How SUSE Launched a High-Impact Advocacy Program in Record Time

SUSE faced a critical challenge: unify a growing customer base and new acquisitions under one advocacy strategy, and do it fast. The enterprise open source leader partnered with Captivate Collective to launch The SUSE Collective—a global hub for customers, employees, and partners—delivering six months of time savings and record-breaking engagement. In just its first year, the program produced thousands of advocacy acts, dozens of reviews, and amplified SUSE’s presence worldwide, proving that with the right strategy, advocacy can scale with both speed and impact.

Summary

Speed Meets Strategy: Captivate shaved six months off SUSE’s program launch, accelerating impact without sacrificing quality.
Beyond the Platform: Success wasn’t just about Influitive—it was about the strategy, creativity, and alignment Captivate brought.
Engagement with Personality: Campaigns like the Cowmeleon Challenge and SUSE Olympics turned participation into culture-building.
Metrics That Matter: From 4,500 advocacy acts to 649 social shares, measurable outcomes tied directly to business growth.
Trust as the Multiplier: SUSE credits Captivate as a 100% trusted partner, amplifying advocacy both internally and externally.

‍Building an Advocacy Hub from the Ground Up

When SUSE, a global leader in enterprise open source software, acquired new brands and expanded its customer base, one thing became clear: they needed a unified, scalable way to connect with their most passionate supporters.

"Although Influitive is pretty easy to use, it's a beast of a platform and there's a lot you can do with it," said Caroline Tarbett, Head of Customer Marketing at SUSE. "I genuinely think that we wouldn't be able to extract half the value out of the investment we've made in Influitive without Captivate."

The Captivate Effect: Six Months Saved

SUSE partnered with Captivate Collective to navigate the complexity of launching an advocacy program that could deliver both quick wins and long-term impact.

The result was The SUSE Collective: a loyalty-driven community celebrating not just customers, but also employee and partner advocates.

Caroline estimates Captivate’s involvement shaved at least six months off their deployment timeline. From early program architecture to content strategy, Captivate brought both technical fluency and fresh strategic vision.

"They take the time to understand the customer’s business before recommending solutions," Caroline shared. "They bring a fresh pair of eyes to every situation without having to operate within the confines of the software you choose to use."

Campaigns with Personality

They didn’t end there. With Captivate’s guidance, SUSE went beyond standard engagement tactics. They introduced creative campaigns like:

The Cowmeleon Challenge - Celebrating SUSE’s merger with Rancher, members hunted for hidden “Cowmeleon” badges to unlock rewards.
SUSE Olympics - A global, gamified competition coinciding with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, yielding a 77% increase in activity completions.
Show Your SUSE Side - Spotlighting the multidimensional personalities of IT and developer members across social channels.

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These initiatives weren’t just fun, they generated measurable outcomes, from increased Gartner Peer Insights reviews to amplified social reach.

Metrics that Matter

In its first year, The SUSE Collective achieved:

316 total advocates (229 actively engaged)
4,500 acts of advocacy and 6,900 challenges completed
51 published reviews and 649 social shares
Over 100 new customer logos added to SUSE’s portfolio

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These results were no accident, they were the product of strategic alignment, consistent recruitment efforts, and a willingness to celebrate advocates at every stage.

100% Trusted Partnership

Beyond metrics, the Captivate partnership earned deep trust inside SUSE. "Captivate Collective are 100% trusted by our team and everybody at SUSE," Caroline affirmed.

From helping SUSE secure internal buy-in to amplifying their story externally, Captivate’s role has been more than advisory, it’s been transformational.

Pro Tip: Don’t just invest in a platform - invest in the strategy that makes it work. A partner who understands both the technology and the psychology of advocacy can help you accelerate timelines, avoid pitfalls, and unlock exponential value.

Looking Ahead

With a strong foundation in place, SUSE is expanding The SUSE Collective’s reach, inviting partners and beta testers, and using the hub to gather actionable product feedback. The focus remains on building open-source brand champions who elevate the SUSE story worldwide.

"The start of our program has been hugely positive," Caroline said. "Our members have massively increased the number of reviews and social shares, helping to amplify our story to a much wider network."