Gamifying employee advocacy: Inside BioCatch’s Social Media World Cup

Behind the Post Published: April 22, 2025
Gamifying employee advocacy: Inside BioCatch’s Social Media World Cup

In this episode, BioCatch’s Gustavo Mazzocchi shares how a World Cup-themed advocacy competition turned reluctant employees into social media champions with gamified tactics and nonstop energy.

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Episode Summary

“Build something you’d look at and say, ‘Yeah, this is awesome. I’d totally want to be part of this.’ That’s how you create a winning social media contest.”

What do you get when you mix employee advocacy with the World Cup?

A social media competition so engaging that even the self-proclaimed “I’m not a social media person” types are asking to join in.

In this episode, we go Behind the Post with Gustavo Mazzocchi, Global Social Media Manager at BioCatch, who takes us on a wild ride through the Social Media World Cup, an 11-month internal employee advocacy competition.

From dramatic football-themed announcements (yes, an actual football was thrown during the CMO’s company kickoff presentation) to gamified incentives and tiers like “lucky strikers” and “team players,” Gus shares the structure and strategy that got over half the company involved.

Once your employee advocacy program is off the ground, competitions like this are the secret to keeping momentum high, participation strong, and your people genuinely excited to post.

If you’re looking for creative ways to ignite advocacy and keep your employees posting week after week, this one’s for you.

Hot Topics:

  • How to gamify employee advocacy (and keep it fair + inclusive!)
  • Why themed competitions spark engagement (and how to plan them)
  • Tips to turn that “I’m not a social media person” into your next top advocate
  • How BioCatch tracks success with 200+ active advocates across regions

Meet Gus

Gustavo Mazzocchi is the global social media manager at BioCatch, which works with the world’s largest banks to prevent financial crime by recognizing patterns in human behavior.

Gus oversees social media strategy, employee advocacy, and digital engagement on a global scale. Based in Brazil, he’s passionate about making social media participation fun, accessible, and results-driven. He recently launched the Social Media World Cup to gamify advocacy.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can B2B companies increase employee participation in social media advocacy programs?

B2B companies can significantly boost employee participation by integrating gamified tactics and engaging, themed competitions. As demonstrated by BioCatch's Social Media World Cup, structured challenges with exciting incentives transform reluctant employees into active advocates, fostering sustained engagement.

What are effective strategies for gamifying a B2B employee advocacy program?

Effective gamification strategies for B2B employee advocacy include creating tiered incentive structures (e.g., 'lucky strikers,' 'team players'), adopting a compelling theme (like the World Cup), and incorporating dramatic, fun announcements to build excitement. The key is designing a program employees genuinely want to be part of.

How do you encourage reluctant employees to become active B2B social media advocates?

To engage hesitant employees in B2B social media advocacy, focus on making the program inherently fun and accessible. By building a contest or initiative that feels 'awesome' and exciting, like BioCatch's World Cup, even self-proclaimed 'non-social media people' will be motivated to participate and become top advocates.

What are the key benefits of running themed employee advocacy competitions for B2B brands?

Themed employee advocacy competitions like BioCatch's Social Media World Cup are crucial for B2B brands to sustain momentum, ensure strong participation, and generate genuine excitement among employees to post. These programs amplify brand reach, foster internal community, and turn employees into powerful brand champions.

How can B2B companies track the success of their employee advocacy programs and competitions?

B2B companies can track the success of employee advocacy programs by monitoring participation rates and the number of active advocates. BioCatch, for example, successfully tracked over 200 active advocates across various regions during their Social Media World Cup, demonstrating quantifiable engagement and program impact.

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