Building Brand Advocacy Paul Archer and Verity Hurd

Growth. The one thing every brand wants. The one thing most brands get wrong.

For this episode of the podcast, Paul sits down in conversation with Matt Lerner (Growth Specialist and Founder @ SYSTM) to uncover the secret sauce to massive brand growth. 

With a unique approach rooted in deep customer insights, fast iteration, and quantitative analysis, Matt shares tactical advice for driving true brand success through growth marketing.

Delve into this dynamic world as Matt discusses:


Uncovering Growth Levers: Matt shares insightful stories and strategies, including finding PayPal’s growth levers, and emphasizes the importance of understanding your business – inside and out – to find your own.




Matt’s ‘Growth Model’: Explore Matt’s Growth Model, which focuses on finding and unblocking bottlenecks to surprise and delight customers, turning them into Advocates. 




Agile Marketing: Explore Matt’s approach to in-the-moment marketing plans, and gain valuable strategies for fast iteration and continuous improvement.




Collaborative Leadership: Discover the importance of this in driving organizational success, and learn how to empower your team to achieve remarkable results.



Listen to gain insights into top-tier growth, marketing, and Advocacy strategies. Use them to help your brand grow. 

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Connect with Matt:


Matt’s LinkedIn


SYSTM’s Website

What does it take to energize a thriving community of superfans, in today’s Social Commerce era?

Community-building gurus Katie Adams (Senior Marketing Director EMEA @ Abercrombie & Fitch), Sian Pilkington (Senior Marketing Manager @ Mint Velvet), Grace Andrews (Marketing Director for Steven Bartlett & The Diary Of A CEO), Angelic Vendette (Founder @ Ave Advisory, ex-Alo Yoga, ex-Sephora), and Daisy Morris (Founder @ The Selfhood) know.

In this ‘Advocacy 101’ episode, you’re invited to dive back into Building Brand Advocacy’s best advice on the world of community. A compilation of insightful conversations and tactical advice from past episodes, the experts share exact strategies that have worked for nourishing their world-renowned brand communities.

Follow the timestamps to hear from…

1:32

– Katie @ Abercrombie & Fitch

On how full-funnel marketing remains pivotal for fostering community, why evolving alongside your brand fans is key, and her direct engagement strategies for building meaningful connections.

3:46

– Daisy Morris @ The Selfhood

On the nuanced distinction between an audience and a community, building for the Advocates who love you, and why it all comes down to speaking to your community to foster loyalty. 

11:32

– Angelic @ Ave Advisory (ex-Alo Yoga, ex-Sephora)

On harnessing the power of word-of-mouth, spotting strategic community investment opportunities, and how to attribute success back to your community building efforts; despite its notorious difficulty. 

15:01

– Sian @ Mint Velvet

On combating dark social by leveraging community engagement, how to authentically participate in relevant conversations outside of your brand, and why cultivating a sense of belonging is the ultimate lever for connection.

16:03

– Grace @ The Diary Of A CEO

On adding immediate values to the community you’re cultivating, resisting the urge to chase every trend, and tried-and-tested strategies for Advocate retention. 

Tune in. Take your community strategy to the next level.

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Connect with the experts:


Katie’s LinkedIn


Sian’s LinkedIn


Grace’s LinkedIn


Angelic’s LinkedIn


Daisy’s LinkedIn

Every brand hopes to sell hundreds of thousands of products in their first 18 months of business. 

This brand has.

Say hello to SURI, a sustainable name disrupting the electric toothbrush market. Niche, but they come with a powerful marketing story that can’t be ignored.

The brand amassed 5k+ pre-orders for their first round of toothbrushes through ads, traditional press, and social media alone. At $95 each, our math establishes that was $475k raised before a customer ever had the product in their hands.

Now, we welcome Mark Rushmore (Co-Founder @ SURI) to the mic for this episode of Building Brand Advocacy. In conversation with Paul, Mark shares strategic insights into the brand’s fast evolution and exactly what makes SURI special.

(Spoiler alert: it’s the basics, and they’ve got them nailed.)

Tune in to hear more on…


Sustainable Innovation: Discover how SURI pioneers eco-friendly oral care, in the shadow of the industry’s long-standing (and planet-unfriendly) players. Through innovative use of plant-based production, including plans for a new product that uses materials yet to come to market, Mark shares the brand’s formula for prioritizing environmental responsibility without compromising on product excellence.




Underdog Wins: Explore the challenges and triumphs of ascending in this market, as Mark unveils SURI’s strategic maneuvers to carve out its niche, ignite Brand Advocacy (even before the first product was in a customer’s hands), and forge authentic connections with their customers.




The Power of Advocacy: Uncover the integral role of customer feedback and word-of-mouth in SURI’s growth trajectory, as Paul & Mark dive into the importance of listening to customer stories, fostering genuine relationships with store staff and consumers alike, and showcasing the transformative power of Brand Advocates in building a loyal customer base and driving sustainable growth.



To gain exclusive insights into SURI’s story, and apply their growth lesson to your own brand, listen on.

