The Advocacy Ripple Effect

Most organisations view customer experience as a driver of retention and loyalty. But what if its impact extends far beyond existing customers?

Ipsos research reveals that great customer experiences create advocates, and advocates create growth. When customers actively recommend a brand, they become a powerful acquisition channel, influencing future customers and creating a self-reinforcing cycle of growth. We call this the Advocacy Ripple Effect.

What you need to know

• Customers actively recommend brands an average of 4 times per year. 
• Customers who feel emotionally attached to a brand recommend it twice as often as those who are merely satisfied. 
• 56% of customers say recommendations influenced their decision to start using a brand. 
• Customers acquired through recommendations are more likely to become advocates themselves, creating a virtuous cycle of organic growth.

As Jean-François Damais, Global Chief Research Officer, CX at Ipsos, explains:

For the first time, organisations can quantify how customer experience drives new customer acquisition through advocacy. This gives CX leaders a much more complete view of business impact and helps position customer experience not just as a retention strategy, but as a measurable engine of growth.

This matters because advocacy doesn't just influence awareness. Customers acquired through recommendations often stay longer, recommend more frequently themselves and become more valuable over time, creating a ripple effect that extends well beyond the original customer relationship.

For CX leaders, this opens up a significant opportunity. By measuring the impact of advocacy on customer acquisition and growth, organisations can build a stronger business case for investing in customer experience and gain a more complete view of its commercial value.

Download The Advocacy Ripple Effect to discover:

•    Why emotional attachment is a critical driver of advocacy
•    How recommendations influence customer acquisition and long-term customer value
•    A practical framework for calculating the financial impact of advocacy
•    Actions organisations can take to unlock advocacy-driven growth