Marketers’ interest in Brand Advocates is hot, hot, hot. Driving advocacy and loyalty is the #1 digital priority for CMOs across the world, according to a recent IBM study. (“From Stretched to Strengthened.”)

Here are five surprising facts about Brand Advocates, those consumers who pro-actively recommend brands and products:

1.       Brand Advocates are a large segment. About one in four US online adults frequently recommend brands and products, according to a study published in eMarketer. That means there are about 60 million Brand Advocates in the US alone, enough Advocates to fill 1,200 baseball stadiums.

2.       Brand Advocates recommend often. On average, US consumers talk about brands 56 times per week and 62 percent of these conversations include positive references, according to Word of Mouth researchers Keller Fay.

3.       Brand Advocates aren’t limited to sexy consumer products. Box, a file transfer service used by consumers and businesses, has created an army of over 90,000 enthusiastic Advocates. Box Advocates are touting the service via thousands of positive reviews, stories, tweets, posts, and more.

4.       Brand Advocates are your most valuable customers. Brand Advocates are your true VIPs. They go out of their way to recommend your brand and products, serving as a volunteer marketing force. Our studies...

This was a tweet that I saw today from one of my favorite writers, Guy Kawasaki. It led to a link to his Facebook page where people were writing who were theirs. It made me think about whether or not I had a "favorite". Someone once told me that they hated the idea  of "favorites" because they had one for different circumstances. I kind of agree with that which is why answering the question about my favorite writer was tough. Still, the tweet itself struck me because just last week, I ran into another person that would likely make my list; Seth Godin.

I am the "Chief Storyteller" at SAP and was backstage working with our executives and customers at our annual SAPPHIRE NOW event in Orlando last week. Seth was a keynote speaker during one of our sessions and I took a moment to tell him that he in fact was one of my favorite writers in large part because his messages were so simple, yet really insightful. I mean, how many of us could write books entitled, "We Are All Weird", "Watcha Gonna Do With that Duck?", "Purple Cow", "Poke the Box", or my favorite, "All...