Retail Brand Advocacy Programs

In 2008, Marks and Spencer charging 5p for a plastic bag was seen as a huge risk. Today, DEFRA data shows bag sales are down 98%. Proof that voluntary corporate leadership paves the way for national policy. Back in 2008, I was part of the team at M&S that voluntarily introduced the 5p carrier bag levy in food halls. Before rolling it out nationally, we tested it across 50 stores in Northern Ireland and the South West. Demand plummeted by over 70% almost instantly. To make the transition seamless for shoppers, M&S gave away free reusable bags for a month before the May 2008 launch, and partnered with Groundwork to channel every penny raised directly into local green spaces and community parks. Seven years after that initial bold move, the UK government made the 5p charge mandatory across all major retailers. Now, bag usage is down by 98% (over 7.4 billion fewer bags!), proving three key principles about driving real sustainability: Pilot before you scale: Testing behavioral shifts in limited markets builds the data and confidence required for big decisions. Remove friction with alternatives: Giving customers reusable options upfront turned potential resistance into collective action. Corporate bravery enables policy: When business proves a model works, regulators can step in with confidence. Systemic change rarely happens overnight, but it almost always starts with a single organisation willing to challenge the status quo. https://lnkd.in/ejhwWYKW Clare Wilkes, Mike Barry, Carmel McQuaid, Paul Willgoss, Louise Nicholls, Richard Gillies, Alexis Steadman, Daniel Himsworth

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭    Business thrives when communities thrive. I was deeply moved by Jumbo supermarkets' innovative "Kletskassa" (chat checkout) initiative in the Netherlands. Instead of rushing customers through checkout, these special lanes encourage conversation and connection for people who want a slower retail experience.   "Many people, the elderly in particular, can feel lonely. As a family business and supermarket chain we have a central role in society. Our shops are a meeting place and that means we can do something to combat loneliness. The Kletskassa is just one of the things we can do,’ Jumbo CCO Colette Cloosterman-Van Eerd said.   It's a brilliant example of how businesses can weave social impact into their core operations. The reality is stark. According to the Dentsu 2025 Trend Report, the world is facing a global "togetherness deficit." Recent global events have left many feeling disconnected – particularly our elderly population. But herein lies an opportunity for businesses to step up:   1. Reimagine existing touchpoints: Every customer interaction can be transformed into a moment of connection. What's your equivalent of a "chat checkout"?   2. Create dedicated community spaces: Jumbo's "chat corners" show how businesses can repurpose physical spaces to nurture belonging.   3. Train staff as community builders: Our team members can be more than service providers – they can be connection catalysts.   4. Identify local needs: Understanding your community's specific challenges helps create meaningful interventions.   The ROI? It goes beyond metrics. It's in the strengthened community fabric. It's in being part of the solution to societal challenges. I believe every business, regardless of size or sector, has the potential to create impact in a way that people feel seen, heard, and connected.      

Advocacy (not just reach) is the new ROI. I’ve worked across media, influencer marketing, and content for decades, and one thing is clear: reach alone doesn’t move the needle anymore. Brands are finally waking up to the fact that real influence isn’t about visibility - it’s about trust. We recently ran a campaign featuring micro-influencers, shot on their phones and with no frills. It outperformed a big-budget macro and mega influencer campaign. Why? Because the audience of micro influencers knew they genuinely used the product. That authenticity drove advocacy, not just awareness. Today, it's not enough to pay for a post. If a creator doesn’t understand the brand or believe in the product, the content falls flat. What works is when creators are properly onboarded and educated about the benefits, given time to experience the product or service, and then empowered to create content in their own voice. It reminds me of the editorial world, where editors would test and review products before recommending them. It would become their ‘seal’ of approval, and it meant something. The credibility was earned. Advocacy isn’t a one-off hashtag. It’s built through shared values, long-term partnerships, and mutual trust. It’s about who will still champion your brand 3, 6, and 12 months from now and are they also your potential customers. Brands that invest in these relationships will win. And creators who see themselves as storytellers, not just content engines, will thrive. The future of influencer marketing isn’t about more eyeballs - it’s about deeper impact. And if you're still measuring success in impressions alone, you're missing the bigger picture. #advocacy #contentmarketing #creators #impact

