Brand Advocacy and my Ben’s Cookies Love Story

Let’s start with a cookie.

Back in the day, I couldn’t go into the city centre without buying a Ben’s Cookie. It was part of the routine. I’d save up dinner money, miss buses, wander through Cathedral Lanes, and wait whilst the cookies came out the oven. I loved that warm, gooey, chocolate chunk perfection. In my teenage years, then into my motherhood years, I’d sometimes pop into town purely for the cookie.

So, when the little stall in Coventry closed, I was heartbroken – and we took regular family trips to Leamington Spa instead. Until, yep, that store vanished too. That left my nearest Ben’s Cookies was Oxford. Which is… not near.

But I didn’t just let it go. Oh no.

There are days I have got in the car and taken the three hour round trip for a cookie. I must stress – there’s no other reason for the trip. No other errands to run. I don’t even make a day out of it. Just me, a cookie-filled paper bag, and a frankly absurd amount of joy.

It sounds ridiculous. It is ridiculous. But that’s what brand advocacy actually looks like.

So what is brand advocacy?

I’d describe brand advocacy as being the point when a customer doesn’t just like what you offer - they believe in it. They talk about it. Defend it. Recommend it. They go out of their way to keep it in their life.

It’s no longer transactional. It’s emotional. And it doesn’t come from clever marketing. It becomes the marketing.

Brand advocates are the people who do your word-of-mouth, your reputation-building, your referrals - all for free. Because they genuinely want others to experience what they did.

I wasn’t just buying a cookie. I was emotionally invested in the best cookie that has graced this earth. I tell everyone about Ben’s Cookies. I’ve been bringing others along for the ride for years. Going out of my way - quite literally - to keep this brand in my life.

And what does it mean for your business?

Brand advocacy isn’t a bonus or a by-product. It’s one of the most powerful tools a business can cultivate - but only if it’s earned. Not with clever discounts or shouty campaigns, but through trust, emotional connection, and consistently great experiences.

The goal isn’t to get people talking about you. It’s to give them something worth talking about. Because when someone is truly invested in what you do, they’ll come back. And they’ll bring others with them.

So, what actually turns a casual customer into a lifelong brand advocate?

After reflecting on over two decades of cookie-based commitment - here’s what I think I’ve learned:

1. The product gets them in. The experience makes them stay.

Ben’s Cookies didn’t win me over with a voucher. an advert, a targeted campaign. They won me over with an experience. Warm cookie. Molten chocolate. In that paper bag. The smell. The taste. The ridiculous joy of shovelling it in my gob.

I’m not actually recalling the cookie right now as I type this. I am recalling the moments. Many moments. And that excitement on heading to the counter. That delight as I find out it’s warm. The taste sensation as I walk away with my long awaited sweet treat.

And brands that focus on experience - not just the product - are the ones people hold onto.

💬 Ask yourself: What’s your “cookie moment”? What does it feel like to interact with your brand, not just buy from it?

2. Consistency builds trust. And trust builds advocacy.

I know exactly what I’m getting every time I buy a Ben’s Cookie. Wherever I am. Coventry (RIP). London. Oxford. Dubai.

Same cookie. Same experience. Same joy.

Inconsistency makes people hesitate. Consistency creates confidence - and confidence is what turns one purchase into two… into a life-long obsession. If you want people to advocate for you, they have to trust you. And trust is built through showing up, again and again, as who you say you are.

Consistency isn’t just brand colours. It’s tone. It’s service. It’s standards.

💬 Ask yourself: Does your brand deliver the same feeling wherever someone meets you?

3. True advocacy doesn’t need a campaign. It is the campaign.

I’ve probably sold more Ben’s Cookies than most of their advertising.I’ve recommended them to friends. Dragged family members into shops. Raised my children on them.I’ve texted cookie orders across cities.

And they’ve never paid me. They don’t even know me.

That’s the power of advocacy.

It’s marketing you don’t have to write. Because your customers already did.

Want brand advocates? Start by creating something worth raving about. And when people start raving = Let them. Spotlight them. Thank them. Bring them closer.

💬 Ask yourself: If people started shouting about your brand tomorrow, what would they say? Would you be ready to listen?

4. Loyalty is great. But it’s not the same as advocacy.

Loyalty schemes reward repeat business. Brand advocacy creates emotional investment.

I’ve never had a Ben’s Cookies loyalty card. No app. No stamp collection. No “buy 6 get 1 free.” And yet — here I am. Driving hours for a cookie. Writing an entire article about them. Telling everyone about it, for years.

Loyalty might get people to come back. Advocacy makes them bring others with them.

So sure, offer the points if you want. But don’t rely on that alone. If you want true advocacy, focus on the moments that make people feel something. The ones they’ll want to share.

💬 If your reward scheme disappeared tomorrow, would your customers still come back?

I don’t just remember the cookies.

I remember queuing with friends as we selected our flavour waiting to see the price on the scales. I remember the walks through town as a first-time mum, pushing the buggy with one hand, and holding the paper bag with the other. I remember the excitement of spotting the stand in Dubai, and the laughter and joy that alone created. I remember the group chat buzz when my son announces he’s coming back from London with a big fat box of Ben’s Cookies – any request? (Yep, all of them please and thank you).

I remember that I have never been disappointed with my Ben’s Cookies experience. I’ve never had a bad cookie. I already know that my next cookie will be amazing, wherever I find it and whenever that might be.

That’s what happens when a brand gets it right. It stops being a purchase. It becomes part of your story.

So if you’re trying to build loyalty that lasts, I’d say don’t start with an advert or special offer. Start with how you make people feel, and build on it from there. Because when people feel something real - they’ll travel to Oxford. Or Dubai. Or wherever their favourite cookie leads them.