Social Commerce is more than a buzzword — it’s reshaping the way brands interact with their communities.

At its heart lies a powerful trio: user-generated content, creator marketing, and trust.

From early innovations in Southeast Asia to Livestreaming for TikTok Shop across Europe & The Americas, it’s clear: the brands that thrive today meet their customers where they are and involve them on their terms.

In the last of our live recordings from the Social Commerce Summit: Autumn Edition, Paul welcomes Cathriona Nolan (ex-SVP of Marketing, Brand & eCommerce @ Pomelo Fashion) and Yoann Chipotel (Partner @ Emplifi) to explore how Social Commerce drives Brand Advocacy. With Cathriona’s hands-on experience in building omnichannel, influencer-loved brands, and Yoann’s expertise in leveraging community content for global giants like Nike and H&M, this episode is packed with actionable insights for brand builders.

Hit play to learn:

• Leverage UGC as Authentic Brand Currency: Cat shares how Pomelo’s “Pomelo Girls” activations transformed everyday customers into Advocates. By encouraging content creation, their voices were socially amplified – leading to more trust, and more sales. Yoann dives into how even bad reviews build trust when used transparently, too.

• Empower Creators Without Losing Control: Here, Cat explores the best ways she knows how to foster authentic partnerships with creators who align with your brand values. Finding the right fit, using her foolproof methods, ensures their Advocacy feels genuine and trustworthy.

• Build Community-Driven Social Commerce: Discover how Live selling, loyalty rewarding, and community involvement turn customers into Advocates. By replicating in-store experiences through Lives and rewarding engagement, brands foster deeper connections – encouraging customers to authentically champion you.

  
  

The key takeaway? Social Commerce is more than a channel. It’s a dynamic way to build trust, foster involvement, and turn customers into long-term Advocates.

Utilizing creators, turning to community-generated content, and caring is your way in.

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Connect with Cat & Yoann:

• On Cat’s LinkedIn

• On Yoann’s LinkedIn
  

Brand builders, take a peak into our crystal ball.

There’s you, your entire marketing team, and a whole lot of TikTok Lives.

Social commerce is growing fast, and it’s clear that brands leveraging it early are reaping the rewards.

That’s why industry leader, Ben Gallaga, has decided to break his silence – sharing how he’s built an iconic brand by going all-in on TikTok Shop, so you can too.

Live from the Social Commerce Summit: Autumn Edition, Ben (Founder @ Luxe Collective) sat down with Paul for a conversation equal parts business smarts & real talk. Knowing this space better than most, Ben is fast carving a space for pre-love luxury on TikTok – having turned the channel into 34% of the brand’s revenue since launching in July.

By staying adaptable, authentic, and relentless on socials, Luxe Collective has built a loyal following of passionate brand fans & Advocates. Even setbacks – like over-hiring, a break-in & investing in content that didn’t work – have been used to take massive steps forward with community connection.

Now, Ben will share how to:

• Turn Every Live Session Into a “Must-Watch” Show: Ben reveals why TikTok Live sessions should be treated like episodic TV, with new content and offers on set days of the week. Learn his strategies for making each session feel unique, engaging, and worth tuning into, from exclusive product drops to flash sales and live Q&As.

• “Host the Party” on Social Media: When creating engaging content, think of your brand as the host who brings the latest news, trends, and industry happenings to the table. For Ben, this “hosting” strategy means discussing relevant topics & breaking news while subtly plugging the product — an easy way to establish authority, grow visibility, and consistently offer value to your community.

• Master the Art of “Irresistible Offers”: Ben explains the psychology behind crafting deals that feel too good to pass up, from limited-time discounts to exclusive bundles. His secret? Make the audience feel like they’re getting an offer too good to miss out on. Generosity is key when it comes to building Advocacy, after all.

Here’s how you scale on TikTok Shop while staying grounded.

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On Instagram

On Luxe Collective’s TikTok

What’s more valuable than a brand that speaks candidly to its customers?

A brand that listens to them.

