Advocacy

In the world of social media, advocacy is a powerful force. It is the act of supporting, promoting, or endorsing something that an individual, group, or organization wants to influence others about—to advance a certain agenda or message. This is not necessarily a political agenda but can involve anything from an individual’s passion for a specific environmental cause to the same individual's passion for a global footwear brand.

On social platforms, advocacy can take many forms: an individual might directly recommend something from his or her account; a group might post a picture of themselves wearing a cause's T-shirt; an organization might act as a megaphone for something it wants more people to know about or for a person it wants more people to pay attention to. More often than not, these actions might appear spontaneous, like the cause or company has struck a chord or is somehow 'in' with individuals, groups, or organizations. However, sometimes the company or organization might be paying the individual, group, or organization to act as an advocate.

Whatever the case may be, these actions, on their surface, do not appear to be the same as the corporate brand itself directly marketing something to the public.