Kate Hickson
29 January 2025
20 years of customer advocacy
Twenty years is a long time in any job. But in the world of customer advocacy – just how much has changed since 2005?

When I first took a job as Account Executive at inEvidence back in 2005, I never envisaged still being here 20 years later. That’s just not how things worked in the marketing world. I imagined I’d spend five years here, three years there, then be on to the next opportunity to keep climbing that ladder. But it didn’t take me long to realise that inEvidence was home for me.

It’s cliched but true, that the inEvidence team is like an extended family. And with the guidance, support, and comradery of that family, I gained in confidence, left PR behind me, and developed a career in customer advocacy.It has allowed me to work with some of the most inspiring and creative clients and colleagues.  

Three people are sitting close together at a formal event, each with a glass of wine. They are dressed in evening attire, with the man in the middle wearing glasses. Draped curtains and a decorative balloon are in the background. The image is in black and white.

So much has changed since 2005. . Personally, I bought my first house,moved three more times, got married, had two children, and developed a few unwelcome grey hairs. Meanwhile, the tech world has been transformed over the last 20 years;, we’ve seen the introduction of ever more sophisticated smartphones, GPS, and Wi-Fi, the relentless rise of social media, and more recently the appearance and rapid evolution of increasingly futuristic AI. When it comes to technology, the pace of change has become dizzying. But in the world of customer advocacy, how much have things actually changed? In some ways the industry has moved ahead in leaps and bounds, but some things remain the same… Here’s my take on what is different and what will never change in customer advocacy:

 

  1. Authenticity is vital

As the world became more digital, we started to crave authenticity to cut through the noise and so customer advocacy started to grow. Now, on the cusp of AI transforming the world as we know it, telling an authentic, human story has never been  more valuable or more important.

 

  1. Video has grown

Back in 2005, video was a luxury for most customer advocacy programs. The budgets were enormous, and the content was more brand campaign than customer story. In the last ten years this has completely turned around with video becoming much more accessible, and organisations realising the value of putting the right customers in front of a camera to share their story.

 

  1. Customers ready to share

20 years ago, it was much more of a challenge to get customers to share their stories. A lot of my time was spent in helping clients with reference recruitment; endless phone calls with sales teams and repeated emails to customers asking them to share their story. Today there is very little demand for recruitment support because companies are better at demonstrating the value of participating in an advocacy program, and customers recognise the benefits of sharing their success.

 

  1. Advocacy is more valued

When I first decided to leave PR behind me and focus fully on customer advocacy, people told me it was a mistake. Customer advocacy was so niche, I’d be limiting my options in the future. And it was true, customer advocacy was fairly unknown. It wasn’t taught as part of a marketing qualification, and few organisations had a dedicated advocacy ‘team’. I’m relieved to say that today, this has completely changed. Advocacy is now seen as a ‘real’ form of marketing and better yet, organisations are recognising the value it brings to the business as a whole. This is also reflected in the fact that customer advocacy is now a recognised profession with its own qualifications.

 

  1. Diverse… but a way to go

In terms of diversity, I’ve seen some great strides made over the years. There was a time when we would never have the opportunity to interview a female IT leader… they were just so rare in the technology world. Today, this is definitely changing but there is still a way to go. Hopefully it won’t take another 20 years to see true diversity in the customer advocacy community.  

 

Thank you to everyone I’ve had the good fortune to work with over the past 20 years. And here’s to seeing what the next 20 years will bring to customer advocacy.

 

Four people are posing in an office setting with a brick wall backdrop. Two are seated on green chairs, and two are standing behind. They are dressed in business-casual attire, with one person wearing a suit.
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