MediaLift

  By: Ray Chelstowski / Hilton Barbour   The most successful marketing and loyalty programs put consumers at the very center and are purpose-built to uniquely solve a challenge in their lives. That opening statement is so blindingly obvious as to almost be insulting but, in our experience, the truly great programs keep a keen eye on how the challenges our consumers face are changing and evolving – and they change and evolve to keep pace and remain relevant. Loyalty programs cannot be a “set it and forget it” proposition if they’re to be successful. Case in point, Covid has impacted consumers in numerous sectors in ways that were unimaginable 3 short years ago. Supply chain issues has led to inflationary pressure which, in turn, has cascaded down to hit many consumer groups particularly hard in the wallet. We’ve also seen, amidst lockdowns and travel restrictions, that many consumers are seeking to put more into their homes and the creature comforts they surround themse...

By Hilton Barbour Last week we polled our colleagues, clients and social followers to tell us which industries or categories were best positioned, or had the biggest appetite or incentive, to reimagine loyalty. If you didn’t weigh in and vote (tut, tut) or hadn’t seen the results we posted Friday on LinkedIn, here they are again. Do those results and rankings surprise you? Do those reflect the industries you might’ve suggested or are keenly watching in 2022? Truthfully these results did spur a number of heated internal discussions here at Kognitiv. One which came up repeatedly - did the folks who voted misinterpret the key word “reimagine” as a statement of intent or a question of (business) survival? And there’s a critical difference if you see reimagining as a purposeful, deliberate, and intentional business move. Or if you consider reimagining as a matter of survival and something you’ve little choice in addressing. For our money, those who are reimagining loyalty in a pur...

  By: Hilton Barbour Reimagining Loyalty in 2022 We love making predictions as much as the next guy. Recently we made some predictions about which NFL teams would go through to the Superbowl and today we’re licking our wounds (and making a few e-transfers to our colleagues) so we’re a little gun shy on the bold predictions front. That being said, there is growing evidence that loyalty marketing is having a real Renaissance and that many organizations are taking a serious look at how to embed loyalty at the center of their efforts. Sectors that may previously have scoffed at loyalty programs as a means of attracting and retaining customers are taking a keen interest in piloting new programs and new ideas. Why the sudden interest? Within some sectors loyalty is seen as a way to prevent customer attrition (or erosion) to other channels and other sectors. If you’re a traditional Bricks & Mortar retailer, the surge in DTC models and the rise in online purchasing are trends tha...

By: Ray Chelstowski / Hilton Barbour Loyalty and Sports are very comfortable bedfellows. Right now across the globe, there are fans cheering - and fans sobbing - in (socially distanced) stadiums, bars, and cafes. Fans screaming at referees, swearing at their opposing team, and celebrating the magic of their home side in front of TV screens and mobile devices. The term “die-hard fan” exists for a reason. And, if there is one universal truth about any sport it is that there are fewer pains and agonies than being a life-long fan of Team X. Just ask any Boston Red Sox, Toronto Maple Leaf, Buffalo Bills or Manchester United fans. Loyalty runs deep in sports. And it runs deep in the business of sports. And within the undisputed heavy-weight champion of sports business –  The National Football League  – loyalty is taking on a new dimension. Particularly in these troubling times where Covid is taking a real bite out of the live stadium experience. The fabled New York Jets decided to u...

  By: Ray Chelstowski / Hilton Barbour Subscription services have found their way into every possible nook and cranny of our lives in the past 2 years. Marketing professor Scott Galloway frequently talks about “rundles” (recurring revenue bundles) on his popular podcast PIVOT and with good reason. Amidst the uncertainty and yo-yo that is our global Covid lives, if a business can consistently secure recurring revenues from a loyal customer base, then some of that revenue and operating uncertainty goes away. Executives like that. So do shareholders and market analysts. The restaurant business, a sector that has personified the yo-yo of trying to operate during Covid, has seen a fair amount of subscription experimentation in the last 2 years. Panera Bread was an early adopter of a subscription business and, by most accounts, has seen fairly consistent returns since going national. This episode of the “ Let’s Talk Loyalty” podcast talks about the Panera Bread story which is fasc...