Fostering true Advocacy isn’t just a loyal customer base – it’s building a community around shared moments of care. Consider this your opening blueprint for transforming brand love (from your customers, creators & social lurkers) into real Brand Advocacy.

You may even make a sale, too.

In this live recording from the Social Commerce Summit: Autumn Edition, you’re brought an unfiltered conversation with four Brand Leaders – each with firsthand knowledge on growing through meaningful connection, realness, and a bold content strategy. Welcome Jimmy Charnock (Head of Community @ Represent), Sarah Ashwick (Communications & Advocacy Expert @ L’Oréal), Olly Hudson (CMO @ The JAQ Group), and Joe Marston (Founder @ Soar With Us) to the podcast.

Learn L’Oréal’s signature approach to creator collaborations, how Represent stays ahead of the community curve, and why brands like Liquid London can earn creators £30k+ from one TikTok post.

According to these experts, you should…

• Put People Over Products: Jimmy says it best – “Put time into people, they’ll put time into you.” Building Advocacy means inviting your audience behind the scenes, sharing real moments, and doing things noone else is. This isn’t about disruption — it’s about connection first. Brands who lean in will come out on top.

• Let Community Ideas Lead: Sarah’s formula for community building? Empowering creators to bring their wildest ideas to life; co-creating with you. “Our community is so inclusive. They create incredible content, and allowing them to come to us with bonkers ideas is where we won.” Trusting your community to help shape your brand.

• Get Tactical On Rewarding Creators: Joe & Olly share a tested strategy for scaling brand reach with creator communities, leveraging aggressive commission strategies to stand out. “Affiliates are spammed by brands daily. But when you offer £5 for a sale instead of 50p, you unlock the full potential of mass creative testing.” This approach has driven incredible results, including £55k+ revenue in one day on TikTok Shop.

Press play. Uncover how Advocacy shapes every area of Social Commerce.

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Sarah’s LinkedIn

Olly’s LinkedIn

Joe’s LinkedIn

How do you cultivate a deeply dedicated community in fashion?

You transform it into a force for good.

For this episode, Verity is joined by Jo Tutchener Sharp (Founder & CEO @ Scamp & Dude). Diving deeper than this podcast has before, they explore Jo’s story and the incredibly real impact it had on her drive to build something meaningful.

After navigating personal highs and lows — including major surgery, surviving cancer, the launch of Scamp & Dude, and going live with Liberty London in less than ten months — Jo’s story is one of resilience and impact.

To date, the brand has donated more than 53k scarves to women going through similar treatment; and thousands more Superhero Sleep Buddies to children impacted by their mothers’ treatments.

Scamp & Dude is not your average fashion brand, but one the whole industry can learn from.

Balancing commercial success with charitable goals, their superpower-infused branding connects with vast audiences for one reason – everyone could use a boost sometimes.

From experience, Jo knows exactly how to…

• Build Authentic Customer Relationships: The magic of Scamp & Dude lies in keeping things real — no forced strategies. Jo’s personal interactions, from Instagram Lives to in-store community events, create a community that feels wholly meaningful. Learn how to foster deep, authentic connections by repeatedly showing genuine care.

• Tell a Story That’s True to You: A brand’s story should come from the heart. You can tell when it doesn’t. Jo highlights how her personal journey is “intrinsic to the whole brand”, and why fashion & beauty marketers must find their brand’s truth and live into it boldly. Customers feel the difference.

• Create a Community That Advocates With You: Scamp & Dude’s community thrives on confidence and support — fans connect, share feedback, and inspire one another in more private digital spaces than you’d know. Jo reveals how empowering customers to be part of your brand’s journey creates a supportive environment, where Advocacy naturally flourishes.

Learn from Jo. Show you care. Build something that matters.

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Connect with Jo:

On Instagram

On Scamp & Dude’s Instagram

On Scamp & Dude’s Website

Is there a formula for fashion brand success that goes beyond quality and design?

Community, collaboration, and unwavering focus on the customer.

In comes KITRI – the cool girl, high-fashion brand you can actually afford.

