Talk delivered at SprintEurope conference for community management professionals (25th Feb 2015). The most talked about and most loved brands are those that create a deep connection with their customers and build brand advocacy. The best advocacy programs enable customers to ‘control’ the image of a brand in their own hands and promote this image to their respective networks. They empower company’s fans, turning what once was a one-way marketing channel into an expansive web of promotional conversations, extending the visibility and reach of brand messaging. It may seem scary for brands to relinquish ‘control’ however in this fast-paced social media world are brands really in control in the first place?