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Connect with Mark:


Mark’s LinkedIn


SURI’s Website


SURI’s Instagram

Influencer marketing in the Social Commerce era is an art. 
As advice changes almost weekly, and the industry’s future becomes more malleable than ever, consider this the blueprint for brand success – taken directly from Wild’s stratospheric rise.
For this episode of Building Brand Advocacy, Paul & Verity are joined by Fiona Macpherson (Head of Influencer Marketing @ Wild). Together, they explore the ever-evolving influencer landscape.
With almost 500k followers across social platforms, Wild has emerged as one of the fastest-growing brands in the UK. Fiona shares how influencer marketing became the brand’s growth engine, driving customer acquisition across new markets and platforms; all while effectively telling the brand's story. 
This tactical deep-dive explores:
Wild’s Step-by-Step Guide to Influencer Campaigns: Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Wild plans, executes and tracks the results of influencer campaigns in 2024. This includes overarching targets, team sizes, budget allocation, and tracking methodologies.
The Art of Leveraging Influencers: Delve into the intricacies of content creation, briefing documents, and video content preferences to craft captivating content that resonates. Across diverse channels, the role of different creator sizes in achieving varied content goals is laid out plainly.
The 3 Things Every Influencer Marketer Should Hear: Tap into Fiona’s invaluable advice for other influencer marketers; including the importance of collaboration, diversifying channels, and embracing failure as part of the learning process.
Tune in to unpack the secrets of Wild's success, offering invaluable insight for brand builders navigating Brand Advocacy and creator partnerships in 2024.
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Connect with Fiona:
Fiona’s LinkedInWild’s WebsiteWild’s Instagram

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Some brands are built to effortlessly attract communities. Lucy & Yak is one of them. 
Here, we uncover the secret sauce to cultivating an irresistible brand experience.
In this episode, Lucy Greenwood (Co-Founder and Creative Director @ Lucy & Yak) shares her journey building the iconic community-led brand.
Lucy & Yak first ignited their flame with a creation story rooted in passion and purpose. Known for sustainable and inclusive fashion, particularly their playful dungarees, they’ve had stratospheric success over the last 7 years. Most of this success can be attributed to engaging a passionate community of customers, the rise of dopamine dressing, and an unwavering commitment to solid brand values. 
In conversation with Paul, Lucy gives exclusive insight into the brand’s community of 843k+ members across Instagram and Facebook – 76k+ of these coming from private Facebook communities, built by and for dedicated brand fans. 
In the month since recording, this community has only grown. Today, the brand has over 855k followers on these platforms alone.
Lucy & Yak’s community is powerfully fan-created. Brand Advocacy at its finest!
This conversation dives into…
Authentic Community Building: Lucy & Yak's remarkable story is testament to the power of holistic community building. From humble beginnings on Depop to explosive growth, their community-first approach has fostered genuine Advocacy and unwavering loyalty among their customers.
Embracing Brand Values: At the heart of Lucy & Yak's ethos lies a commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and authenticity. Explore how Lucy's personal values shape the brand's identity, and how she strategically prioritizes the causes they get behind.
Innovative Marketing Strategies: Delve into Lucy & Yak's innovative marketing strategies, from incentivizing user-generated content to treating their customers as influencers since day one. Discover how a focus on word-of-mouth marketing and strategic gifting has amplified Brand Advocacy and fueled next-level growth.
Navigating Growth Challenges: Though the journey has been steady, it hasn’t been without moments of doubt. Lucy shares insights into the challenges and triumphs of scaling a brand – from overcoming imposter syndrome and balancing creative flow with the day-to-day of brand building, to embracing uncertainty and responsibility as the team expands. Gain valuable lessons on navigating the complexities of growth while staying true to core brand values.
Tune in to learn from one of the UK’s trailblazing fashion founders.
Elevate the brand you build.
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Connect with Lucy:
Lucy’s LinkedInLucy & Yak’s WebsiteLucy & Yak’s InstagramLucy & Yak’s Facebook

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It’s no longer good enough to have a brand community. In 2024, brands need to strategize, engage, and monetize the legion of Advocates they’ve been building. 
Industry leaders Katie Adams (Senior Marketing Director EMEA @ Abercrombie & Fitch) and Claudia Nappo (COO @ LK Bennett) join Paul & Verity for the last installment of Building Brand Advocacy LIVE – straight from the stage of the Social Commerce Summit: London.
They uncover how their brands have cultivated superfans and monetized brand engagement, delving deep into the transformative power of community-driven storytelling and compelling brand narratives.
From Abercrombie & Fitch's transformation story – of how they redefined brand narrative by embracing authentic storytelling, entrusting creators with control to resonate with their audiences on a deeper level – to LK Bennett’s tried-and-tested tactics for success, every fashion brand builder will learn something here.
Consider this episode the playbook for: 

Relinquishing Brand Control: To any brand, handing over the reins of your carefully curated aesthetic can be worrying. It’s a move often blocked by those in control of the company, also. You’ll hear how the big leagues do it, and do it successfully – seeing the payoff in community love and Advocacy.
Cultivating Superfans: Explore the delicate balance of community cultivation and the art of harnessing superfans for your brand. Learn how these iconic brands strategically nurture relationships with dedicated Advocates, fostering genuine connections that transcend transactional engagements.
Monetizing Community Engagement: Uncover the strategic transition from community building to monetization, where brands leverage their cultivated communities to drive meaningful engagement and foster brand loyalty. Gain insights into effective strategies for monetizing brand communities, while maintaining authenticity and trust.
Navigating In-House Creators: Explore the challenges and opportunities associated with in-house creator programs, where brands strike a delicate balance between creative control and empowering creators to own their storytelling. 
To learn the ins and outs of cultivating Brand Advocacy, reimagining traditional brand narratives, and acing Social Commerce for your community, tune in.
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Connect with Claudia & Katie:
Claudia’s LinkedInKatie’s LinkedIn

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