Senior Engagement Editor Mark Fischer interviews Ad Age's communities and Substack strategy leaders Sabrina Sanchez and Parker Herren on how brands are turning consumers into brand builders. Learn how brands are meeting audiences where they are, designing repeatable, low‑lift interactions and choosing platforms that teams can sustain.

Sanchez and Herren also outline first steps for marketers and agencies: audit existing audiences, prioritize trust and feedback loops, and treat community as a long‑term distribution and relationship strategy.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~Subscribe to Ad Age's Substack

~More on Ad Age's The List community

~If you're an early-career professional and want to sign up for Ad Age's NextGen community, send an email to nextgen@adage.com

~Applications for Ad Age's Small Agency Network will reopen this summer. Stay tuned at AdAge.com for more information

~Read Ad Age's NextGen Marketing Playbook

~How brands can help Gen Z find fulfillment beyond curated feeds

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast

Brand community strategy: turning reach into participation, with Mark Fischer and Sabrina Sanchez

Ad Age Insider

Brand community strategy: turning reach into participation, with Mark Fischer and Sabrina Sanchez