Is your brand actually building Advocacy – or are you still buying influence?

This week, Verity’s joined by Sedge Beswick; humbly, one of the most sought-after voices in modern marketing. She’s the exited Founder of Seen Connects, Strategic Advisor to multiple brands, a Public Speaker, Mentor, and the original architect behind the ASOS social team.

From why the term ‘community’ is losing meaning, to what TikTok Shop strategies are still missing, Sedge offers a cutting breakdown of where brands get it wrong – and how to build smarter, bolder, more human-first influence strategies.

Expect insights marketers at every level need to hear, on…

• How to Spot (and Support) Your First Advocates – It starts with 10 true believers. Here’s how to find them, involve them, and scale it.

• Why Vanity Metrics Are Killing ROI: Brands still chase follower counts and forget to audit audience fit. Sedge explains the one data check every team should make before a partnership.

• Creator Briefs Need an Overhaul: Trust and autonomy drive results. Learn what a great 2025 brief looks like, and how to adapt for different tiers of creators.

• Performance Isn’t the Enemy of Brand: There’s a new era of collaboration on the cards, right now. Hear how smart teams are reconnecting the full marketing funnel.

• From Run Clubs to Book Clubs: Why IRL community isn’t just a trend, it’s your moat. Sedge explains how brands like New Balance are turning participation into brand equity.

• Inside REFY’s Influence Model: What makes their creator strategy so sticky? From co-founders to customer-led trips, Sedge unpacks the moves that matter.

It’s time to ditch short-term tactics and rethink what lasting brand love really looks like.

Chapters

00:00 – Bloopers, Blunders & Building a Career in Influence

05:40 – Why Influencer Marketing Fails (And How to Fix It)

10:00 – Followers Aren’t Community: What Some Brands Still Don’t Get

12:30 – Brand vs. Performance? Merge It.

15:15 – How ASOS Built a Creator System That Actually Worked

21:30 – The Data You’re Ignoring (TikTok Shop, Instagram & Beyond)

24:10 – Refy, Glossier & the Real Power of Customer-Led Growth

34:00 – New Balance & The Action Plan for Full-Funnel Advocacy

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