Throughout the years, many clients have shared… “I found my voice by using it to speak up for people and causes I cared about.” Advocacy is the act of supporting, promoting, or arguing in favor of a particular cause, policy, or individual. It involves taking action to influence decisions to bring about change. Whether we are in an organizational leadership role, running a business, or pursuing social or political change, it often feels easier to use our voices on behalf of others than ourselves. Professionally, this shows up when we advocate for our team to have training but stay quiet about our leadership development needs. In the personal realm, clients frequently say they became advocates because they had to—for their children in school or to support their partners or parents after health diagnoses. Lately, in Step into Your Moxie’s organizational leadership and team development work, as well as with my entrepreneurial clients, I’ve noticed a few specific areas where all of the demographics I support are struggling—whether they are advocating for others or speaking up for themselves. 1.       The first area is in tailoring one’s message to their audience. In order to have the best chance at affecting change, we must center the person or people we are speaking with—their priorities and communication style.   Too often, especially when we are passionate, we overspeak. The most successful advocates communicate efficiently; they recognize that those in leadership and decision-making roles are pressed for time and weed out superfluous language from their communication. 2.       A second advocacy mistake I’ve witnessed is using evidence—but failing to interpret or humanize it. Data and statistics are only as valuable as the stories we create about them. 3.       And finally, an important competency that those who successfully advocate possess is emotional intelligence. This is why whether we are supporting leaders in government agencies, physicians and healthcare leaders, or executives in tech, emotional intelligence assessments are how we kick off most executive and leadership coaching engagements. To ethically move people to take action, it’s vital to be self-aware to recognize and effectively and self-compassionately navigate one’s feelings when making a persuasive case. Emotional intelligence is also crucial for recognizing and empathizing with where others are coming from—anticipating people’s objections and providing credible and relevant evidence to back up our claims and requests, as well as preserving relationships while managing resistance, uncertainty, and occasional conflict. Malala Yousafzai said, “I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.” How we raise our voice matters, so we truly mobilize others around a shared vision and can translate our ideas into the results we seek. If advocacy is an area where you or staff could use support, please let me know as I’m here to help.

The Supreme Court of India just made something very clear: CSR cannot stop at charity drives and photo-op plantation campaigns. Environmental responsibility is now part of corporate responsibility itself. 🌍⚖️ In a landmark observation linked to the Great Indian Bustard case, the Supreme Court stated that companies cannot call themselves “socially responsible” while ignoring the environment and ecosystems impacted by their operations. The Court also connected this responsibility to Article 51A(g) of the Constitution, which speaks about protecting and improving the natural environment. This is a huge shift in how CSR may evolve in India. Because for years, environmental spending was often treated as: ☘️ optional ☘️ branding-oriented ☘️ secondary to “social” impact But this ruling pushes the conversation toward something deeper: Environmental protection is not separate from social responsibility. Clean air, water, biodiversity, ecological balance and climate resilience ARE social issues. And honestly, this changes the future direction of CSR strategy itself. Companies may now increasingly move toward: 📊 measurable environmental impact 🌱 biodiversity restoration 💧 water stewardship ♻️ circular economy initiatives ⚡ decarbonisation projects 📉 carbon accounting & reduction 🏭 sustainable supply chains This also strengthens the importance of: • ESG reporting • LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) • Environmental compliance • Carbon footprinting • Climate risk disclosure The interesting part? India’s sustainability ecosystem is slowly shifting from voluntary storytelling to legally and institutionally backed accountability. The era of “green as a side activity” is fading. The environment is becoming central to how responsible business itself is defined. #CSR #Sustainability #ESG #ClimateAction #Environment #CorporateResponsibility #LCA #NetZero #India #SupremeCourt #CarbonFootprint #SustainableBusiness