For this episode of the podcast, Verity sits down with Haeni Kim (Founder & Creative Director @ KITRI) to uncover the real story of building a beloved cult brand. Defying industry norms, this former dancer turned fashion entrepreneur knows how to stay on pointe – putting women center stage in every design, with a community-first mindset.

Listen in as she and Verity discuss the realities of marketing in fashion’s current landscape, and the tactics needed to create a brand that sticks around for the long haul. To Haeni, winning the long game means continually listening to – and learning from – your community.

According to the expert, you should…

• Creating Community-Centric Buzz: It is vital to get direct feedback from your customers, and actively build something a community could care about, from day one. Through exclusive but regular drops and carefully curated edits, Haeni created a routine for KITRI shoppers to look forward to. The power of word-of-mouth – with customers creating their own WhatsApp groups to predict the next drops and share their buying plans – holds all the power.

• Balancing Brand With Performance: Haeni learned the hard way that an over-focus on performance marketing can quickly deplete brand strength. The pivot in 2022 to long-term brand building is a crucial lesson for all marketers. If you’re not nailing brand, no amount of sales can save you for long.

• Turning Customer Complaints Into Advocacy Opportunities: KITRI’s approach to customer feedback, especially bad reviews, is golden. By actively listening and addressing concerns, Haeni & her team have managed to turn most dissatisfied customers into loyal Brand Advocates. She shares how you can, too.

Press play to put community first when setting your brand apart, ensuring its story is told for years to come.

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Connect with Haeni:

On Instagram

On KITRI’s Instagram

On KITRI’s Website

What’s better than Return On Investment when it comes to content & community building?

Return On ‘Involvement’.

It’s the sweet spot where Advocacy lives, and the household-name brands know it.

Consider this your guide to getting stuck in – to growing personal, niche, and brand communities through the power of true, caring connection.

This week, welcome Author, TEDx Speaker, LinkedIn Top Voice & Creative Consultant, Jo Bird, to the podcast. Her years building iconic brand identities (ex-Lounge, ex-Gymshark) alongside her own make her expertly placed to advise you here, in conversation with Verity.

By now, it's a fact that the brands that win involve their audiences in their journey. The next frontier of engagement marketing will be co-creating with your community, to tell your brand story.

Turn this episode on and up to learn how to…

• Relinquish Control to Creators – Cautiously: Collaborating with creators of all sizes is key to spreading digital word-of-mouth and Advocacy. Jo warns against blindly handing over control, though. Brands need to be mindful of their intention and ensure creators align with their brand's ‘friendship group’, so to speak. Otherwise, you could quickly have the wrong person Advocating for you. The right creators can become invaluable Brand Advocates, but the relationship must be carefully curated.

• Not Just Follow Trends, But Set Them: Brands that excel don’t just follow trends – they’re creating them. Experimentation is key here, and taking inspiration from successful brands like Gymshark and Duolingo can help shape a unique strategy. In 2025, this will look like prioritizing co-creation, personal brands, TikTok Lives, and embracing content that fosters a conversational, involved community.

• Prioritize Advocating With Your Brand, Not For It: A brand must have a clear point of view, and share in it authentically with their community. Asking brand fans to Advocate for your brand, instead of with your brand, is a common mistake. Younger audiences expect brands to take a stance on issues, while allowing them to join in the movements made together. Advocacy is a long-term plan; the only one that ensures brand survival for the next 10-20 years, according to Jo herself.

Listen. Learn. Take your brand strategy (personal or commercial) to the next level.

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Connect with Jo:

• On LinkedIn

• On Instagram

• On her Website
  

How do you actually stand out in fashion?

You stand for something. No, really stand for something.

That’s exactly what Beyond Yoga did. Almost 20 years later, the brand is still thriving.

Building firmly on the ethos that everyone can wear activewear – no matter their shape, size, or activity levels – has cemented them as a forward-thinking leader in this game.

