As the currency originally created and famously known as "Air Miles", Avios is now the loyalty currency of the five airlines of the IAG airline alliance, operated by IAG Loyalty Limited , which now boasts over 35 million members across airlines including British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia - airlines that together typically carry over 118 million passengers a year. Adam Daniels , CEO of IAG Loyalty Ltd , shares both the expected and unexpected changes that have emerged through the global pand...
Apr 07, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 96
This episode of " Let's Talk Loyalty " summarises my top insights from British Gas Rewards - an award-winning UK loyalty programme that's loved by millions. With a goal to make customers feel recognised and rewarded in an intensely competitive sector, British Gas Rewards developed an innovative concept without using points. With customers asking for simplicity and exclusivity, British Gas in partnership with their agency Mando Connect developed a concept that combined core rewards from British G...
Apr 05, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Recently voted one of the most innovative companies in Germany, Payback is a world-famous coalition loyalty programme, headquartered in Germany, that boasts over 80 million members. The company actually operates coalition programmes in six international markets, and enjoys extraordinary levels of engagement, with an extraordinary performance and over 95% of Payback Points redeemed by members! Berni Brugger is the CEO who has led the company for over twenty years from its humble origins as a simp...
Mar 31, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 94
In this episode, I’m summarizing my interview with Selim Tanfous of KPMG, who shared insights from a survey of 18,520 consumers from more than 20 countries, called “The Truth About Customer Loyalty”. Selim explained the key “pillars” that drive customer loyalty, the importance of personalization compared to the power of your loyalty currency, as well as consumer-led factors such as the power of social media, online reviews and recommendations from friends and influencers in certain markets, part...
Mar 29, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 93
While marketers all agree that "data is the new oil", there are few brands that seem to be personalising their brand communications effectively - only 7% of customers said they are satisfied with the level of personalisation they receive from brands! And the challenge to effectively connect with customers is about to get considerably harder, with the news that cookies as the key tool used by digital marketers to date will be phased out by Google in 2022! Loyalty members, and the data they share,...
Mar 24, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 92
This episode summarizes my interview with Niall Rooney, Loyalty Manager for British Airways Executive Club, in which we discussed emerging trends in airline loyalty, including the importance of “simplicity”, as well as how customers are demanding more ways to earn Avios points as well as more ways to burn them! From increasing their partner credit card spend, to doing their online shopping on the Avios eStore, it was really interesting to hear that British Airways had recently increased their re...
Mar 22, 2021•4 min•Season 1Ep. 91
With so many loyalty professionals considering the potential for a paid loyalty proposition (also known as a subscription-based loyalty programme), this show will answer so many questions. Ros Netto has over a decade building and advising some of South Africa's top loyalty programmes and now she's delighting local consumers even more with the launch of South Africa's very first subscription programme in the restaurant/fast casual dining sector. Ros shares the exciting journey so far for the Kaua...
Mar 17, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 90
In this episode, I’m summarizing my interview with Ciaran Kelly, who founded “Earth Rewards”, a loyalty programme that measures, educates and inspires consumers to behave in ways that minimize their impact on the environment. We discuss their “learn and earn” feature which allows users to understand exactly how many kilos of carbon their individual lifestyle is producing each year, and compare that to the average carbon impact of other people in any one of 30 countries around the world. Earth Re...
Mar 15, 2021•4 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Like many retailers, Lagardere Travel Retail was badly impacted by the global pandemic in 2020, particularly in China where its duty free stores remained open but customers simply couldn't buy. This episode showcases the incredibly innovative solutions developed by the management team, led by Eudes Fabre. With 1.8 million customers signed up across their two loyalty programmes, the brand had permission from customers to connect in digital channels, and so they team developed a video commerce str...
Mar 10, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 88
This short summary of my interview with Laura Cagnacci discusses exciting loyalty initiatives being run for Roma Football Club by their marketing agency, who realised the importance and power of connecting Roma with their fans directly, rather than simply on third-party platforms like Facebook. As a much loved football club, Roma used the power of a platform they owned to connect with previously unknown fans of all ages and profiles, with clear data points being measured, tracked and rewarded at...
