Role of CMOs in Advocacy36:19 Building a System for Compounding Growth🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss a launch.CONNECT WITH PAUL & VERITYPaul: www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/Verity: www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/FOLLOW USSubscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacyInstagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacyTikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

Forget “posting to social.” According to Lindsey, we’re operating in a full-scale content ecosystem – one that’s streaming-first, storefront-powered, AI-disrupted, and driven by creators who’ve outgrown the feed.Recorded live at the Brand Advocacy Summit: New York, this keynote from Lindsey Gamble (LinkedIn Top Voice & creator economy expert) is a rapid-fire download on what’s actually next in marketing.From the collapse of old playbooks to the rise of creator storefronts, Substack strategy, and content that earns its way into DMs, this is Lindsey’s devotion-driving newsletter brought to life on stage.Tap in to understand:📉 Why Traditional Ad Spend Is Shrinking & What That Means for Brands.📈 How Platforms Are Handing Creators (& Marketers) the Keys.🧠 Why Personalisation, Niche Content & Human Insight Are the Future of Performance.🖥️ Why YouTube Is Eating Netflix – and What It Means for Your Content Strategy.📬 Why Substack Is the Underrated Channel for Influence & Conversion.This isn’t theory. It’s strategy, backed by real shifts in attention, tech, and creator behaviour.Turn this one up for the download on what’s really reshaping marketing in 2026.Chapters00:00 – Welcome to the Creator Economy IRL01:00 – Why Creator Platforms Just Overtook Traditional Media04:05 – Social-First Brands Are Now Creator-First by Default05:00 – Everyone’s a Creator: Storefronts, Employees & CEOs08:20 – YouTube Is Eating Netflix: What It Means for Marketers11:55 – Substack & LinkedIn: The Next Channels for Influence14:00 – From TikTok to TV, It’s The New Era of Creator Content16:00 – AI, Algorithms & Why Personalization Wins Performance18:20 – The Future Is Human: Why Connection Beats ContentRate & review Building Brand Advocacy:Apple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with Lindsey:On LinkedInSubscribe to his Newsletter

What do you get when a kindness-led skincare founder & a community-first haircare CMO sit down together? An honest & instructive conversation on Brand Advocacy.Live from the Brand Advocacy Summit: New York, Verity is joined by Dr. Brent Ridge (Co-Founder @ Beekman 1802) & Nilofer Vahora (Chief Marketing Officer @ Amika) to unpack how two very different beauty brands built lasting customer love – by making stylists, neighbours, and Advocates the centre of their businesses.This isn’t about follower counts or funnel hacks. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the values, trade-offs, and systems that turn brand belief into million-dollar growth. If you’ve ever struggled to scale connection without losing credibility, this conversation will help.What You’ll Learn:🏆 Why Being ‘The Favourite’ Brand Beats Being The Biggest🎡 How Amika Built a Stylist-Led Flywheel That Drives Brand Love & Revenue🏘️ The Power of ‘Neighbor Services’ (Not Customer Service)🫶🏻 Why Community Systems Beat Viral Campaigns Every Time⚙️ What Happens When You Make Kindness Your Operating SystemTwo brands. Zero holdbacks. All Advocacy.Chapters00:00 – Welcome to the Live Panel: What Advocacy Actually Looks Like02:27 – The Origin Stories: Kindness, Friendship & Founding from the Margins07:05 – When Community Becomes the Growth Plan09:07 – Building Brand Language: “Hi Neighbor” & “I Love Amika”11:02 – Operationalising Kindness & Loyalty16:45 – Systems That Scale Love: Amika’s Flywheel & Beekman’s KQ Program23:42 – From Stylists to Screens: Connecting IRL Community to Digital Growth28:10 – Trusting the Community with the Brand (Even When It’s Hard)32:55 – Learning in Public: Handling Missteps & Turning Them Into Advocacy38:30 – Final Takeaways: Real Community, Real Trade-Offs, Real GrowthRate & review Building Brand Advocacy:Apple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with Brent & Nilofer:On Brent’s LinkedInOn Nilofer's LinkedIn

It’s the buzzword combo every CMO wants to crack, but few actually have.Recorded live at the Brand Advocacy Summit: New York, this chat dives deep into what it really means to blend culture & performance – with two of the sharpest minds in brand today.Ana Andjelic (Global Chief Brand Officer @ Esprit) and Nathan Jun Poekert (Brand Strategist & CMO Advisor) bring radically different lenses to one big challenge: how do you grow a brand that actually means something and performs?This is a no-fluff, all-strategy conversation.Covering:🧠 Why most marketing is stuck in reactive chaos⭐️ What the best brands are doing differently📊 The missing metric: cultural impact as a KPI (& how to track it across teams)📉 Why influencer marketing fails when measured like performance media🎯 The rise of the "social franchise”🧩 How to structure teams that don’t kill creativity or speed in the name of metricsIf you're a brand, a marketer, or a leader trying to build for the next decade – not just the next quarter – then tune in.Chapters00:00 – Welcome to Culture x Performance (Live from NYC)01:30 – Marketing in Chaos: What’s Really Going On04:10 – The Story vs. The Dashboard06:25 – Why Brand & Performance Still Don’t Work Together08:00 – Measuring Cultural Impact: A New Index10:15 – The Age Problem in Media Optimisation14:30 – Forget Engagement Rates. Track This Instead.20:40 – Virality, Creators & Brand Control22:10 – The Social Franchise Model Explained26:20 – Brand Safety vs. Subculture: The Trade-Off31:45 – Why Paid & Organic Must Sit Together36:35 – From Close Friends to Culture Clubs39:15 – How Stanley Won Facebook MomsRate & review Building Brand Advocacy:Apple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with Ana & Nathan:On Ana’s LinkedInOn Nathan’s LinkedIn

TikTok’s not slowing down. Reddit’s rising. Creators are turning into strategists. And brands? They’re either adapting – or falling behind.Recorded live in New York at the Brand Advocacy Summit, this special episode of Building Brand Advocacy throws six sharp minds into a game show-style debate (hosted by Verity) on what’s actually next in culture, social, and the creator economy.From red flags to green flags, beige flags to bold predictions for the year ahead; this chat doesn’t hold back. Hear from:— Madisen Theobald (Global Director of Social Creative @ M.A.C Cosmetics)— McKinley Hart (Director of Social Media @ SoulCycle)— Gabriel Gomez (Head of Social & Community @ MCoBeauty) — James Denman (Brand Strategy & Marketing Expert)— Brandon Smithwrick (Creator, Advisor & Content Strategist)— Maksim Tokarev (Senior Social Media Manager @ Loop Earplugs)For their hottest takes on why…🧠 AI-generated UGC could get banned🧵 Threads, Reddit & Broadcast Channels are in for discovery📉 YouTube Shorts might not be worth the big bucks (yet)🔑 Intimacy is the new influence & the DMs are where it’s happening… and much more.If your brand is still playing by the 2020 rulebook, stop. Listen. Learn.Chapters:00:00 – Kicking Off01:22 – Hot Takes Begin: Predictions for 202607:34 – Brand Flags: Green, Red, or Beige?23:03 – Watch, Wait, or Walk: What Brands Should Act On, Pause, or Ditch35:25 – Social SEO & AI Content: Future-Proofing Your Brand38:23 – AI Content Ethics: Where Brands Go Wrong40:45 – Closing Out & Audience QuestionsRate & review Building Brand Advocacy:Apple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with the Hot Takers:On Madisen’s LinkedInOn McKinley’s LinkedInOn Gabe’s LinkedInOn James’ LinkedInOn Brandon’s LinkedInOn Maksim’s LinkedIn