Today, Paul is joined by Michelle Wahler (Co-Founder (& Former CEO) @ Beyond Yoga | ex-Levi Strauss & Co.) to share her co-founding story. Disrupting the activewear space from day 1, with industry-leading fabrics and a total embrace of size-inclusivity, Michelle knows exactly how to create a brand identity that resonates with women everywhere.

Gain real insight into how she balanced the demands of running a business while maintaining the passion and deep love for her work across two decades, alongside the one thing she’d do differently if she could go back. For fellow Founders, her advice is clear – don’t forget to protect your equity, and don’t sleep on the power of wholesale.

Whether you want to hear the hidden challenges of scaling globally, or you’re interested in how Beyond Yoga’s unique Space fabric came to be a brand signature, this conversation is packed with the knowledge of growing a brand that puts Advocacy first.

Tune in to hear Michelle’s take on…

• Breaking The Beauty Binary: This mission has been at the core of Beyond Yoga’s values, as the brand made a bold commitment to inclusivity and authenticity. With a strict ‘no photoshop’ rule, the brand took a strong stance on celebrating real bodies. This unapologetic approach not only resonated but also fueled word-of-mouth, as consumers struggled to find the same authenticity elsewhere.

• Creating Word-Of-Mouth Buzz: Michelle walks us through the tactical steps that helped the brand grow through word-of-mouth and Advocacy. From the moment the team realized Beyond Yoga had "made it", when Reese Witherspoon was pictured buying their leggings in the 2000s, to the importance of offering what consumers truly want – something no one else is doing.

• Being Generous To Be Kind First, Not To Benefit: There’s nothing that builds Advocacy quite like giving your product away for free. That’s exactly what Michelle did, time and time again – not just to creators, but directly to the Beyond Yoga community. Rewarding them for their loyalty, dedication, and taking a chance on a new name. In the same vein is employee Advocacy, with Michelle building out a generous company culture that truly cared for its people; shutting down during the holidays and offering flexible work options long before they were popular.

Here’s how you build for brands with a mission-driven approach.

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• On Instagram
  

What do Duolingo’s ‘Duo’, ‘Percy Pig’ & AO’s marketing have in common?

Fun, personality & an easily translatable visual identity.

They’ve cracked the code on breaking through social media’s noise.

Industry-leading fashion brands, like Lounge Underwear, are now crossing categories to market like them. Here, you’ll learn how to too.

In today’s episode, Verity interviews Sonia Hussain (Brand & Communications Specialist | ex-Lounge, ex-Bravissimo) on building a great brand in 2024.

Together, they dig deep on the importance of establishing a strong identity, making meaningful connections with your customers, and the three key pillars to any Advocacy strategy – purpose, positioning, and personality.

Touching on direct strategies for building a brand people actively seek out to engage with, Sonia also shares advice for utilizing influencer marketing at every stage of this funnel.

Stand out by challenging the social status-quo.

Get started with Sonia’s take on…

• Retailtainment in Community-Building: Building meaningful connections is made easier by creating experiential marketing that resonates. Brands need to focus on ‘retailtainment’ — blending retail and entertainment to engage customers in-store. Hosting community-driven events, like Lounge Underwear's partnership with Girls Who Walk in Manchester, only serves to strengthen relationships and build a loyal customer base.

• Looking Outside Your Category: The social landscape is oversaturated. Now, to stand out, brands must innovate beyond the playbooks provided by the platforms to make their own mark. Observe and learn from successful strategies outside your category; like Sonia’s latest obsession with AO's engaging social content. Tailoring your approach to each platform is necessary – actioning content that fulfills Instagram’s need for polished inspiration, while prioritizing playful engagement on TikTok.

• Thinking Outside The Demographic Box: Actually understanding your audience, from their own input over any assumptions, is crucial for crafting compelling brand narratives. The ‘Barely There Bra’ campaign was a success for Lounge when they listened to direct feedback, tapping into Gen Z's preference for comfort over traditional underwear choices. This data-driven approach allowed them to craft a campaign that worked; selling out of bras that were marketed without even a photo.

Here’s how you build for brands with a mission-driven approach.

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Connect with Sonia:

• On LinkedIn