Building Brand Advocacy

Hosted by Paul Archer and Verity Hurd

Business Marketing

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140

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Building Brand Advocacy is a tactical marketing podcast exploring how the world’s most impactful brands grow. Hosted by Paul Archer and Verity Hurd, the show explores the tactics and strategies behind modern brand building. Each episode breaks down how category-defining brands, platform leaders, and industry insiders rewriting the rules of growth and the tactics, strategies, and decisions other brands can apply immediately. This podcast is your marketing playbook.

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60 recent

June 10, 2026Episode 1918 min

Is The Creator Economy Broken? ft. Manuel Albuquerque

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 spaceThe time poor pressures of marketing teamsHow AI is influencing the creator economy The problem that AI is solving for marketing teamsBusting AI myths around the creator economy If you're navigating influencer strategy in an AI-first world, this one is essential listening.CHAPTERS00:00 People And Data First01:18 Creator Economy Boom01:59 From Basketball To Tech Startup04:08 The Influencer Stigma Debate05:24 Current Status: Bad Data And No Time06:38 AI Mindset Myth09:02 Augmented Intelligence Not Artificial Intelligence10:42 Myth Busting Rapid Fire12:17 How AI Is Changing Business Models15:29 Finding Effective Creator X Brand Matches16:45 Brand Advocacy Advice🔔 Subscribe to Building Brand Advocacy for weekly conversations with the people reshaping how brands grow.CONNECT WITH MANUELLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuelvicalbuquerque/PrimeTag: https://www.primetag.com/FOLLOW USVerity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacyInstagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacyTikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

May 27, 2026Episode 1839 min

How Grace Andrews Builds A Content Strategy In 5 Steps

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 Formats26:31 Step 3: The Platform Specific Strategy28:43 Step 4: Where Creators Fit Into Your Content Strategy32:56 Step 5: How To Measure For Success 🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.CONNECT WITH GRACEInstagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/graceandrewsss/⁠YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@graceandrewsss⁠TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@graceandrews7⁠FOLLOW USSubscribe: ⁠www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy⁠Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy⁠TikTok: ⁠www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy⁠Paul: TikTok: ⁠⁠www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy⁠⁠Verity: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

May 13, 2026Episode 1749 min

Building TRIP: How a Challenger Brand Conquered the Wellness Drinks Market

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 marketTRIP's influencer strategy and why it's built differently to most other brandsIntegrating celebrities into your brand without losing authenticityThe real strategy for brand building in the USWhy employee advocacy is one of the most underrated tools in a marketer's arsenalHow to integrate AI for effective brand building in 2026The honest challenges of being the underdog and how to turn them into an advantageCHAPTERS00:00 The Polished Brand Problem02:03 Finding Branded White Space06:00 Regulation Into Advantage07:36 Always On Brand Building10:17 How To Earn Consumer Trust16:06 Creators Influencers Celebs23:25 US Expansion Playbook26:30 Approaching Employee Advocacy28:39 Scaling Without Gatekeeping29:51 Email List vs Community31:15 AI Vs IRL 33:36 Hosting Inclusive Brand Events35:50 Winning on TikTok Shop39:52 Global Growth and Accounts44:26 Powerful Founder Partnerships🔔 Subscribe to Building Brand Advocacy for weekly conversations with the people reshaping how brands grow.CONNECT WITH TRIPInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/trip.drinks/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trip.drinksFOLLOW USVerity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacyInstagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacyTikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

April 29, 2026Episode 1631 min

Is your brand engineered for advocacy? | The Advocacy Maturity Model

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 nowWhy most brands plateau at stage 2 and never break through to genuine brand loveThe structural shifts your team needs to make at each stage of the modelHow to turn community-led growth into a measurable brand assetThe metrics that actually matter when tracking advocacy momentumIf 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 USSubscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacyInstagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacyTikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacyVerity: www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

April 22, 2026Episode 1537 min

Grace Andrews: Why Your Employees Are Your Most Powerful Brand Asset in 2026

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 2026A strategic framework for building genuine employee advocacyHow to drive real brand growth through your people not just your paid channelsEffective content experimentation strategies that actually move the needleWhy YouTube is the deepest, most underrated content channel for brand buildingThe trends smart brands are already preparing for in 2026/2027CHAPTERS00:00 Episode Trailer 01:30 Meet Grace Andrews02:23 2024 Trend Check 06:52 Employee Advocacy Basics09:20 Building The Employees Advocacy Infrastructure14:52 Ownership And Founder Role17:11 Incentivising Employee Advocacy19:22 Building A Content Experimentation System22:29Dummy Social Channels for Safe Testing24:09 Case Study of the Shameless Network28:48 YouTube vs Social Scrolling31:29 Where YouTube Fits into Teams33:48 Low Lift YouTube for Brands35:30 Future Creator Brand PartnershipsWhether 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 GRACEInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/graceandrewsss/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@graceandrewsssTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@graceandrews7FOLLOW USVerity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacyInstagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacyTikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

