Let's Talk Loyalty

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.This episode of "Let's Talk Loyalty" is also available in video format on www.Loyalty TV. Today's guest joins from a unique and inspirational brand which is guided by four pillars and values that guide everything that they do.REI, or Recreational Equipment Incorporated, is a U.S. based cooperative, which means it's essentially owned and operated by its 24 million members.At Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) they believe that a life lived outdoors is a life well-lived. They see their purpose as awakening a love of the outdoors, and offer top-quality gear, expert advice, as well as the opportunity to create inspiring stories of life outside, for their members to share with their friends and families.Our guest is Clay Walton House, the Divisional Vice President of Membership for REI, who explains the incredible meaning this brings to the whole business, along with a whole new level of meaning to the word loyalty.Please listen or watch on Loyalty TV to enjoy my conversation with Clay Walton House from REI.Show Notes:1) Clay Walton House2) Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI)3) REI Co-op Channel4) Loyalty TV

Today’s episode is all about Phaedon - a name you might not have yet heard, but it’s one that you’re going to be hearing a lot in the future for sure!Phaedon is the new name for the commercial marketing division of ICF Next, which famously runs some of the world’s largest loyalty programs, particularly in travel and hospitality.Their commercial marketing division was recently acquired by private equity firm Cohere Capital which includes the entire team of loyalty experts, their loyalty technology platform Tally, and of course their incredible client portfolio to now operate under this brand-new name.Joining me on this episode to share the whole story of this exciting industry development are Tom Madden, Executive Vice President and Managing Partner and Denise Holt, Senior Vice President, Head of Strategy, Experience, Research and Insights.Together, Tom and Denise share the rich history of Phaedon and their plans for the future as they begin this exciting new phase of the business.This episode is sponsored by Phaedon.Show Notes:1) Phaedon2) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cohere Capital⁠3) ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tom Madden⁠4) Denise Holt⁠

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast where Paula was joined by Javier Marin Martinon, Chief Commercial, Loyalty, and Customer Officer, who shares what Renfe, Spains leading railway company, have implemented for members of its loyalty program.Railway travel may appear to be a strange environment for loyalty, but Javier explains how loyalty must be seen in terms of the journey, with the competition against plane and car travel, rather than with the destination.Listen in for tips on how to engage the customer and create loyalty in a difficult sector, where the choices are limited by supply and the benefits are intangible.Hosted by Tom Peace.Show Notes:1) ⁠Javier Marin Martinon⁠2) ⁠⁠⁠⁠Renfe⁠3) #254: Loyalty Innovation in the Railway Industry

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.This episode is also available in video format on www.Loyalty TV.Sarah Richardson is the Founder and Advisory Board Chair of the Australian Loyalty Association, and a great partner and friend of the show. She is also an experienced loyalty practitioner and consultant, as Founder and Director of Sciensa Loyalty, a loyalty consulting firm based in Melbourne.Today, we're discussing the launch of the inaugural Asia Pacific Loyalty Awards to celebrate excellence, innovation and best practice in the thriving loyalty industry active in the region, which will be judged by a panel of local loyalty experts.Listen and watch to hear all the insights and updates on these and other Australian Loyalty Association events, which are incredibly well respected and well attended, perfect for anyone interested in loyalty in the Asia Pacific region.Show Notes:1) Sarah Richardson⁠ 2) Australian Loyalty Association⁠3) How Loyalty Programs Are Saving Airlines4) Asia Pacific Loyalty Awards ⁠5) Watch the full video interview on ⁠Loyalty TV⁠

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.This episode focuses on the loyalty market in Ireland, featuring expert insights from Leanne Papaioannou.Leanne is the Founder and CEO of Chilli Pepper. She has extensive loyalty experience and is deeply passionate about every aspect of a business that impacts customer loyalty and drives better commercial outcomes for her clients.She is an internationally renowned customer loyalty professional who has helped countless forward-thinking companies achieve new heights by adopting her customer-centric B2C & B2B loyalty strategies.Her strengths lie in innovative strategic thinking, exceptional leadership skills, and an ability to work with company boards to deliver commercially successful, award-winning, loyalty strategies.She is a new contributor to the extended European Loyalty White Paper created by Mando Connect in partnership with YouGov, which explores loyalty membership, appeal and impact across 24 European Markets.Listen to learn some key loyalty insights and about loyalty innovation in Ireland.Hosted by Charlie Hills. Show Notes :1) Leanne Papaioannou2) European Loyalty Whitepaper3) Mando Connect 4) YouGov5) ⁠Chilli Pepper

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast where Paula was joined by Cliona Mooney, Group Data Analytics & Insights Director for The Irish Times.The publishing industry has been through extremely challenging times over the last decade or so. Trusted brands like the Irish Times have had to innovate to stay relevant for customers.Cliona shares the initiatives that have proved popular and helped The Irish Times continue to grow and retain their subscribers.Hosted by Tom Peace Show Notes:1) Cliona Mooney⁠2) ⁠The Irish Times⁠3) #252: The Irish Times, an Iconic Irish Brand, Wins Customer Loyalty through Innovation

