
The Hidden Reason Your Brand Is Failing on Social Media (ft Sean Cook)
Building Brand Advocacy · 2026-01-21 · 38 min
Episode notes
Most brands are still using a 20th‑century playbook for a social‑first world and it’s damaging their marketing. In this episode, we’re joined by Sean Cook, ex Global Senior Social Media Manager at Deliveroo, to unpack why the current “brand architecture” model is completely outdated for how social actually works today. Sean shares what he learned leading an in‑house social team at scale, where the system is failing brands, and what a modern brand architect needs to look like in 2026 and beyond. We dig into how social fits inside the wider business, why brand books don’t translate to TikTok, Instagram or LinkedIn, and the structural changes leaders need to make if they want social to be more than just a content factory. In this episode, we cover: Current state of the digital marketing infrastructure Introduction of brand and content architects The role of CMO’s to enable best performance Duty of care towards social media teams The balance between strategy & experiementaiton Why culture is key to fostering success on social media If you’re internal infrastructure is exhausting, overwhelming and no longer working. This episode is for you.
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