Most companies hand employees a 47-page social media policy and wonder why nobody posts. I hand them the Big 3 Framework instead. Three message lanes. Total clarity. Zero chaos. After training teams at global firms, I've learned this: employees don't need more rules. They need clearer lanes. Here's the Big 3 Framework that turns nervous employees into confident creators: 1. Competitive Stance What makes you different in the market Not "we're innovative" (everyone says that). But your actual unique position. Example: If you're Stripe, it's "developer-first payments." Your engineers can post about beautiful APIs, clean documentation, solving complex integration problems. All on-brand without mentioning Stripe once. 2. Cultural Stance What it actually feels like to work there Skip the "great culture" fluff. Share the real rituals, values, and moments. Example: If you have Friday demo days, employees can share their presentation wins. If you do peer bonuses, they can celebrate colleagues. These stories build employer brand better than any recruiting campaign. 3. Community Stance The causes and commitments beyond profit What you stand for when nobody's buying. Example: If you're committed to closing the gender pay gap, your HR lead can share the journey. Your finance team can discuss transparent salary bands. Real stories, real impact. The magic? Overlap employee personal passion with company priorities. Your sustainability lead who loves hiking? Perfect match for environmental posts. Your engineer who mentors teens? Natural fit for STEM education content. Your marketer obsessed with accessibility? Ideal for inclusive design stories. Give your people these three lanes. Watch them create content that actually moves the needle. Because when employees know exactly where they can play, they stop worrying about boundaries and start building your brand. P.S. Want the full employee advocacy playbook I use with corporate clients? Dropping it this Saturday!

Purpose and profit can absolutely go hand in hand. Some of the latest conversations from the INSIGHTS podcast series sparked great reflections on this idea, and I wanted to explore it further. The strongest examples of corporate responsibility today show that doing good for society and creating value for the business are not competing agendas when the work is structured, measured, and sustained over time. IKEA reduced paint drying time for some kitchen fronts from 45 minutes to 1 minute, while cutting paint waste by 20%, reducing CO₂ emissions by 30%, and saving 20 tons of paint annually in one production line. Natura reduced absolute carbon emissions by 10.2% in 2025 and reached 29% post-consumer recycled content in packaging, exceeding its 25% target one year ahead of schedule. Kantar’s 2026 Consumer-Led Sustainability Brand Ranking, based on 18,000 consumers across 12 markets and 2,100 brands, reinforces that sustainable brand growth depends on being meaningful, credible and relevant. It also highlights how fragile trust has become after repeated greenwashing scandals. That is the real shift. Social impact is no longer judged only by what companies publish in annual reports. It is also shaped by what consumers learn on social media, what they hear from others, and what communities can actually see. There is also an internal effect that deserves more attention. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology found that employees in companies with corporate volunteering programs reported higher engagement, more energy, stronger dedication, and greater perceptions of autonomy and support from coworkers and supervisors. Reputation is being built in public. Credibility is being tested by consumers. Culture is being reinforced from the inside by employees who choose to give their own time. But we still need more proof points on the board. More examples that help leaders strengthen the vision that doing good for society and doing good for the company can absolutely coexist when purpose is translated into structure, discipline, partnerships and measurable impact. Sources: Inter IKEA Group; Natura Investor Relations; Kantar; Frontiers in Psychology.

🔁 From Happy User to Public Advocate — The 4-Step System Happy customers won’t become advocates by accident. You need a system to turn everyday feedback into stories, proof, and impact. Here’s the 4-step framework we use at Freshworks to move users from happy to vocal: 1️⃣ Capture the signal Feedback surveys, peer reviews, councils / CAB, in-product feedback — all of it holds potential. We use UserEvidence to surface quotes from these signals and turn them into usable, approved proof points that teams can access quickly. 2️⃣ Ask with purpose Not every customer wants the same kind of ask. Our Freshworks Insiders program lets customers raise their hand and choose how they want to engage — whether it’s content, referrals, speaking, or product input. We tailor our requests based on what they want to give. 3️⃣ Turn insight into assets Once they opt in and give approval, we create: ✅ Testimonial cards ✅ Sales-ready case studies ✅ Proof points for lifecycle campaigns and product education 4️⃣ Spotlight and scale We highlight advocates internally and externally — making sure their contributions don’t just disappear into a deck. This creates a flywheel: 💬 Self-selected → Activated → Recognized → Re-engaged Advocacy isn’t a campaign. It’s a system (Save, Yourself, Some, Time, Energy & $$$). And when built around what customers want — it scales. 👇 Thinking of visualizing this flywheel? Let me know — might turn it into a template. #CustomerTruths #CustomerMarketing #CustomerAdvocacy #FreshworksInsiders #UserEvidence #CX #Retention #VoC

