How do you differentiate one hotel brand in such an ultra-competitive industry? By focusing on authentic, heartfelt ideas and initiatives that go way beyond anything your guests ever expect. This is just one of the insights I learned last year when I chatted with Shirley King who has over 25 years driving engagement and loyalty for Kimpton Hotels and IHG both at home in the USA and internationally. Listen to hear how her instinctive loyalty mindset helped her create some of the industry's most i...
Nov 01, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 156
What a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the impact of the global pandemic on the Emirates Skywards loyalty programme. I was joined by Dr Nejib Ben-Khedher for a second time, who shared some fascinating insights on the most powerful initiatives they recently launched, with an increased focus on personalisation, powerful partnerships, and innovative technology solutions to create even more compelling experiences for customers. Nejib explains how they've doubled their open rates for Skywards ema...
Oct 27, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 155
Dell is one of the world's best known computer companies, with a laser focus on driving clear and measurable business outcomes through its loyalty initiatives. In this short summary of my interview with Dell's Mitch Kennedy , I'm summarising the insights he shared on the impact of transactional rewards and the power of gamification, as well as the importance of understanding human psychology in order to drive customer loyalty. Show Notes: 1) #46: Dell's Global Loyalty Lead - Exploring Gamificati...
Oct 25, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 154
As a leading loyalty expert in New Zealand Phil Devlin has a fascinating career spanning Air New Zealand, Qantas, Countdown Supermarkets and even some work supporting high performance sports along the way! Boasting exceptional engagement with over 95% of Kiwi consumers enrolled in at least one programme, New Zealand is a small country punching way above its weight in the loyalty industry, due in no small part to the compelling loyalty programmes that Phil and his colleagues built. Listen to this...
Oct 20, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 153
This episode features insights from a truly "global voice of loyalty". Based in India, Kunal Mohiuddin , joined me and shared lessons learned from over two decades in the loyalty industry. This show is my review and summary of the key things I learned from my interview with Kunal. This loyalty entrepreneur has developed several innovative loyalty technology platforms and advised over fifty national and global programmes on their loyalty strategy, with some great learnings for loyalty marketing. ...
Oct 18, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 152
With consumer distrust at an all-time high, marketers are increasingly concerned about their ability to capture customer data at scale, and in ways that are meaningful and engaging. Despite the pandemic, or perhaps because of it, experience-led loyalty mechanics have become more powerful than ever, leveraging the idea of fun to capture data and create progressive profiles of customers in ways they enjoy, rather than avoid. Richard Jones, the Chief Marketing Officer at Cheetah Digital explains th...
Oct 13, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 151
The "subscription" business model promises predictable recurring revenue and increased customer lifetime value so it's no wonder that loyalty marketers around the world are increasingly looking to this concept to enhance their loyalty propositions. With so much interest in the topic, I was delighted to interview two executives about it, one from Ipsos Denmark and one from their partners in management consulting firm Subscrybe . Together they shared their insights on the principles of success in ...
Oct 11, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 150
As the world emerges from the dramatic effects of the pandemic, the airline industry is entering a pivotal time, with opportunities to re-invent their frequent flyer programs to meet the new normal. Who better to brainstorm this than Piotr Kozlowski who advises some of the world's largest airline and airport loyalty programmes for Comarch , such as British Airways, Jet Blue, Etihad Airways and Heathrow Rewards among others. Piotr shares some creative and compelling concepts he believes should be...
Oct 06, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 149
This episode is a short summary of my conversation with D r David Cox , a loyalty practitioner who also boasts a PhD in loyalty marketing. Based on the success and awards he has achieved for clients such as IBM, he shares what key tools he and his company Motivforce have used to drive such powerful commercial results. He also discussed the key loyalty trends that were emerging as a result of Covid-19. Listen for my short summary of episode #43 of "Let's Talk Loyalty". Show Notes: 1) David Cox - ...
Oct 04, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 148
With over 18 million members around the world, Flying Blue is the frequent flyer programme for both Air France and KLM, and is positioned as a lifestyle programme that drives real commercial value for its partners. Gerben Sikkema shares some of the commercial benefits that partners can expect alongside the benefits of being associated with a premium brand. He also talks me through some of the latest innovative ideas that they have launched with partners for Flying Blue members including "earn an...