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.This episode is also available in video format on www.Loyalty TV. Today's episode features Circle K, one of the world’s leading convenience and fuel retail businesses which operates more than 14,200 stores in 26 countries worldwide.Circle K recently launched a hugely exciting concept, leveraging the power of gamification, partnerships and cutting-edge technology, to launch a global concept which is laser focused on achieving the brand’s single biggest key commercial objective - to drive both loyal and new customers in store.In addition to that innovation, Circle K Norway recently won one of the convenience industry’s most prestigious awards, when they were awarded the 2023 NACS European Technology of the Year Award. Circle K also has many of its senior marketing people – including today’s guest – in my home city of Dublin, so please enjoy this fascinating conversation with MJ Tierney, Head of European Marketing at Circle K.Show Notes: 1) Circle K2) ⁠MJ Tierney⁠3) 2023 NACS European Technology of the Year Award. ⁠4) Circle K pilots new Rewarded AR ads in Pokémon Go5) Watch the full video interview on ⁠Loyalty TV⁠

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.The 2023 South African Loyalty Awards, designed specifically to celebrate loyalty brilliance and innovation, announced the winning loyalty brands on Thursday 14 September at the Truth Leaders in Loyalty Summit, in Cape Town.This was the fifth year of operation of the South African Loyalty Awards. The Let’s Talk Loyalty Show interviews two of the judges who had the challenging job of judging the high calibre entries across 18 different competitive categories.There are 12 judges in total and Amanda spoke with Nic Bednall, one of the founding judges of the awards and Kaveer Maharaj who is an experienced South African loyalty professional, now based in Dubai.Nic and Kaveer share their insights into which brands won and why and in particular share critical KPI performance which showcases why this market is leading the way in global loyalty benchmarks.Show Notes:1) ⁠Nic Bednall2) ⁠⁠Kaveer Maharaj3) ⁠MoyaApp4) ⁠South African Loyalty Awards

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast where Paula was joined by Fiona McFaul, the Vice President of Marketing and Loyalty for the Sandman GroupRSVP Rewards is one of Canada’s best kept secrets! Listen in to hear how Sandman Hotels completed a dramatic digital transformation of their loyalty programSandman Hotels is part of the Northland Properties group, a family business that operates an impressive portfolio of businesses including restaurants, resorts, sports teams and hotels!Show Notes:1) Fiona McFaul2) ⁠Sandman Group⁠3) RSVP Rewards4) #251: Digital Transformation with RSVP Rewards from the Sandman Hotel Group

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Welcome to this episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty where we are announcing and officially launching “Loyalty TV”.Loyalty TV is a completely new format and our first major change since we launched this podcast dedicated to loyalty marketing professionals in 2019.We are bringing a selection of our best interviews to a professional TV studio here in Dubai, so you can watch them on this incredible new channel.Please do enjoy our new shows on our website which is very simply available on www.Loyalty.tv.Show Notes:1) Loyalty TV2) #411: McDonald's Rewards - Global Loyalty Insights - Audio3) Watch the full video interview on ⁠Loyalty TV⁠

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode features one of the most exciting new uses of loyalty marketing that I’ve come across.Mistplay is a leading loyalty app for mobile gamers, where users can discover new games and earn as they play. As their platform has grown, they’ve integrated many of the learnings from top loyalty programs in other industries, and then experimented with them to find ways to serve the needs of their community of gamers worldwide.With over 2 million people already active and playing games through the platform each month, Mistplay is focused on leveraging the best loyalty insights and levers from around the world in order to build both trust and engagement in a way that very few platforms can offer.My guest is Nicholas Kerr, VP of Loyalty and Lifecycle at Mistplay who shares some of the early successes they’ve achieved by optimizing their onboarding and lifecycle processes, using a gamified system that gamers know and love.Listen to learn all about Mistplay and please do enjoy our conversation.Show Notes: 1) Nicholas Kerr2) Mistplay3) Mistplay blogs4) LTL Podcast: #187: Microsoft Rewards - Insights and Ideas

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast where Paula was joined by Antonio Ricciardi, SVP Consumer Intelligence & Engagement at Etisalat by e&, who’s responsible for leading their Smiles Program.Tom highlights Antonio’s key learnings from his journey to evolve from simple loyalty concepts to become a compelling consumer marketplace achieving even greater customer engagement and loyalty.e& have a long history of constant evolution and innovation, which includes developing propositions focused on driving customer loyalty.Show Notes:1) Antonio Ricciardi2) e&⁠3) Smiles Program⁠4) #249: UAE Telecoms Giant "Etisalat" Leverages Customer Loyalty for Growth

