A new 2025 Social Advocacy Report from Ambassify reveals a shift in corporate social media strategies. Companies are increasingly prioritizing employee voices over traditional influencer marketing as social media platforms evolve and users demand more authentic content.
“The State of Social Advocacy 2025” report compiles insights from 14 industry leaders across major global companies and identifies three critical trends reshaping social advocacy’s future.
Social Platforms Become Primary Information Sources
First, social platforms are becoming primary information hubs rather than just marketing channels. Gary Low, VP of Social Media at United Overseas Bank (UOB), notes that LinkedIn and other platforms have effectively become “the new Google,” with users seeking authentic information directly from company employees rather than corporate accounts.
“Social media users don’t just want to be inspired by the content they see online, they want authenticity,” explains Laura Pech Hylton, Head of Social Media at SUEZ. “People are sick and tired of being fed ads and promotions by companies and want social media to be a place of authentic connections and experiences where they can learn from real people and their expertise.”
AI Transforms Employee Content Creation
Second, artificial intelligence is transforming how employees create and share content. Nathan Vennekens, Global Social Employee Advocacy Manager at Capgemini, reports that AI tools are helping employees who previously lacked confidence in content creation to participate in advocacy programs. However, he emphasizes that organizations must balance AI assistance with maintaining authentic employee voices.
“When advocates stray too far from basic brand guidelines, it is hard to build that association back to the organization,” Vennekens says. “Another challenge is preventing an advocacy program from being seen as a crutch. It’s very easy to just post the suggested content as is, but great advocates will put their own spin to it.”
Beyond Traditional Social Sharing
Third, companies are expanding advocacy programs beyond traditional social sharing. Koen Stevens, CEO of Ambassify, indicates that organizations are moving toward more specialized advocacy use cases, including dealer and leader advocacy programs.
“Classic social sharing will become a commodity over time,” Stevens says. “We already advise our customers to interact and engage with their employees through not only ‘push’ but also ‘pull’ campaigns such as polls, surveys, net promoter scores, ideation campaigns, and many more.”
According to the report, organizations looking to maintain effective advocacy programs in 2025 will need to focus on empowering employees with tools and training while ensuring “authenticity in communications.” The research suggests that advocacy programs will extend beyond current participation rates of 10-15% of employees to potentially include entire workforces as programs become more strategically integrated with company initiatives.
Inputs and Perspectives
Other experts whose insights were featured in the report included Anna Bertoldini, Senior Social Media Brand Manager at NielsenIQ; Tavis Coleman, Senior Social Media Officer at MottMacDonald; Fabian Delhaxhe, Founder at La Super Growth Boite; and Anaïs Baumgarten, Digital Marketing Expert at Slow Marketing.
Alexandra Dhooghe and Elise Favere, Corporate Communications Specialists at Securex; Federico D’Amico, Social Media and Employee Advocacy at Gartner; Kate Busby, Brand Director at Novakid Inc.; Jonas Haerens, Senior Manager Employer Branding at Flix; and Laure Pourageaud, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Pluxee also contributed their perspectives on the shifting corporate social media landscape in 2025.
For more information about the complete findings, the full report is available through Ambassify.
David Adler is an entrepreneur and freelance blog post writer who enjoys writing about business, entrepreneurship, travel and the influencer marketing space.
A new 2025 Social Advocacy Report from Ambassify reveals a shift in corporate social media strategies. Companies are increasingly prioritizing employee voices over traditional influencer marketing as social media platforms evolve and users demand more authentic content.
“The State of Social Advocacy 2025” report compiles insights from 14 industry leaders across major global companies and identifies three critical trends reshaping social advocacy’s future.
Social Platforms Become Primary Information Sources
First, social platforms are becoming primary information hubs rather than just marketing channels. Gary Low, VP of Social Media at United Overseas Bank (UOB), notes that LinkedIn and other platforms have effectively become “the new Google,” with users seeking authentic information directly from company employees rather than corporate accounts.
“Social media users don’t just want to be inspired by the content they see online, they want authenticity,” explains Laura Pech Hylton, Head of Social Media at SUEZ. “People are sick and tired of being fed ads and promotions by companies and want social media to be a place of authentic connections and experiences where they can learn from real people and their expertise.”
AI Transforms Employee Content Creation
Second, artificial intelligence is transforming how employees create and share content. Nathan Vennekens, Global Social Employee Advocacy Manager at Capgemini, reports that AI tools are helping employees who previously lacked confidence in content creation to participate in advocacy programs. However, he emphasizes that organizations must balance AI assistance with maintaining authentic employee voices.
“When advocates stray too far from basic brand guidelines, it is hard to build that association back to the organization,” Vennekens says. “Another challenge is preventing an advocacy program from being seen as a crutch. It’s very easy to just post the suggested content as is, but great advocates will put their own spin to it.”
Beyond Traditional Social Sharing
Third, companies are expanding advocacy programs beyond traditional social sharing. Koen Stevens, CEO of Ambassify, indicates that organizations are moving toward more specialized advocacy use cases, including dealer and leader advocacy programs.
“Classic social sharing will become a commodity over time,” Stevens says. “We already advise our customers to interact and engage with their employees through not only ‘push’ but also ‘pull’ campaigns such as polls, surveys, net promoter scores, ideation campaigns, and many more.”
According to the report, organizations looking to maintain effective advocacy programs in 2025 will need to focus on empowering employees with tools and training while ensuring “authenticity in communications.” The research suggests that advocacy programs will extend beyond current participation rates of 10-15% of employees to potentially include entire workforces as programs become more strategically integrated with company initiatives.
Inputs and Perspectives
Other experts whose insights were featured in the report included Anna Bertoldini, Senior Social Media Brand Manager at NielsenIQ; Tavis Coleman, Senior Social Media Officer at MottMacDonald; Fabian Delhaxhe, Founder at La Super Growth Boite; and Anaïs Baumgarten, Digital Marketing Expert at Slow Marketing.
Alexandra Dhooghe and Elise Favere, Corporate Communications Specialists at Securex; Federico D’Amico, Social Media and Employee Advocacy at Gartner; Kate Busby, Brand Director at Novakid Inc.; Jonas Haerens, Senior Manager Employer Branding at Flix; and Laure Pourageaud, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Pluxee also contributed their perspectives on the shifting corporate social media landscape in 2025.
For more information about the complete findings, the full report is available through Ambassify.