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 episode to hear the incredible breadth of partnerships Phil led for Air New Zealand, which included the real estate sector, luxury cars and even white goods, transforming the airlines loyalty programme in to a powerful currency capable of driving cash flow to the airline between flights and becoming part of kiwi consumers lives.  Across his entire loyalty career, Phil has created clear and compelling loyalty concepts both independently and with key partners, with a focus on simplicity, transparency and integrity, so listen to learn his latest ideas on what's important to consumers in 2021 and beyond.  Show Notes: 1) Phil Devlin, Strategic Partnerships 2) Countdown New Zealand 3) Simon Rowles  

Let's Talk Loyalty

#153: New Zealand Loyalty Expert Shares Exciting Airline & Grocery Loyalty Insights

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. He also shared his views on the technologies he believes will help drive loyal behaviour in the future. Show Notes:  1) Let's Talk Loyalty Episode #45  2) Kunal Mohiuddin  

#152: Expert Insights from a Loyalty Leader in India (Short Summary Show)

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 that just because in the past we've been able to get "drunk on data" doesn't mean we should continue to do so in the future.  Customer values have changed and it's time to for us as loyalty marketers to ensure our approach in the past evolves to remain powerful for the future.  Listen to learn Cheetah's insights and consumer feedback on the increasing importance of marketing etiquette based on interactive and engaging relationships, not just in traditional sectors but even in categories like CPG which historically left loyalty to their product quality alone. Show Notes:  1) Richard Jones - Chief Marketing Officer at Cheetah Digital  2) Cheetah Digital  3) Signals21 - The Award Winning Content Series

#151: Connecting with Customers through Compelling Content & Experiences

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 subscriptions - creating both "reasons to buy" and "reasons to stay", to create the potential for extreme customer loyalty. Show Notes:  Let's Talk Loyalty - Episode #44 

#150: Subscription Loyalty - Lessons and Insights (Short Summary Show)

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 considered, the reasons they may make sense, and some of the criteria for success.   From subscription models, to prepaid fares to unlimited flying propositions - there has never been a better time for loyalty marketers to test new concepts and inspire their customers to fly with the same joy in the future as they did in the past.   Listen to enjoy a masterclass in creative and compelling airline loyalty concepts.   Show Notes:  1) Piotr Kozlowski  2) Report from Jay Sorensen  3) The Bank of Starbucks 

#149: Creative Airline Loyalty Concepts from Comarch - Prepaid, Subscription or Unlimited Travel?

This episode is a short summary of my conversation with Dr 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 - CEO of Motivforce 2) Let's Talk Loyalty Episode 43 

#148: B2B Loyalty and Case Studies (Short Show Summary)

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 should 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 and burn in checkout", as well as other powerful technology-led concepts such as card-linking and a focus on using loyalty mechanics to drive sustainable choices.  What most impressed me in this interview was the insight that "burn drives earn" - a clear understanding that only when members benefit will any loyalty programme achieve its goals.   Show Notes: 1) Gerben Sikkema - Director of Partnerships at Air France-KLM 2) Air France - KLM Website  3) Flying Blue 

#147: Flying Blue from Air France KLM Group - Loyalty & Partnerships Insights

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 as internally.  Rob shares the view that loyalty professionals are really the perfect business leaders of the future.  Listen for a short summary of our conversation, or listen to the full interview for even more of Rob's extraordinary insights.  Show Notes: 1) Episode #42 of Lets Talk Loyalty with Rob Markey  2) Bain and Company 3) Rob Markey - Partner, Bain and Company 

#146: Loyalty Leadership with Bain & Company's Rob Markey (Short Show Summary)

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 questions about what's working in loyalty in South Africa and what's not.  Listen to learn the incredible growth in the market and important changes in who, why and how programmes are being used.  We also talk through what would be South African's favourite loyalty program if they could only choose one!   A superb conversation about how the loyalty industry is evolving in South Africa in these changing times. Show Notes: 1) Amanda Cromhout 2) Truth South Africa 

#145: South African Consumer Loyalty Insights 2021

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 past.  Show Notes: Bryan Pearson – Former CEO of LoyaltyOne 

#144: Bryan Pearson of LoyaltyOne Former CEO - Short Summary Show

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 willing to pay for.  From the Intercontinental Ambassador programme, to Pret a Manger in the UK and the most recent proposition from Emirates, Skywards+ Listen to hear Rob's insightful views on what makes paid loyalty work for key consumers who are highly educated on the benefits of loyalty programmes when they are done well. Show Notes: 1) Rob Burgess 2) Head for Points 3) Skywards+

#143: Subscription (Paid) Loyalty in Hotels, Coffee Chains and Airlines - What's Working?

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 of customers (not just historic revenues) when valuing a firm.  This work has led to innovative concepts such as "Customer Based Corporate Valuation" (CBCV), an industry-leading concept that will undoubtedly become an essential framework for future loyalty marketers.  Listen to learn about Professor Fader's fascinating work across the loyalty industry with implications for both the academic and business sides of our industry.  Show Notes: 1) Professor Peter Fader, Professor of Marketing, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania  2) Harvard Business Review - Jan/Feb 2020 issue articles - "The Loyalty Economy."  3) Theta Equity Partners  4) Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage - 2012 Edition (New Edition Scheduled July 2020) 

#142: An Innovative Loyalty Model from Wharton's Professor of Marketing, Peter Fader (Short Summary Show)

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-Founder of the programme along with his Marketing Manager Jordan Tran.  Together they explain the latest innovations for this programme, from new reward options through to ideas on how best to share data and insights in ways that continue to delight customers and partners alike.  We also discuss another of my favourite ideas, leveraging our loyalty programmes to support supplier brands like FMCG manufacturers.  Listen to learn this unique case study from perhaps the most active loyalty market in the world. Show Notes: 1) AA Smartfuel New Zealand  2) Ian Sutcliffe - Co-Founder AA Smartfuel 3) Jordan Tran - Marketing Manager at AA Smartfuel

#141: Loyalty Excellence and Innovation with AA Smartfuel New Zealand

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 conversation with Rob Chandler, he shared some fascinating models on how Sky VIP thinks about loyalty and how they create new and exciting ways to really say an explicit "thank you" to its loyal customers.  Enjoy this episode of "Let's Talk a LITTLE Loyalty" for some fascinating insights on how to truly differentiate your brand, no matter how competitive the industry.  Show Notes:  1) Rob Chandler - Former Head of Customer Loyalty - Sky UK  2) The Gamification Revolution: How Leaders Leverage Game Mechanics to Crush the Competition - by Gabe Zichermann

#140: Sky VIP Loyalty Programme in the UK (Short Show Summary)

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 professional, prepared and protected as much as possible?  While we continue to cope with COVID, our industry is facing rapid changes, such as the increasing use of facial recognition technology & biometrics,  so listen to learn all about the approach you can take to ensure "custom privacy protection by design, which will endure by default".  Richard Dutton, Managing Director of the Elias Partnership joins me on today's show to explain the concept of a "Data Health Check", what it does, how it helps and how your company can ensure a legally defensible position should a data breach ever occur.  Show Notes: 1) Richard Dutton 2) Elias Partnership 

#139: Data Laws and Data and Privacy Health Checks for Loyalty Professionals

“Let’s Talk Loyalty” is an industry podcast for loyalty marketing professionals. If you work in loyalty marketing, join me every week to learn the latest ideas and marketing insights from loyalty specialists around the world.

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Let's Talk Loyalty

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