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today's episode of Let's Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV features one of our favorite and most frequent guests on the show, Amanda Cromhout.Amanda is the Founder and CEO of Truth, a loyalty consultancy firm based in South Africa, and she is also well-known to you all, as a host of an episode every month of Let's Talk Loyalty. Most importantly this year, in 2023, Amanda was recognized globally and voted the International Loyalty Personality of the Year.Today, Amanda joins us on the show to share the launch of her book called "Blind Loyalty – 101 Loyalty Concepts SIMPLIFIED", a book which has profound personal meaning for Amanda as she will explain.I believe it's a book that will become a bible for loyalty marketing professionals around the world as we increasingly strive for knowledge and global excellence, and we are thrilled that so many insights from "Let's Talk Loyalty" are mentioned throughout the book.Amanda’s team in Truth has painstakingly listened to every guest’s answer to our opening question about what is their favourite loyalty program, and her book holds the definite list of answers from our guests over the last 18 months and which programs were answered most often! So, whether you want to simply learn about loyalty in a way that’s truly simplified, or you want to support the Blind Loyalty Trust, or if you’re just curious about whether your program made the list of the industry’s favorites, you are sure to love this show!Listen to enjoy our conversation with Amanda Cromhout from Truth!Show Notes:1) Amanda Cromhout2) Truth3) Blind Loyalty Trust4) Blind Loyalty – 101 Loyalty Concepts SIMPLIFIED5) Amanda Recognised as the International Loyalty Personality of the Year⁠6) Watch the full video interview on Loyalty TV

Today’s episode features insights from our friends in Valuedynamx as they celebrate their latest partnership with Expedia as part of their ongoing product development. Valuedynamx is a fairly new brand in the loyalty travel industry, but it is part of the well-known Collinson Group. Today’s conversation centers on how the Expedia Group has become an exciting addition to the Value Dynamx product, as loyalty programs around the world looks for new ways to differentiate their brands from their competitors using their loyalty program propositions.Joining me to share some exciting travel trends and insights as well as the early results of their partnership in Alice Wynne, Commercial Product Manager at ValueDynamx as well as Carolina Cabero, VP of Commercial Partnerships for the Expedia Group based in Spain.This episode is sponsored by Valuedynamx.Show notes:1) Alice Wynne2) Carolina Cabero3) Valuedynamx4) Collinson Group5) Expedia Group6) EMEA Trends: The Power of Strategic Partnerships: Enhancing Loyalty Programs in 2023

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast where Paula talks to Lisa Routel, Verizon’s Marketing Strategy Lead to learn all about their loyalty program “Verizon Up” has won multiple loyalty awardsVerizon is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the United States and is of course a huge company with a huge customer base to retain in an extremely competitive industry.Lisa shares the latest propositions she’s building to keep Verizon customers engaged as well as some insights from her earlier career in loyalty with leading brands like Jaguar.Show Notes:1) Lisa Routel⁠2) Verizon3) Verizon Up4) #248: Leading Loyalty for Telecoms Giant Verizon

Today’s guest is well known to everyone working in the travel loyalty industry globally.Danielle Brown is the Chief Marketing Officer of Plusgrade - the global ancillary revenue leader in travel, as well as Points, a platform that specialises in loyalty currency retailing.This conversation tells the extra-ordinary story that while global economic events over the years have had devastating effects on the travel industry, each of these crises somehow also created unique opportunities for innovation and evolution in travel loyalty programs, with the result that Plusgrade now delivers over a billion dollars in ancillary revenue for its partners every year.Danielle shares some of their success stories and explains why currency retailing has become such a powerful driver of both short-term revenues, as well as measurable increases in longer-term loyalty from premium members of travel loyalty programs.Listen to enjoy my conversation with Danielle Brown, from Points and Plusgrade.This episode is sponsored by Plusgrade.Show Notes:1) Danielle Brown2) Plusgrade3) Points4) Watch the full interview video at Loyalty TV

Today’s episode features two powerhouses of the travel loyalty sector who have joined forces in recent years.Stephen Gilbert is the VP of Salesforce Loyalty working within the Collinson Group, with responsibility for creating the next generation of Loyalty Programs on the Salesforce Loyalty Ecosystem, and he joins us today along with Ram Machiraju, Vice President of Product Management at Salesforce, focused on loyaltyand referral marketing.Stephen and Ram share insights from airline, hotel and rail clients in the context of growth in the travel eco-system and explain why Collinson and Salesforce have joined forces.They also share and what they each believe are the key success factors for clients, with more and more consumers committed to spending their disposable income on travel and experiences.Listen to hear their insights on extending the value of your loyalty program beyond the basic transactions, through smart partnerships and everyday earn and burn solutions, so you can engage with your members even when their purchases are infrequent. This episode is sponsored by the Collinson Group.Show Notes:1) Stephen Gilbert⁠2) Collinson Group3) Ram Machiraju4) Salesforce5) #362: Discovery Vitality: Behavioural Change Programme is resulting in Healthier Lifestyle through Generous Rewards

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast where Paula was joined by Fernando Jimenez who talks about his fascinating role, designing a loyalty program for Tupperware products in Mexico.Tupperware is truly a household name with consumers around the world, famous for its innovative food storage and preparation containers.The brand has recently realised the power they can harness by investing in a professional loyalty strategy to connect with its consultants, retail partners and of course consumers.Listen to learn from his impressive loyalty background in the airline sector and his approach to this new project.Show Notes:1) Fernando Jimenez2) Tupperware3) Tupperware Brand México4) #245: Tupperware Leveraging Loyalty in Mexico

