Angela Hughes, Managing Director
I’m just back from a trip to M&S to buy a packet of marinated chicken breast flatties because Kathryn Turner told me it was one of her favourite M&S products.
If you don’t know who Kathryn Turner is (where have you been??), she’s Director of Product Development at M&S and she’s become a social media sensation in recent months.
Of course she has. Because – this is not just an influencer. This is an M&S influencer. But perhaps more to the point, she’s an expert. An actual expert. Gove’s toes will be curling.
Kathryn’s Instagram account is roughly two-and-a-half years old, stretching back to January 2024. But her turning point appears to be 14 May 2026, when we see her content switch from posts to reels and she kicks off a “social media journey” to share her hidden gems in the M&S food hall. We get a short description of Kathryn’s CV; she’s been with M&S since 1995, starting as a groceries and bakery product developer. She’s responsible for some of the brand’s most iconic food products, including Tubby Toast, inspired by the hit show Teletubbies, and the calorie-counted Count on Us range, launched by the renowned Rosemary Conley.
What makes Kathryn an excellent choice as a brand ambassador?
With a three-decades-long career under her belt, she’s a bona fide expert in her field, working for one of the world’s biggest brands. Kathryn has earned her stripes. And the internet was hooked.
That post racked up more than 34,000 likes, 1,000+ comments and 7,772 shares on Instagram. Users responded with a variety of positive and enthusiastic comments.
A seemingly affronted user said: “You can’t just Abra Kadabra Kathryn on one random Friday in May after keeping her a secret all this time?!!!!!!!”
Another person commented that she’s doing “the lord’s work” and someone else said, “the whole nation is relying on you”. She was described as the most influential woman in the country, amid cries for Kathryn to be our next prime minister and to receive an OBE.
One comment seemed to sum it up, describing Kathryn as exactly what we need on social media: normal people who are passionate about what they do.
Are we witnessing the demise of the self-appointed lifestyle influencer in favour of authority? Is Kathryn an antidote to the internet’s ‘influencer fatigue’, coming at us with a breath of expertly-informed fresh air?
With over two decades supporting brands to perfect their social media strategies, we know the value of authentic social content cannot be underestimated; it’s a message we drill into our clients when seeking influencers to collaborate with, and it’s what Kathryn nails beautifully.
Since mid-May, Kathryn has regularly posted candid, short videos, where she talks directly to camera about all things M&S food. Mostly we see her in-store; sometimes behind the scenes in a kitchen lab; and occasionally on location with growers and producers. What is constant though is the substance of the content: we’re learning about food and product development. How are food trends identified? What’s in season now? How are products created and improved? Where are they grown and sourced from? What’s new? What’s popular? What’s Kathryn eating?
How long until we see her regular hashtag #KathrynSignedItOff being used in unrelated and amusing memes?
Why savvy brands are putting employee-generated social content front and centre
We know there’s a commercial imperative to this content – M&S wants us to buy more picky bits. And putting an unknown face front and centre like this is risky. Why would people buy into her? Well, it’s clear her knowledge and expertise, combined with her down-to-earth charm, has bought her instant credibility.
It’s a smart move by M&S because they’ve tapped into a growing trend. Other big brands are taking similar approaches by putting their employees at the heart of their social media strategies. Starbucks has turned its baristas into TikTok creators, and Currys has empowered its in-store colleagues to create authentic, viral content for TikTok and Instagram, with hilarious and often viral results.
Those in PR and HR circles have long been advocating that employees are a company’s biggest group of ambassadors, and we’re seeing a wholesale embracing of this to fuel customer and client-facing content and messaging.
The move away from external influencers towards employee-generated content marks a shift from curated, corporate messaging to authentic, people-led storytelling combined with genuine expertise. It’s also indicative of a more sophisticated consumer audience that can see through corporate messages, affiliate links and sponsored posts. They don’t want to be sold to by someone who has tried the product for a week, or been #Gifted. They want to hear from the people who know more about it than anyone else: those who designed it, built it, tested it, serve it and sell it.
For communications professionals, this is an interesting shift. Employee-generated content isn’t new (brands like SheerLuxe have been doing it brilliantly for years), but more are now putting their subject matter experts front and centre as social media creators. According to Sprout Social’s 2026 Content Strategy Report, consumers want brands to prioritise human-generated content. That creates a clear opportunity for brands to turn genuine expertise into engaging content, and it’s one B2B brands can muscle in on too.
Imagine a law firm demystifying complex legislation through the lawyers who deal with it every day; an architect explaining how their drawing turns into large-scale capital infrastructure; or an agricultural organisation describing how food goes from farm to fork.
Employee-generated content could in fact create significant competitive advantages for B2B organisations. Creating and publishing video content led by an authentic expert voice and personality could stand out among the highly polished corporate messaging of others in your sector.
Of course, it isn’t simply a case of handing teams and subject matter experts an iPhone and letting them crack on. It requires planning. Kathryn Turner’s watershed moment on 14 May undoubtedly followed weeks of internal discussions and training.
Four tips for getting employee-generated content right
1. Find your experts – not influencers
Look for people who genuinely know their subject, are passionate about what they do and are comfortable communicating. They don’t need thousands of followers or a perfectly polished presenting style. Indeed, if they’re a bit raw, that may be more appealing.
2. Give people freedom, with some sensible guardrails
Provide training, guidance and clear parameters around dos and don’ts, sensitive topics, confidentiality and reputation, but resist the urge to script every word. Six rounds of approval is a guaranteed way of killing creativity, authenticity and likeability.
3. Don’t put all your eggs in one expert basket
Building a brand around one employee inevitably creates dependency (what if they leave?). Make expertise visible across the business by developing several people and voices.
4. Embrace imperfection
Social media audiences are tolerant of low production values – imperfect lighting, wobbly camera work and the occasional stumble over words. Kathryn Turner doesn’t look like she’s performing – she looks like someone who genuinely loves talking about food.
It’s not passion alone though because it’s combined with genuine knowledge, insight and expertise. The most influential people online may no longer be influencers at all. They are experts with smartphones.
P.S. what we need now is a spin-off account showcasing what Kathryn is wearing!
If you’d like support or guidance to put your people at the heart of your social media strategy, get in touch with us.