Mar 08, 2021•4 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Puntos Colombia is the leading loyalty programme in Colombia with over 8 million members and it is the first loyalty programme in Latin America to be featured on Let's Talk Loyalty ! I was delighted to discuss this fascinating loyalty programme and some of the unique aspects of the South American loyalty market with CEO of the Puntos Colombia programme, Alejandro Gonzalez Saul . Boasting over 100 partners, including the country’s biggest bank and grocery retailer, the Puntos Colombia programme i...
Mar 03, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 86
In this episode, I share the key lessons and learnings from a report entitled “Why Do Loyalty Programs FAIL?” This report was researched, compiled and published by Mike Capizzi, a loyalty expert and Dean of the Loyalty Academy. Mike's report identifies and explains the top TEN reasons for the failure of loyalty programmes based on insights from 34 global loyalty experts who together boast a combined total of over 500 years of loyalty marketing expertise! We discuss the power and problems of coll...
Mar 01, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Virgin Red is the exciting new loyalty programme launched to reward customers across the entire group of Virgin companies with their new currency - Virgin Points. This episode features Kelly Best, Chief Marketing Officer of Virgin Red , who shares the unique selling points of the new programme, how it benefits members of the existing Virgin Flying Club, and their ambitious plans for world domination and a goal to engage the 35 million customers of Virgin companies worldwide. Kelly shares the ins...
Feb 24, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 84
This summary features the key lessons I learned from Jesper Østergaard, Managing Director of the 7-Eleven chain of stores in Denmark, which in 2019 won the prestigious title of the “International Convenience Retailer of the Year”. Jesper has spent many years revolutionising the 7-Eleven business in Denmark, from a kiosk business to now a successful food service business selling healthy lunch options that customers increasingly want, as well as building the 7-Eleven brand as another essential bui...
Feb 22, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 83
In early 2020, On Point Loyalty published a research report on the " Top 100 Most Valuable Airline Loyalty Programs " in the world, insights which proved remarkably relevant throughout the year as major US airlines began leveraging their programs to raise funds throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. In this episode, industry expert Evert de Boer explains some of the reasons why the financial power and true value of airline loyalty programs has been relatively hidden until now, and highlights some the...
Feb 17, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 82
This episode of "Let's Talk Loyalty" reviews some of the fascinating insights from my interview with Leanne Papaioannou, founder of the "Chilli Pepper" loyalty agency in Ireland. Show Notes: 1) Chilli Pepper Loyalty Marketing Agency 2) Leanne Papaioannou 3) Full episode recording: Let's Talk Loyalty #8: Lessons from a Loyalty Expert: Leanne Papaioannou...
Feb 15, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 81
As the platform powering loyalty programmes for Walgreens, Dell, Marriott Hotels and many others, Epsilon is uniquely placed to comment on global trends in loyalty as we settle in to 2021. Today's episode features an interview with Ashish Sinha , who shares some great insights from his role as Managing Director for Epsilon in Asia Pacific, including his increased focus on the Middle East region. We share stories of innovative loyalty initiatives in eCommerce, as well as some key loyalty principl...
Feb 10, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Helène Brand is a freelance marketing consultant whose experience includes responsibilities for a community-based loyalty program in South Africa called “ My School, My Village, My Planet” which won 8 international awards. Helène herself was named "Loyalty Personality of the Year" in 2015 and this short summary discusses her approach to loyalty which includes balancing both transactional and emotional loyalty. We also discuss her passion for storytelling as a powerful tool for business and loyal...
Feb 08, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 79
In late 2020, Dubai enjoyed the launch of its newest loyalty programme in the fuel, food and convenience retail space. Yes Rewards is a programme designed to drive customer lifetime value by incentivising cross-sell across its extensive portfolio of brands. Despite the unique challenges of the pandemic, Suryaveer Singh successfully launched the Yes Rewards programme and in this interview, he shares the challenges, solutions and intention behind the programme, as well as some of their early succe...
Feb 03, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Today's five minute episode of "Let's Talk Loyalty " showcases insights from Manav Fernandez , a leading loyalty practitioner here in the Middle East, and summarises some innovative ideas from an unusual industry - the education sector. Hear the insights from this unique programme called Gems Rewards , which has already helped families save over 50 million dirhams ($15 million) towards their school fees. Listen and enjoy this short summary of Manav's key success principles for loyalty or click b...