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s podcast features an amazing country and an amazing airline-led loyalty program that is not even one year old!SkyJoy is the program name for a coalition program created in late 2022 by Sovico Group based in Vietnam, leveraging some of their key businesses including VietJet, their low-cost airline, and HD Bank.Paula Thomas is joined for this conversation by Sereen Teoh, the former CEO of SkyJoy, to share both the successes and some of the challenges in creating such a huge coalition program across hundreds of partners, and in such a short space of time.Sereen is also a speaker at the Loyalty and Awards conference taking place in Brazil in October, so listen to get an exciting insight on what they have already achieved and what you can expect from her presentation at the event!Show Notes:1) Sereen Teoh2) SkyJoy3) Sovico Group⁠4) Loyalty and Awards conference5) VietJet

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.This episode focuses on the loyalty market in The Netherlands, featuring expert insights from Emre Polatkan. Emre is a versatile professional skilled in CRM, loyalty, growth marketing, and experience design. With industry experience and expertise, Emre excels in building customer relationships, creating loyalty programs, driving business growth, and crafting engaging experiences. Their diverse background enables them to make a significant impact across industriesEmre joins us today from Emakina, an EPAM company, where they are the Head of CRM and Loyalty. They are taking the place today of Léon Huyben, who was a key contributor and provided the expert commentary on The Netherlands in the “Understanding Loyalty in Europe” White Paper created by Mando-Connect in partnership with YouGov, which explores loyalty membership, appeal and impact across 24 European Markets.Listen to learn about the loyalty landscape in The Netherlands – what membership, appeal and impact look like in this market – and which are the programmes and key innovations to be inspired by.Hosted by Charlie Hills. Show Notes :1) Emre Polatkan 2) European Loyalty Whitepaper3) Mando-Connect 4) YouGov5) Emakina

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast where Paula was joined by Isobel Finlayson, Sustainability Lead for Mando Connect.Paula and Isobel share their ideas, insights, research and suggestions on practical ways that loyalty marketers can help. Sustainability is both an urgent and an important focus for businesses, and one that loyalty marketers can play an important role in supporting.Tom summarises some of the examples of global best practice in sustainability discussed in the original podcast where Isobel discusses eight specific tactics you can consider implementing to leverage the power of your loyalty program to address this critical concern for both consumer and companies alike.Show Notes :-1) Isobel Finlayson⁠2) Mando Connect.⁠3) Mando Connect’s Million Tree Pledge4) #243: How Can Loyalty Marketers Support Sustainability Goals?

Today’s episode is all about the exciting possibilities for the next generation of loyalty programmes using Web 3.0 technologies.Our guest is Connor Kelley, who was inspired by the success of the world’s leading online games such as Roblox, and has used the principles to create Flaunt Loyalty, a dedicated loyalty platform that harnesses the unique capabilities available from the third generation of the internet!Listen to hear Connor share what loyalty professionals can learn from the world of Web 3.0, which drives such engaged behavior and at such incredible scale!This episode is sponsored by Flaunt.Show Notes:1) Connor Kelley2) Flaunt Loyalty

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.As we know grocery retailing loyalty is fiercely competitive and long-standing in the loyalty industry.This podcast unpeels the many layers to building a customer-centric organisation by Shoprite, Africa’s largest retailer, which prides itself on “feeding Africa for less”.zWe talked to ⁠Meredith Allan⁠, who is Head of Rewards and Personalisation of ⁠Shoprite X⁠, a division of ⁠The Shoprite Group⁠. Its loyalty programme is ⁠Xtra Savings⁠ and has achieved an 80% sales coverage in a short period of time since launch approximately 4 years ago. The Xtra Savings programme is the first initiative in its multi-year digital transformation strategy building a customer-first organisation.Show Notes:1) Meredith Allan2) Shoprite X3) The Shoprite Group4) ⁠Xtra Savings⁠⁠

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast where Paula was joined by Mark Sage, Former Chief Operating Officer at Yuu Rewards in Hong KongYuu Rewards is a leading loyalty program launched in Hong Kong in 2020 which prides itself on its innovative digital-first strategy. Created initially as a coalition programme, Yuu Rewards has proven to be a compelling proposition for the digitally-savvy consumers.Mark explains how the programme has grown, offering compelling new services, and is now firmly established as a market-leading super-app with numerous new and exciting benefits to users. Paula and Mark also discuss the power of *collectibles* as a tool to build consumer loyalty and engagement both online and offline.Show Notes :-1) Mark Sage2) YuuRewards3) DFI Retail 3)#239: Hong Kong's Leading Loyalty & Lifestyle Platform - Yuu Rewards

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode features Velocity, the loyalty program from Virgin Australia.As one of the world’s most famous challenger brands, Virgin enjoys a global portfolio of inspiring businesses that are dedicated to delighting customers around the world, and Virgin Australia's Velocity programme does exactly that!Our guest is Nick Rohrlach, CEO of Velocity, who shares with us the dramatic transformation of both the airline and its loyalty business in recent years.Customer loyalty is at the heart of their propositions, with a laser focus on proving to Australian customers that they will be rewarded for their loyalty super fast.Nick shares their latest campaigns, which are earning Velocity a reputation for bringing back some fun, even at a time of intense economic pressure for consumers.These campaigns are proving to be incredibly powerful tools that drive impressive levels of engagement for the programme, as well as earning welcome publicity for the airline itself – truly remarkable in such a mature and competitive market.Listen to enjoy my conversation with Nick Rohrlach, CEO of Velocity from Virgin Australia.This episode is sponsored by ValueDynamx (Part of Collinson Group)Show Notes:1) Nick Rohrlach⁠2) Velocity Frequent Flyer3) Virgin Australia⁠