Brand advocacy is getting personal. People follow people. Not logos. In 2025, the top voices won’t be CEOs. They’ll be employees. Employee brand advocacy has moved beyond just sharing company posts.   It's evolving into something way more powerful. Moving beyond resharing corporate content to empowering employees as strategic storytellers.   Here are 9 trends reshaping how employees amplify brand voice:   1/ AI-Powered Personal Branding ↳ AI suggests perfect content timing ↳ Customized sharing recommendations   💡 Pro tip: Let AI analyze your top-performing posts first to establish your baseline engagement pattern   2/ Employee-Created Content Revolution ↳ Authentic storytelling takes center stage ↳ Personal experience showcases   💡 Pro tip: Start with day-in-the-life content - it has the highest engagement rate among employee posts   3/ VR Workplace Experiences ↳ Immersive office culture tours ↳ Virtual team collaboration stories   💡 Pro tip: Record VR tours during peak collaboration moments, not just empty office spaces   4/ Cross-Department Content Pods ↳ Combined expertise sharing ↳ United brand messaging   💡 Pro tip: Pair technical teams with customer-facing ones for the most compelling content mix   5/ Interactive Employee Spotlights ↳ Achievement storytelling ↳ Career journey showcases   💡 Pro tip: Update spotlights quarterly to keep content fresh and show real-time growth   6/ Diverse Advocacy Programs ↳ Multi-level representation ↳ Inclusive storytelling initiatives   💡 Pro tip: Create content calendars that align with global cultural moments   7/ Social Media Rotation Systems ↳ Employee account takeovers ↳ Behind-the-scenes access   💡 Pro tip: Brief employees a week before their takeover with trending topics in your industry   8/ Gamified Advocacy ↳ Recognition leaderboards ↳ Peer competition elements   💡 Pro tip: Rotate rewards monthly between digital badges and real-world perks   9/ Personalized Content Creation ↳ Individual voice emphasis ↳ Authentic personal branding   💡 Pro tip: Create content templates that are 70% customizable, 30% brand-aligned   Real-World Use Cases 🔹 Salesforce’s #LifeAtSalesforce Series ↳ Employees create short-form videos about career journeys ↳ AI tools help edit, caption, and optimize for platform-specific performance ↳ Result: 30% higher engagement on talent brand content compared to corporate posts 🔹 HubSpot’s Culture Code Amplification ↳ Cross-functional teams co-create culture content ↳ Gamified sharing with internal rewards for reach and impact ↳ Result: 4x increase in organic impressions from employee posts in under six months As employee advocacy evolves, the most impactful brands will be those that unlock the full potential of your team’s voice.   Which of these trends excites you most? Share below 👇   ♻️ Repost if your network needs to see where employee advocacy is heading. Follow Carolyn Healey for more like this.

If your employee advocacy social strategy is just link-sharing, you’ve already lost your audience. 😕 Advocacy isn’t about pushing company content. It’s about creating something people actually see themselves in. That means experiences. Interactive. Unconventional. Worth talking about. What recently started as a simple advocacy discussion → turned into a collaboration across Social, Brand, Web, and Content. The result? The AI Search Archetypes Quiz. It puts the audience in the driver’s seat. Helps them discover how they fit into today’s shifting AI search landscape. Gives them something fun, relatable, and shareable along the way. Because here’s the truth: The best advocacy isn’t the stuff you post because you have to. It’s the stuff you’d bring up with a co-worker. Or a friend. Or even someone outside your industry who just wants to understand what you do. We built this quiz as part of a larger research piece — and it quickly became one of my favorite projects. → Writing copy → Mapping the flow → Personifying the creative → Gamifying it for company-wide & external social promotion These are the projects that remind me why creativity and collaboration go hand-in-hand. Big thank you to Lauryn Chamberlain, Tyler Lee, Fiona H., Disha Shetty, Olivia S, Petya Nikolova, Ashley Jackson, Briana Jackson, Paige Ponzeka, Nicole Bonardel Espinosa de los Monteros, Megan Dubin (honorable mention) for making this real.