April 8, 2026Episode 146 min

Why more brands should become entertainment first | The Red Bull Strategy

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 accountsThe perfect niche to scale strategy Branded entertainment vs paid adsThe Redbull playbookWhether 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 & VERITYPaul: www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/Verity: www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/FOLLOW USPaul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacyInstagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacyTikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

April 1, 2026Episode 1348 min

Is Community The New Influencer? Founder of CLIQ Community App

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 itWhat 'third space' communities are and why they matter for brandsWhat it actually takes to build real, lasting community (it's not what you think)How brands can use CLIQ as a community-building toolFrameworks for measuring community impact — beyond vanity metricsOnline 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.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction04:29 Community as the Third Place08:19 Where Brands Go Wrong with Community13:59 Cliq Brand Case Studies 19:21 Measuring Community ROI26:17 Measuring Community Event Demand28:30 Tap Into Existing Communities29:40 Samsung Community Case Study35:17 Online vs In Person Community 37:34 Sub Communities Strategy41:40 Geo Local Community44:18 Cringe Or Community🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.CONNECT WITH NICOLAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolargunby/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-gunby/CLIQ: https://www.instagram.com/findyourcliq/

March 25, 2026Episode 1244 min

Why Every Brand Should Think Like a Creator | Sidemen's Manager Reveals All

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.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction02:38 Building the LADBible Agency07:16 Scaling The Sidemen Businesses11:16 Defining A Content Infrastructure12:27 Side Plus Membership Model17:27 How Brands Should Be Working With Creators20:23 End Of The Transactional Influencer Model 23:04 Discovery IS Replacing Followers26:07 The Influencer Economy Collapse28:33 Traditional Campaigns Are Dead30:04 Monoculture To Micro Communities38:24 The CMO Playbook 41:40 Contribution Marketing To Serve Then Sell🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.CONNECT WITH JORDANLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenberger/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanschwarz/TiKTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanschwarzenbergerFOLLOW USVerity: www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/Subscribe: www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacyInstagram: www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacyTikTok: www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy

March 18, 2026Episode 1142 min

How to Build, Scale & Actually Use AI in Marketing

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 brandsHow to make AI work for you and your team todayHow AI will reshape marketing resources and team structuresPractical ways to use AI in your day-to-day work lifeUsing AI to create real efficiencies across your content and marketing opsHow to build, scale, and manage an AI team from scratchCHAPTERS00:00 Build Your AI Native Dream Team02:32 Manager of Infinite Minds03:54 Onboarding and Feedback Loop09:49 Future Proof Marketing Roles Form AI 15:14 Building AI Agents into Your Workflow22:30 Repurposing Content With Agents25:54 Scaling To 11 Agents31:58 AI Native Mindset Shift34:45 Create A Preference Sheet for AI38:34 Training Cadence And GrowthWhether 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 & 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

March 11, 2026Episode 1023 min

How To Build A Community-Led Brand From Scratch (If I Started Over) | Sophie Miller’s Masterclass

In this mastermind episode, Sophie Miller (founder of Pretty Little Marketer) breaks down the exact tactical steps she’d take to build a high-engagement community from scratch in 2026.If you’re a brand, marketer or founder trying to turn followers into a real community engine, this episode is a step-by-step guide to catapult your community strategy.In this episode, you’ll learn:00:00 Introduction to community building 00:56 The Platform Strategy05:06 Step 1: Connection Point08:19 Step 2: Mission Sentence11:09 Step 3: Connection To You, Connection To Each Other16:24 Step 4: Thin Content🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss an episode.CONNECT WITH SOPHIELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiealicemiller/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiemillerrrr/Pretty Little Marketer: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prettylittlemarketer/FOLLOW USSubscribe: ⁠www.youtube.com/@buildingbrandadvocacy⁠Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/building_brand_advocacy⁠TikTok: ⁠www.tiktok.com/@building.brand.advocacy⁠Verity: www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/