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode features some industry personalities who have worked on loyalty propositions and marketing for some of the most famousloyalty firms and travel and hospitality brands in the world, particularly in the US market.Guy Cierzan and Andrew Kelly have recently joined forces to offer a loyalty advisory service for brands called Hydrate Loyalty, and they join us today to share some of their insights on the latest trends in loyalty marketing, and the importance of obsessing about your customers, before expecting them to become obsessed with your brand.Show Notes1) Guy Cierzan2) Andrew Kelly3) Hydrate Loyalty

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast hosted by Paula Thomas, where she is joined by Erin Levzow, who shares her industry-leading insights and ideas from their “Del Yeah!” program which has already won prestigious awards – including B2C app of the year and the Gold Award for Loyalty Strategy.Del Taco is the world’s second-largest Mexican fast-food restaurant chain, and its loyalty program is playing a vital role in its popularity and growth.Learn how Del Taco has created such a compelling mobile app featuring Del Yeah! Rewards to truly attract and retain its customers.Hosted by Tom Peace.Show Notes :-1) Del Taco 2)Del Yeah! Rewards3) Erin Levzow - Former Vice President of Marketing Technology3)#237: Del Yeah Rewards: Del Taco's Key Component for Business Growth

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode featuring an unusual category for us to have on the show but an incredibly interesting one.AB InBev is a company that celebrates life, especially key highlights like parties, sports and entertainment, and it describes its mission as creating “a future with more cheers”.The business brews and sells a diverse portfolio of over 500 beer brands includes global names like Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois® which are sold both direct to consumer and of course to trade partners in nearly 50 countries worldwide.Joining Let's Talk Loyalty today to share AB InBev's focus on innovation and loyalty in the Mexican market is Raul Sandoval, Head of Digital Products and Loyalty from AB InBev in Mexico.Show Notes:1) Raul Sandoval⁠, Head of Digital Products and Loyalty from AB InBev in Mexico.2) AB InBev3) Murphys - When It Rains It Pours

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.This episode focuses on multi-award winning UK loyalty programme, VeryMe Rewards from Vodafone, featuring expert insights from Pete O’Donnell.Pete is the Head of Loyalty for Vodafone in the United Kingdom. He is an experienced senior commercial manager with a proven track record across the telecommunications industry.Pete is a key contributor to the “Understanding Loyalty in Europe” White Paper created by Mando-Connect in partnership with YouGov, which explores loyalty membership, appeal and impact across 24 European Markets.Listen to learn what makes VeryMe Rewards from Vodafone an award-winning programme, what Pete’s favourite loyalty programmes are and what’s coming next!Hosted by Charlie Hills. Show Notes :1) Peter O Donnell2) Vodafone3) VeryMe Rewards4) European Loyalty Whitepaper5) Mando-Connect 6) YouGov

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks episode of Let’s talk “a little” loyalty Tom reviews the original podcast where Paula is joined by Kelly N Cook, EVP, Chief Marketing and IT Officer for David’s Bridal.David’s Bridal is a US-based retailer that specializes in wedding gowns, prom gowns and formal wear, and offers an extraordinary collection of beautiful outfits for all of life’s magical moments.Operating over 300 store locations in various countries as well as online, in 2020, David’s Bridal stores created an industry first with the launch of their Diamond loyalty program, designed to leverage the buying power of the bride’s family and friends to help the happy couple earn a honeymoon of their dreams!Hosted by Tom Peace.Show Notes :-1) David's Bridal 2) Kelly N Cook 3) #236: David’s Bridal - The World's First "Crowdsourced " Loyalty Program

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode celebrates our 4th birthday in Let’s Talk Loyalty, in partnership with our friends in The Wise Marketer Group, where we are together announcing an incredible competition.My guest is Aaron Dauphinee, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer with the Group, which includes The Wise Marketer.com website and The Loyalty Academy.The Loyalty Academy was established in 2015 and offers global loyalty education. Since then, it has gone on to certify 739 loyalty marketing professionals in 46 countries.In celebration of our fourth birthday and our partnership, The Loyalty Academy is offering FOUR lucky listeners a scholarship to their CLMP program online and become a certified loyalty marketing professional.Each scholarship is worth up to $2,000.Listen to hear all the details and then enter on www.LetsTalkLoyalty.com/competition.I really hope you enjoy my conversation with Aaron Dauphinee from The Wise Marketer Group.Show Notes:1) Aaron Dauphinee⁠, Chief Marketing, and Business Development Officer2) The Wise Marketer Group3) The Wise Marketer.com4) Loyalty Academy5) UK’s First Loyalty Academy CLMP™ Certification Workshop6) 2023 Certification Workshop – Toronto, Canada7) Join the competition now! www.LetsTalkLoyalty.com/competition