Feb 01, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 77
A key challenge for loyalty program owners is accurately predicting their loyalty program liability years ahead in the future, and how to plan their program from a financial perspective to optimise the lifetime value of their customers. Today's guest, Len Llaguno , specialises in leveraging the art, science and modelling skills of his actuarial toolbox to predict consumer behaviour to advise key investment and financial strategies for some of the world's largest loyalty programs. Kyros Insights ...
Jan 27, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Mike Atkin has built or advised over eighty-five loyalty programmes worldwide in his extensive career, leading to his industry title as "The Loyalty Guru". Listen to this episode of " Let's Talk a LITTLE Loyalty " for a short summary of my interview with Mike, his key insights on what loyalty programme managers are doing well and key learnings on opportunities he says are still being missed. Show Notes: 1) Lets Talk Loyalty - Interview with Mike Atkin The Loyalty Guru 2) Lets Talk Loyalty - Inte...
Jan 25, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Today's episode of " Let's Talk Loyalty " features the latest loyalty research with consumers in Australia, conducted by Customology , the "most awarded data and loyalty agency in APAC". It highlights some shocking facts, such as the belief that new customers are treated better than existing ones, their views on how brands communicate with them, as well as the complete absence of communication from many brands who capture data but then don't use it. Mark James is the CEO of Customology, so toget...
Jan 20, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 74
3Plus was recognised as " Ireland's Best Loyalty Ireland" so this episode is a summary of my interview with Siobhan Lynch who manages it. Listen to learn how this innovative partnership proposition is used to retain customers of the 3 mobile phone network and how the programme has evolved to become a profitable media business. Show Notes: 1) Let's Talk Loyalty - Interview with Siobhán Lynch - 3Plus 2) Award-winning loyalty in Ireland - on Apple Podcasts 3) Let's Talk a LITTLE Loyalty - Summary o...
Jan 19, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 73
This show discusses exciting global perspectives on what the year 2021 might hold for loyalty marketing, featuring four colleagues from The Customer Strategy Network (CSN) - a group of independent loyalty industry experts of which I am a founding partner. These predictions were first written and published by The Wise Marketer , and feature predictions on data and privacy trends across Europe as well as insights from Australia where funding models have fundamentally changed for the whole loyalty ...
Jan 13, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Today's podcast summarises key learnings from a loyalty leader in India. Sanjeev Nichani has led loyalty programmes, partnerships and propositions for an award-winning fashion retail loyalty programme called Raymond Rewards, as well as developing nationwide programmes for respected brands such as Taj Hotels. Listen to this short summary of those exciting loyalty programmes and insights on loyalty marketing in India. See below for links to the full interview. Show Notes 1) Let's Talk Loyalty - Ep...
Jan 11, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 71
As one of the world's most iconic retail brands, Ikea boasts 156 million members of its Family Club worldwide - a programme that brings the very best of the Ikea brand to its customers. Today's episode features an interview with Aaron Mitchell, Ikea's Global Vice President of Loyalty who shares the loyalty proposition that's already driving the extraordinary success of the club as well as some of the latest insights and innovations being launched in test markets around the world. Aaron talks thr...
Jan 06, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Today I am announcing my new short format podcast – called “Let’s Talk (a Little) Loyalty”. This show is my new weekly episode - a simple five-minute summary of the key learnings from a previous show that you might have missed. If you only have five minutes to spare, these short shows will each summarize my key learnings from a previous guest. This show is being released every Tuesday here on the “Let’s Talk Loyalty” podcast channel in response to demand from our growing audience of loyalty prof...
Jan 04, 2021•3 min•Season 1Ep. 69
As we come to the end of 2020, we explore the little-known concept of “mindful marketing” and how it relates to loyalty through an interview with Maths Mathisen , founder & CEO of an innovative app built to drive loyalty for brands with students, a notoriously difficult demographic to target, particularly in the age of digital distraction and addiction. The HOLD app uses the power of gamification to help FMCG brands and convenience retailers compete in the “war of attention” highlighted in t...
Dec 30, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Today's episode of Let's Talk Loyalty features some important concepts that go back the basics of how companies connect with their customers, featuring an interview with Ali Cudby , best selling author of " Keep Your Customers " - who focuses on driving customer loyalty in small and medium-sized companies in the US. Ali introduces simple yet powerful concepts that are often neglected as companies grow, including the importance of a customer-facing mission statement and key policies to guide cust...
Dec 23, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 67