Sep 29, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 147
Rob Markey is the one of the world's leading authorities on customer loyalty. Together with Fred Reichheld, he co-created The Net Promoter System® , the industry metric and framework now used by more than two thirds of Fortune 1000 companies. This short summary episode reminds us of the importance of the "founder's mindset" as a key driver of loyalty, as well as Rob's latest work to develop increasingly robust models for customer lifetime value that can be share externally with investors as well...
Sep 27, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 146
South African consumers who engage in loyalty programmes are fascinating to understand and this shows aims to help us do exactly that. Amanda Cromhout , Founder and CEO of the South African loyalty agency Truth does incredible work to identify, understand and help educate loyalty professionals around the world about this diverse market. Following a year of seismic changes in consumer behaviour due to the global pandemic, the sixth loyalty whitepaper from Truth and Brandmapp asks the key question...
Sep 22, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 145
Today's show summarises my interview and insights with Bryan Pearson, former CEO of LoyaltyOne, who is known globally as a leader in loyalty, as well as retail marketing strategy based on consumer analytics. We discuss how companies can succeed and even thrive in the context of our dramatically changing world by understanding what truly matters to customers. We also discuss key industry trends, such as whether the coalition model for loyalty in global markets remains as relevant as it was in the...
Sep 20, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 144
Rob Burgess is well known for creating the UK's most popular frequent flyer website Head for Points , written to help frequent flyers in the UK get the most out of the rich rewards and travel benefits on offer. The global pandemic has changed the rules of the industry, with paid loyalty an increasingly popular strategy that many loyalty marketers are exploring. In this episode, we discuss the key success factors for a paid loyalty programme, how to "wow" your members with a proposition they are ...
Sep 15, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 143
As loyalty marketers, it's essential that we have access to both the financial models and the financial language we need to educate senior executives on the incredible value generated from our loyal customers, and ensure that our customers are valued as the "strategic asset" they are. Academic leaders such as Peter Fader , Professor of Marketing with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, are increasingly helping both companies and investors to understand the future lifetime value...
Sep 13, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 142
Voted the number one loyalty programme in New Zealand, AA Smartfuel is a fascinating loyalty programme that was designed with a laser focus on delighting customers with the opportunity to earn a free tank of fuel! This coalition programme now boasts more than forty merchant partners across 1,200 locations nationwide, who together market the programme and ensure consumers can achieve meaningful savings on fuel from their everyday spend. Joining me today to share their story are Ian Sutcliffe , Co...
Sep 08, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 141
In 2017, the UK country's largest broadcaster Sky TV , launched its VIP programme, the first tenure-based programme in the industry which promises customers that "the longer you stay, the better it gets", with a clear intention for its customers to feel loved and appreciated. It began by offering exclusive live experiences to over a million customers a year, and then, as a result of nationwide lockdowns, it pivoted to delivering even more extraordinary & innovative virtual experiences. In my...
Sep 06, 2021•10 min•Season 1Ep. 140
Three years after the introduction of tighter data regulations & GDPR in Europe, the world of data protection and privacy is only getting more complex. In fact, my guest today described the privacy challenges we face today as a "perfect storm". From changing cookie laws, to complex data transfers, to the latest class action law suits being brought on behalf of professional footballers, there is now doubt that the tectonic plates in our industry are shifting. So how can we ensure we're profes...
Sep 01, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 139
ebookers UK was launched in 1998 as the UK's first online travel agency, and added its "Bonus+" programme in 2016, in order to offer its customers a compelling reason to book with them. Listen to this episode of "Let's Talk a LITTLE Loyalty" to hear my favourite aspects of this simple and generous loyalty programme - particularly its focus on mobile users. Show Notes: 1) ebookers.co.uk 2) Bonus + 3) Nicki Helfet 4) Let's Talk Loyalty Interview with ebookers.com...
Aug 30, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 138
To celebrate the second birthday of " Let's Talk Loyalty ", I am joined by my partners and friends - leading loyalty veterans, Bill Hanifin and Mike Capizzi of the Wise Marketer Group and Loyalty Academy. Our conversation reviews “then versus now” for the loyalty industry and our own progress and milestones as some of its global voices. As well as looking back on where we've come from, we chat through the new Wise Marketer Loyalty Research Group , the Women In Loyalty community , some ground-bre...