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode features insights on trust from Australia.Mark James and Bonnie McCoy from Customology recently released their updated research on customer concerns around trust and brand communications in the Australian market.As an essential pre-requisite to earning customer’s loyalty, Mark and Bonnie share their insights and advice to address what they are calling the “trust crisis”.This issue is becoming even more critical to address as we become more digitally connected, but also more disillusioned with brands and their marketing.Listen to learn from the latest research on trust with consumer insights from Australia.Show Notes:1) Mark James⁠2) Bonnie McCoy3) Customology⁠4) The Unspoken Customer

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Tom’s latest short summary show covers the original podcast hosted by Paula Thomas where she is joined by Nicole Auman, Director of Brand Marketing at Sheetz.Sheetz Inc. is one of North America’s fastest-growing convenience store chains, already operating over 600 locations.Tom summarises the key insights from the original podcast on how Sheetz recent major insights and achievements, including a new subscription service, insights on the compelling role that their app is playing as a direct digital connection to their customers and of course, their store teams who serve as ambassadors of the program with customers.Hosted by Tom Peace.Show Notes :-1) Sheetz Inc⁠2) Nicole Auman3) #234: Driving Loyalty in Convenience Retail with Sheetz USA

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.⁠Today’s episode features the exciting story of the "Doters" loyalty program launched by Viva Aerobus in late 2022.Pablo Sordo joins us to share the story of how they developed the loyalty proposition for Viva Aerobus, which is a low-cost airline based in Mexico.This simple coalition program features partnerships with the local bus company and a banking partner, allowing members to earn miles while flying, taking the bus around the country, and, of course, using their co-brand credit card.Listen to learn from Pablo Sordo, Chief Strategy Officer for Viva Aerobus, with thanks to the Loyalty and Awards conference team for the introduction!Pablo will be sharing further insights at the Loyalty & Awards Conference this October in Rio de Janeiro.Show Notes1) Pablo Sordo, Chief Strategy Officer for Viva Aerobus2) "⁠Doters⁠" loyalty program3) Viva Aerobus⁠4) Loyalty and Awards⁠ conference

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Johan Moolman is CEO of FNB (First National Bank)’s eBucks Rewards. eBucks is 23 years old and has recently scooped three prestigious awards at the International Loyalty Awards, including ‘Best Long-Term programme’ worldwide.Johan has been CEO of this leading retail banking programme for eight years and in this insightful podcast, he describes the obsession with doing the right thing for the customer, which has yielded over $1bn pay out since inception. 90% of eBucks rewards are redeemed within the first 30 days of being given to eBucks members.The programme actually operates nine separate programmes to meet the demands of sub-segments of the South African market.Hosted by Amanda Cromhout.Show Notes:1) Johan Moolman2) First National Bank3) eBucks Rewards

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Listen in to hear Tom’s short summary show from the original podcast hosted by Paula Thomas where she is joined by Kim Hardaker, Managing Director of the Etihad Guest Programme, who shares the latest ideas and insights from one of the travel industry’s leading reward programs.Etihad Guest is a world-leader in airline loyalty, renowned for delivering innovative ideas that delight members in unexpected ways!Tom provides a summary of the show that includes a proposition to support the airlines sustainability goals, and a “world-first” idea that celebrated the reopening of Australia’s borders post-pandemic.Hosted by Tom Peace.Show Notes :-1) Etihad Guest2) Kim Hardaker3) #233: Etihad Guest - Powerful Propositions Building Emotional Loyalty

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode is a treat for anyone who is either a pet lover or a pet parent, as well as retail loyalty professionals.Our guest is Bradley Breuer, Vice President of Loyalty and Personalised Marketing at PetSmart in the United States.This year, PetSmart's “Treats” program has reached the incredible milestone of 60 million members!Bradley shares some compelling insights on member penetration of sales, as well as some of the key principles of their success that has led thePetSmart Treats program to become one of America’s Best Loyalty Programs as ranked by Newsweek. Show Notes:1) Bradley Breuer, Vice President of Loyalty and Personalised Marketing2) PetSmart3) PetSmart's “Treats” program4) America’s Best Loyalty Programs 2023 by Newsweek

Today’s episode features some "Loyalty Royalty" an interview with one of the 2023 “Top 30 under 40” award winners at the recent International Loyalty Awards in London.Joe Doran is Senior Vice President of Loyalty for Capillary in North America, and he joins us today to share and celebrate Capillary’s truly incredible list of achievements in 2023 so far.Joe also shares his insights around the latest loyalty sectors and strategies that he believes have explosive potential right now, as well as the incredible success Capillary’s is having with their latest flagship client in the US market – Nascar!Listen today to learn from Joe Doran from our friends in Capillary Technologies.This episode is sponsored by Capillary Technologies.Show Notes:1) Joe Doran, Senior Vice President of Loyalty for Capillary in North America2) Capillary Technologies3) Capillary Shines Bright at International Loyalty Awards 20234) Capillary Named A Leader in The Forrester Wave™ Loyalty Technology Solutions, Q1 2023 Report

