In reply to Natascha Thomson.

I don't think these 2 ideas are mutually exclusive. In one of the advocacy definitions I've been using (also from AEV), we say "....and shares his or her impartial feedback with a brand....". I think we have this in our Cisco Champuons page too. I do think honesty is very important and yes, it's more than cheerleading. The way I see it is somebody that cares about a brand will want the brand to succeed so they will tell them the truth. A great opportunity for brands to learn and improve. I do think honesty is a great and much needed point, completely agree. I think that just because someone is an advocate, they won't necessarily agree with everything that the brand says or does, and that's ok. It's like that in real life too: I'd love for my friends and family to tell me when I have spinach in my teeth rather than letting me walk around with it :).