Aug 25, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 137
How do you know your loyalty investment is worthwhile? If you're interested in measuring your “return on loyalty”, listen to learn from industry experts Ellipsis how they they isolate, measure and define the levers within any loyalty program to understand what’s working, what’s not and why! A MUST-listen episode to answer the most-asked question in the loyalty industry IMHO :) Show Notes: 1) Ellipsis Australia 2) Adam Schaffer - Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Ellipsis & Company 3) Tim ...
Aug 23, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 136
Bilt is the world’s first rewards program that lets you earn loyalty points on rent. This incredibly innovative idea was launched in June 2021, rewarding the highest monthly expense for US consumers. With a particular relevance for younger consumers such as millennials and Gen Z, Bilt Rewards is already available for residents of two million apartments, and is also proving a hit with leading US landlords by incentivising the prompt payment of rents, while minimising the costs of acquiring and re...
Aug 18, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 135
As one the world’s largest cashback programs, Rakuten Rewards has paid out over $2 billion to members in North America. In this summary episode I am excited to discuss the power of affiliate marketing and great partnerships to build a brand as well as commercial value for merchants and consumers alike. Listen to this summary of episode of Let's Talk Loyalty to learn all about the power of the Rakuten brand and Rakuten Rewards to drive consumer loyalty and profitable behaviour, both online and of...
Aug 16, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 134
Today's episode showcases Livelo , the leading loyalty and coalition marketing services provider in Brazil. Built as an entirely digital loyalty programme, Livelo's innovative and customer-centric approach have ensured exponential growth, and it's now one of the fastest growing and more profitable companies in the country. As Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Pagano joins in this episode of " Let's Talk Loyalty " to share some of their latest successes, and the power of...
Aug 11, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 133
This week’s short show reviews the 2020 UK loyalty white-paper , produced by YouGov together with Mando Connect written and researched with the goal of truly understanding what British consumers want from loyalty programmes. This short summary highlights some innovative ideas developed by leading retailers to appeal to socially-savvy younger consumers as well as an overview of the most popular loyalty models and rewards in this incredibly competitive market. Listen for some of the exciting new i...
Aug 09, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 132
Shopping Centres need loyal customers now more than ever, but shopping mall loyalty programs are notoriously difficult to create successfully. Balancing the diverse needs of merchants, mall operators and shoppers requires a delicate balance of strategic insight and operational experience, so I was delighted with the opportunity to interviews today's guests who have successfully created and launched a program in a brand new luxury mall and fine dining destination in Serbia. Galerija Belgrade open...
Aug 04, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 131
Today's short show is a summary of a great conversation with Adam Posner who reached out in early 2020 to ask loyalty professionals worldwide to collaborate and contribute to a report he was creating called ‘119 Customer Loyalty Ideas to Beat COVID-19'. Adam shared all of the fascinating loyalty ideas that came through in a useful eBook which he published early in the emergence of the COVID pandemic and the book is still available for anyone to download from his website. This show is a great way...
Aug 02, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 130
Like the rest of the world, the Covid 19 pandemic is perhaps the toughest challenge that India has faced yet. So can the loyalty industry help? The " Young Warriors " movement has been created to leverage loyalty mechanics for a social cause rather than a commercial one - to educate, inspire and reassure particularly young people in India on how best to protect themselves and their families against Covid-19. These "young warriors" have created a social currency that recognises those who are shar...
Jul 29, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 129
Founded in 1981, the AAdvantage program is one of the world's first and biggest loyalty programs. In early 2020, I interviewed Bridget Blaise-Shamai , then President of the AAdvantage program, and discovered the original strategic idea behind the program, some of it's most fascinating insights and how American Airlines was adapting to perhaps the most challenging time in its history. This short summary show captures just some of what I learnt from this extra-ordinary success story, so listen to ...
Jul 26, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 128
As one of the world's longest standing, best known and most trusted research reports in the loyalty industry, I am delighted today to bring you the latest industry insights from " The Loyalty Report 2021 ". Featuring research with over 35,000 consumers in North America, this year marks the eleventh edition of the Loyalty Report from Bond Brand Loyalty , based on an in-depth assessment of over 450 loyalty programs in this unprecedented year of changing consumer behaviour. I was delighted to be jo...
Jul 21, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 127