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Tune in and catch Tom's brief overview from the original podcast hosted by Paula Thomas where she is joined by Jonathan Hopkins and Angus Frazer, co-founders of Sonder Media.Sonder Media is a consulting firm that specializes in identifying, valuing, and optimizing the media value of loyalty programs, and Tom will summarise the key insight from Jonathan and Angus who share their expertise on Loyalty’s high margin potential.The original podcast shows the power and potential profitability of using the unique assets, permissions and insights from your loyalty program as a media business, an increasingly popular idea being considered by program owners in order to increase returns from their loyalty program investment.Listen to Tom summarise the challenges and the potential of this big idea, and how you can explore building a media business in a way that continues to meet the needs of your members and your brand, as well as with advertising partners.Hosted by Tom Peace.Show Notes :-1) Sonder Media 2) Jonathan Hopkins3) Agnus Frazer4) #231: Building Your Program's Profitability - Loyalty's Hidden Potential

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode features a brand that has been at the TOP of our wish list to bring on the show over the past few years.McDonald’s is, of course, the world’s leading global foodservice retailer, with over 40,000 locations in over 100 countries!Just recently, the business was listed in second place in the *World's Most Innovative Companies of 2023*, and they now operate loyalty programs in over 50 markets, with over 50 million members active!Joining me today to share this incredible story is Bess Cades Director, Customer Engagement Strategy and Lifetime Value for McDonald’s.Listen to learn the insights behind the extraordinary growth for McDonald’s Rewards around the world, a program that in time, could become one of the world’s largest loyalty programs.Please enjoy this masterclass in loyalty marketing from one of the world’s greatest brands.Show Notes:1) McDonald’s2) McDonald’s Rewards3) Bess Cades Director, Customer Engagement Strategy and Lifetime Value4) World's Most Innovative Companies 2023 5) Watch the full video interview at www.Loyalty.TV

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode features another leading US retailer that leverages loyalty to grow its business, in this case, to a whopping $84 billion in revenue in their most recent financial year!“Sam’s Club” is a warehouse club with 597 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, that leverages the power of subscriptions since 1983 - way before subscription-based loyalty was so globally recognised as a cool and clever idea!Our guest is Scott Ludwig, Vice President of Membership for Sam’s Club, and he joins us today to share some of the compelling reasons for theirbusiness success, which includes renewal rates in excess of 90% for their mature subscribers.Scott explains the importance of their expanding partner proposition based on card-linked offers, and some examples of how they are achieving true personalization in ways that are delivering NPS scores that will amaze you!Listen to enjoy this fascinating conversation with Scott Ludwig from Sam’s Club.Show Notes:1) Sam’s Club2) Scott Ludwig, Vice President of Membership for Sam’s Club

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Listen in to hear Tom’s short summary show from the original podcast hosted by Paula Thomas where she is joined by Hollie McLellan, formerly Head of Customer Marketing and Loyalty for Boots UK and now Director of Customer Marketing, to discuss the company’s latest innovations and initiatives.When it comes to loyalty programmes in the UK, the gold standard programme that consumers say they love the most is often the Boots Advantage Program.This show was a masterclass in loyalty marketing, showcasing Boots “Beauty Club” which features content marketing as a new loyalty driver, as well as their new "Price Advantage" proposition, and their exciting tests with gamification and subscription strategies.Hosted by Tom Peace.Show Notes:1) Boots Advantage Program 2) Hollie McLellan3) My Beauty4) Boots UK5) #230: The Boots Iconic "Advantage" Programme in the UK Celebrates Its 25th Birthday⁠

Today’s episode features some incredibly exciting updates from the loyalty program I personally use most often, the award-winning Skywards program from Emirates Airlines.Emirates is known and respected globally as one of the world’s best and fastest growing airlines, and its loyalty program, Skywards now recognizes andrewards over 32 million members around the world!Based in Dubai, the Emirates Group employs over 103,000 staff from more than 160 nationalities and in early May 2023, they reported their post-pandemic turnaround results, delivering their best ever profit of US$ 2.9 billion.In today’s episode, I’m once again joined by Dr Nejib Ben-Kheder, Head of Emirates Skywards, who shares all their latest exciting news, including thelaunch of Skywards Everyday proposition, which will be fascinating to anyone considering launching a card-linked concept for your own loyalty program.Dr Nejib also explains how and why the value of the Skywards currency was recently adjusted, and how the program has managed to protect its most valuable members, while also reflecting the commercial needs of the airline.Other exciting news you’ll hear today include Dr Nejib’s incredible statistics on their earn rates for airline versus non-airline activities, which proves how effectively Skywards is achieving its goal to become a truly global lifestyle loyalty program, rather than simply an airline frequent flyer program.Hosted by Paula Thomas.Show Notes:1) Dr Nejib Ben-Kheder⁠, Head of Emirates Skywards2) Emirates Airlines3) Skywards program4) Skywards Everyday

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.This episode focuses on the loyalty market in Italy, featuring expert insights from Cristina Ziliani.Cristina is a Professor of Marketing at the University of Parma, Italy. She lectures on loyalty management and has been the Director of the Loyalty Observatory since 1999, dedicated to research, consulting and education on Loyalty Management, CRM and CXCristina is a key contributor to the “Understanding Loyalty in Europe” White Paper created by Mando-Connect in partnership with YouGov, which explores loyalty membership, appeal and impact across 24 European Markets.Listen to learn about the loyalty landscape in Italy – what membership, appeal and impact look like in this market – and which are the programmes and key innovations to be inspired by.Hosted by Charlie Hills. Show Notes :1) Cristiana Ziliani2) European Loyalty Whitepaper3) Mando-Connect 4) YouGov

