Advocacy 101: How Founders Turn Creators, Customers & Employees Into Brand Champions

The strongest brands aren’t built through ads. They’re built through people.

Welcome to a special Advocacy 101 episode, where five expert insights are remixed into one helpful guide. The time, it’s Founders’ takes on turning creators, customers, and those in your brand network into your most powerful brand champions.

Featuring lessons from Lucy Aylen (Founder @ Never Fully Dressed), Marielle Wyse (Founder & Director @ WYSE London), Haeni Kim (Founder & Creative Director @ KITRI), Lucy Toone (Founder @ TOMM Jewellery), and Francesca Kelly (Co-Founder @ Soru Jewellery), this episode breaks down how modern brands win by putting real people at the center of their marketing.

Tune in to learn why you should…

Make Customers Your Best Influencers: Before influencer marketing was an industry engine, Never Fully Dressed built a brand powered by everyday customers. Lucy shares why micro-influencers and engaged buyers drive more sustainable growth than big-name creators.

Understand That Not Every Founder Should Be the Face: WYSE London’s Marielle explains why pushing a founder into the spotlight doesn’t always work – and how brands can find the right voices to represent them.

Turn Negative Feedback Into Opportunities For Advocacy – KITRI’s Haeni reveals how handling complaints well can transform unhappy customers into loyal Advocates. Direct customer feedback always fuels better product development.

Go For ‘An Army of Ants Over a Queen Bee’: TOMM Jewellery’s Lucy shares why working with an engaged network of smaller Advocates often outperforms investing in one big creator.

Collaborate with Creators Who Truly Align: Francesca shares why the best partnerships start with a simple question: Does this person genuinely inspire us? Every one of Soru Jewellery’s collaborations hit this mark, or they don’t happen.

Listen in. Take notes. Build real Advocacy.

Chapters 00:00 – The Power of Word of Mouth Marketing 02:09 – Building Brand Advocacy Through Community Engagement 04:53 – The Role of Founders in Brand Representation 07:29 – Turning Customer Feedback into Brand Advocacy 09:49 – Collaborating with Influencers: Quality Over Quantity

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Connect with Lucy, Marielle, Haeni, Lucy & Francesca:

On Lucy Aylen’s LinkedIn

On Marielle’s LinkedIn

On Haeni’s LinkedIn

On Lucy Toone’s LinkedIn

On Francesca’s LinkedIn

Catch their full episodes:

Lucy Aylen on Creating Word-Of-Mouth Magic

Marielle on Turning Feedback To Fan-Led Advocacy