With the increasing proliferation of options for social communication, consumers are looking more and more toward third parties to aid them in making buying decisions. These brand advocates are one of the most important marketing tools in any company's arsenal. According to Bain & Company, brands that have the highest levels of brand advocacy "outgrow their competitive set by 2.5 times." The Net Promoter Score, a metric developed by Bain & Company partner, Fred Reichheld is one of the most popular tools for assessing customer loyalty to a brand or company.