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Listen in to hear Tom’s short summary show from the original podcast hosted by Paula Thomas where she was joined by Brad Macdonald, Epsilon’s Vice President of Loyalty Strategy from May 2022, where Brad talks about the methods and importance of measuring the Value of Loyalty Marketing Investment.Brad describes the methods that Epsilon use to measure and predict loyalty strategy performance and most importantly, ROI.Hosted by Tom Peace.Show Notes:1) Brad Macdonald2) Epsilon3) #227: Measuring the Value of Loyalty Marketing Investment with Epsilon

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode features the UAE’s latest loyalty program which has been recently launched by a fuel retailer.The Emirates General Petroleum Corporation is otherwise known as EMARAT, and they operate as a leading fuel and convenience store retailer across Dubai and the Northern Emirates.Our guest is Ali Bin Zayed, the Senior Manager Corporate Loyalty for Emarat, who has led the development and launch of Emcan, and today he shares the insights behind its name, how it was developed and some of its impressive early results.He also shares some of the highly innovative channels that are being used to support the incredibly diverse population of people from around the world who call the UAE their home.Ali explains how they chose their loyalty platform provider, and some of the upcoming industry-leading technology that they are implementing in order to ensure their business continues to offer more ease, simplicity and delightful experiences for their customers.Listen to enjoy this conversation with Ali Bin Zayed, Senior Manager Corporate Loyalty for Emarat.Show Notes:1) The Emirates General Petroleum Corporation2) Ali Bin Zayed⁠, the Senior Manager Corporate Loyalty for Emarat3) Emcan

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today, Let's Talk Loyalty welcomes back an iconic airline brand that is long overdue a return visit to our show.American Airlines first joined us in April 2020 to share how they were thinking about their loyal customers and the role of the AAdvantage program in those first early days of the Covid pandemic.Now, three years on, we revisit this iconic program – which is in fact the longest-running computerised or travel loyalty program in the world.AAdvantage was established in 1981 with a laser focus on rewarding frequent flyers on American Airlines.Today, the program has more than 100 million members and has evolved dramatically.AAdvantage no longer considers itself a frequent flyer program, but instead a travel rewards program, and now they are once again leading the industry, with new ways for members to earn and keep their status in return for any of their loyalty within the Advantage eco-system.!To hear the full story, I’m thrilled to be joined today by Chris Isaac, Director of AAdvantage, to hear how Covid ironically created new insights for him andhis team on just how loyal their members were being – even when they were unable to fly!Listen to enjoy the latest insights from AAdvantage.Show Notes:1) Chris Isaac, Director of AAdvantage2) American Airlines⁠3) AAdvantage

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.In this weeks Let’s Talk a Little Loyalty podcast Tom reviews the original show hosted by Paula Thomas where she is joined by Matthew Stevens, Albertson’s Former Director of Loyalty Programs and Strategy, who shared how their loyalty program is supporting the dramatic transformation of their business, in direct response to changing consumer behaviours and expectations. The original interview with Albertsons showcases a masterclass in retail loyalty strategy and success.Albertsons is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States. Boasting almost 2,300 retail stores in the United States across multiple brands including Albertsons, Safeway, Shaw’s, Randalls and United Supermarkets among others.Hosted by Tom Peace.Show Notes:1) Matthew Stevens⁠, Former Director of Loyalty Programs and Strategy2) Albertson’s3) #222: Loyalty Leads the Transformation of Albertsons4) Safeway

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.Today’s episode features industry insights from Giant Food, the #3 grocery chain in the United States.Our guest is Ryan Draude, who is leading Giant Food’s loyalty approach with a unique perspective!Ryan believes that loyalty leaders have a unique opportunity to create *rituals* that become meaningful moments in their member’s lives, and he is passionate about making sure we create *tangible value* in a way that matters now more than ever to shoppers.Listen to hear Ryan’s willingness to be courageous with his work, and especially how he said how success often comes from deciding to simply "shut up and listen".Enjoy this masterclass in loyalty with Ryan Draude, Head of Loyalty at Giant Food.Show Notes:1) Ryan Draude2) Giant Food

This episode is sponsored by Points, a Plusgrade company. Read more about their Exchange solution as a growth channel for loyalty programs here.This show is extraordinary as we hear Paula’s voice but as the Let’s Talk Loyalty guest rather than show host. Paula shares the evolution of the Let’s Talk Loyalty show which is already in the top 3% of global podcasts and three times higher listenership per show than average B2B podcasts.We learn of Paula’s original intent for starting Let’s Talk Loyalty almost 4 years ago and her future vision and plans to expand into Loyalty TV later this year. Moreover, we learn about the power of content marketing for not only brand management but for loyalty programmes to embrace emotional loyalty.Hosted by Amanda Cromhout.Show Notes:1) Paula Thomas2) Let's Talk Loyalty