Customers who love a brand usually want to say so. The brands that benefit most don’t just wait for it to happen. They give those customers a stage, a reason and a simple way to take part. The customer advocacy examples in this guide show how four well-known brands do exactly that. Each one also shows how to apply the same idea to your own business.
After the four examples, you’ll find a toolkit of advocacy tactics for both consumer and B2B brands, plus the lessons they share.
We based these summaries on what each brand has published. Programs evolve, so check the brand’s own site for current details.
The four examples at a glance
Brand Advocacy tactic What advocates get LEGO Fans design products A chance to see their idea on shelves GoPro Rewards for customer content Features, gear and cash awards Apple Customer photos in advertising Public recognition on a global stage Patagonia Stories of long-lasting gear Repairs, trade-in credit and a shared purpose What these brands have in common is structure. Each one turned goodwill into a repeatable program. An advocacy and referral platform gives any business the same structure, with tasks, tracking and rewards in one place.
4 Customer Advocacy Examples From Well-Known Brands
Each of these customer advocacy examples includes a short summary, why it works and how to apply it.
1. LEGO Ideas: letting fans design the product
LEGO Ideas invites fans to submit their own set designs online. Other fans vote for the ones they’d like to buy. When a project reaches 10,000 supporters, LEGO reviews it, and approved designs become official sets. The fan designer is credited on the product and receives a 1% royalty on net sales.
Why it works: Every designer becomes a promoter, since they need other fans to vote. The brand also learns what its community wants before it builds anything.
How to apply it: Invite customers to suggest and vote on new products, features or flavors. Credit the winners publicly.
2. GoPro Awards: rewarding the content customers already create
GoPro customers film their adventures anyway. GoPro Awards gives them a reason to share the best of it. Customers submit photos, raw clips and edited videos to ongoing challenges. Selected entries can earn social media features, GoPro gear or cash awards. Entrants must clear the content rights, so GoPro can use the footage in its own marketing.
Why it works: The product and the advocacy are the same thing. Every great clip shows what the camera can do.
How to apply it: Run recurring content challenges tied to how customers use your product. Collect usage rights up front.
3. Apple’s Shot on iPhone Challenge: putting customers in the spotlight
For its 2019 Shot on iPhone Challenge, Apple invited iPhone users to submit their best photos. A panel of judges chose 10 winners, whose photos were featured on billboards in select cities, in Apple retail stores and online. The winning shots came from several iPhone models, not just the newest one.
Why it works: Public recognition means more to many people than a prize. The campaign also proves the product’s quality through real customer work.
How to apply it: Feature real customers in your ads, emails and social channels, with their permission and clear usage terms.
4. Patagonia Worn Wear: celebrating the stories behind the product
Patagonia’s Worn Wear program celebrates gear that lasts. Customers can trade in used Patagonia items in good condition for credit. The company repairs and resells that gear, and it shares repair guides so people can fix items themselves. The program also features customers’ stories about the gear they’ve worn for years.
Why it works: Customers advocate for a shared value, not just a product. Their stories prove durability better than any claim the brand could make.
How to apply it: Invite long-time customers to share how your product fits their life, and reward loyalty with trade-ins or service.
A Toolkit of Customer Advocacy Tactics
The customer advocacy examples above come from big brands, but the tactics behind them work at any size. Here are the most common ways to turn buyers into promoters, for both consumer and B2B businesses.
Tactic What advocates do Best for Reviews Share honest feedback on review sites Consumer and B2B Referrals Introduce friends or peers Consumer and B2B Customer content Share photos, videos and posts Consumer Co-creation Suggest and vote on new ideas Consumer and B2B Community answers Help other customers in forums Consumer and B2B Case studies Tell their success story B2B Reference calls Speak with prospects before a purchase B2B Advisory boards Shape your roadmap with feedback B2B Referrals are often the easiest tactic to start with, since they create measurable new business. Referral program software tracks each introduction and rewards both sides automatically. For challenge-style tactics like the GoPro example, our article on running gamified challenges covers the mechanics.
What These Customer Advocacy Examples Have in Common
Look past the brand names, and the same four lessons appear in every example.
Give advocates a stage
Each brand created a clear place for customers to contribute, such as a voting site, a challenge page or a billboard campaign.
Tie advocacy to the product
The best advocacy shows the product in action. Designs, footage, photos and repair stories all prove value without a sales pitch.
Recognize before you reward
Credit, features and public recognition carry real weight. Tangible rewards help, but they work best on top of recognition.
Make the rules clear
Clear terms on eligibility, rewards and content rights protect both the brand and the customer.
How to Start Your Own Advocacy Tactics
You don’t need a global brand to use these customer advocacy examples. Start with one tactic that fits your customers, and build from there.
- Find your natural promoters. Look for customers who already leave reviews, share posts or recommend you.
- Pick one tactic. Choose the one closest to how customers already talk about you.
- Make it easy. Give clear steps, a simple submission process and fast responses.
- Recognize every contribution. Thank people personally, and feature the best work.
- Keep it fresh. Rotate challenges and add new tactics over time, using customer engagement software to schedule and track each one.
When advocates earn rewards for posting, a short disclosure in each post keeps things transparent. For a deeper look at program design, see our guide to customer advocacy programs.
Turning Customer Advocacy Examples Into Your Own Program
These customer advocacy examples prove that promoters aren’t born from luck. They’re built with a clear stage, a strong link to the product, genuine recognition and simple rules. Borrow the tactic that fits your customers best, and give them a reason to speak up.
Plan an advocacy program built for your customers
Like what you’ve seen here? Our team can help you design a similar program or a fully custom one, from content challenges and co-creation to referrals and reviews. Share your goals, and we’ll shape the tactics, recognition and rewards around how your customers already engage.
