“On what planet do you spend most of your time? …You stand there with a picture of the president defaced to look like Hitler and compare the effort to increase health care to the Nazis. …Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it.”—U.S. Rep Barney Frank at a Massachusetts’Town Hall discussion about President Obama’s Health Care Policy.
Watching the Barney Frank confrontation the other day reminded me of advocacy. Advocates are a powerful means of persuasion in marketing. Typically an advocate will be more persuasive than advertising. They are passionate about the product. They talk in consumer,not product terms. Advocates are great —unless they are on the lunatic fringe.
Which brings me back to the Barney Frank Video. I am sure the woman at the microphone is passionate. She is advocating her position against the current health care reform. Most people would find her not persuasive,and also may wonder what planet she spends most her time on.
Many brands have advocates who spar with advocates from other brands – Apple versus Microsoft;Chevy versus Ford; Bud versus Miller to name a few. The question I have is —are your brand advocates persuading others to try the brand? Or,are your brand advocates alienating people, pushing them to other brands?
So,how do you tell the difference? Below is a hypothetical advocacy continuum. It spans from neutral brand opinion to a zealous point of view. 
There are several factors that separate each level. The first is personal identification. As you move to the right on the continuum the brand and the advocates persona will merge. For example,if a person is interested in a brand they just like it. The brand does not define them. While an evengalist will identify more with the brand and maybe see it as a part of their personality DNA (e.g. think Apple,Harley,Linux).
Another factor is empathy,or how accepting is the advocate of an alternative point of view. Here I see the difference between an evangelist and zealot. The brand evangelist will believe in and promote their point of view,and yet accept that there is an alternate perspective. The brand zealot will talk in absolutes. There world is black and white. They feel they have made the right selection,and from their view alternative brands selections are wrong.
The final factor is rational discussion. A person passionate about the brand will talk about how the product benefits them. A brand evangelist will be able to engage in a discussion aboutthe differences between their brand and the competition,and why their product choice is superior. A brand zealot is just right,and may take the discussion into absurd,emotional realms which will alienate many people.
The goal of any brand should be to fuel the passion through information,experiences,and dialogue. As marketers,our hope is to impart on advocates information they can internalize and use to persuade others to join the brand —to share their passion.
I really do not have an answer on what to do with zealots ( anyone have suggestions?). I would hate to shun anyone who is passionate about my brand,but you cringe at the idea representation which will lead to alienation. Also,based on the words of Barney Frank —no one wants to have a conversation with a dining room table.
