Leaders in Customer Loyalty : for those looking to deepen customer experience, engagement, and brand loyalty. Each episode features innovative brands, industry experts, and executive leaders who share actionable insights, proven strategies, and real-world experiences designed to help marketers and brand professionals stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of customer loyalty.
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August 13, 202629 min
#541: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories | RBC's Loyalty Program is a Broad Value Proposition for All Canadians
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories, RBC’s James Lombardi explores how Avion Rewards has evolved into a broad loyalty ecosystem open to all Canadians. He discusses RBC’s approach to strategic partnerships, the continued importance of travel rewards, and how AI and hyper-personalization are helping the bank deliver more relevant value and experiences to members.
August 6, 202625 min
#540: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories | How TGI Fridays Has Rebuilt its Digital Experience for the Modern Age
Send us Fan MailSince joining TGI Fridays in January 2025 as Director of Global Marketing, Christopher Houston has made it one of his priorities to ensure that the company’s digital platforms serve as a conduit for the brand, rather than a barrier. Houston is focused on innovating to create a digital guest journey that is streamlined not just for TGI Fridays’ current guests, but also the next digital-first generation. This means making sure all the digital touch points reflect the energy that the restaurant’s guests feel when they visit Fridays, according to Houston.Stay connected with Loyalty360! Follow us on LinkedIn and X for the latest loyalty insights, industry news, and upcoming events.https://www.linkedin.com/company/loyalty-360https://x.com/Loyalty360https://www.youtube.com/@Loyalty360_
August 4, 202622 min
#539: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Supplier Voices | Why Hightouch Thinks AI Should Transform Marketing Workflows, Not Just Campaigns
Send us Fan MailWhen Anthony Chiulli talks with lifecycle marketing teams, he rarely hears marketers having a shortage of campaign ideas. Instead, he hears about the campaigns that never get the chance to launch. According to the Product Marketing leader for lifecycle at Hightouch, marketers don't struggle with creativity. They struggle with the lengthy workflows, approvals, and handoffs required to turn ideas into customer experiences. "The workflow itself was the problem. ," Chiulli said. As an agentic marketing and customer data platform (CDP), Hightouch helps organizations activate customer data to power personalized marketing across channels. After more than 16 years in marketing technology, Chiulli believes AI represents an opportunity not simply to create marketing faster, but to fundamentally change how marketing gets done end-to-end. "What's different this time is the pace," he said. "AI is innovating so quickly and changing so rapidly that it's forcing change at an unprecedented rate."
July 30, 202637 min
#538: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories | How Catalyst Brands Is Building a Connected Retail Ecosystem Through Customer Loyalty
Send us Fan MailCatalyst Brands is redefining what it means to build a modern retail portfolio. Formed in early 2025 through the merger of JCPenney, Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, and Nautica, the company has spent the past 18 months bringing together five iconic brands with distinct customer bases and rich histories. Now, the focus is shifting from integration to growth, with loyalty, customer insights, and personalization playing a central role in that strategy. For Marika Bigler, Vice President of Customer Growth Strategy at Catalyst Brands, the opportunity extends far beyond operational efficiencies. While the merger created opportunities to streamline processes across the organization, the bigger goal is finding new ways to connect customers with more of the company's brands, create more engaging shopping experiences, and deliver greater value across the portfolio. Loyalty is one of the first major steps in bringing that vision to life.Stay connected with Loyalty360! Follow us on LinkedIn and X for the latest loyalty insights, industry news, and upcoming events.https://www.linkedin.com/company/loyalty-360https://x.com/Loyalty360https://www.youtube.com/@Loyalty360_
July 28, 202624 min
#537: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Supplier Voices | Why Group O Thinks Loyalty Programs Should be Built to Pivot Quickly
Send us Fan MailWhen Paul Flemr is asked about the advice that he would give brands looking to improve their customer loyalty experience strategy, the Senior Vice President of Incentive Marketing Solutions at Group O has a simple message for them. “Engage with passion and purpose,” Flemr said. The way Flemr sees it, engagement is the strength of loyalty, the thing that will drive the program’s success. This requires brands knowing their end goals and objectives and building that engagement into the base of their loyalty program. Although Group O offers support for specific needs clients have with their loyalty programs, the company especially prides itself on being an end-to-end solution provider for clients who need a more hands-on approach. This includes everything from program design and development to implementation and ongoing execution, and then ultimately fulfillment and customer care throughout the life of the loyalty program. Stay connected with Loyalty360! Follow us on LinkedIn and X for the latest loyalty insights, industry news, and upcoming events.https://www.linkedin.com/company/loyalty-360https://x.com/Loyalty360https://www.youtube.com/@Loyalty360_
July 23, 202643 min
#536: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories | How SIXT Has Used AI to Put Personalization at the Core of its Loyalty Program
Send us Fan MailWith more than 30 years of experience in the travel industry—including five years as CFO of Hertz and another five as CFO of Hilton Worldwide—Tom Kennedy brings a deep understanding of traveler expectations and the evolving needs shaping the industry. And so, when Kennedy became President, North America of rental car company SIXT nearly six years ago, he was focused on improving the customer journey. He had seen firsthand how slowly the car rental industry had modernized. Travelers could book flights from their phones, yet renting a car still often required waiting in line at an airport counter. Stay connected with Loyalty360! Follow us on LinkedIn and X for the latest loyalty insights, industry news, and upcoming events.https://www.linkedin.com/company/loyalty-360https://x.com/Loyalty360https://www.youtube.com/@Loyalty360_
July 21, 202616 min
#535: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Supplier Voices | As Loyalty Programs Go Digital, MTL Card Still Sees Physical Cards as an Important Customer Engagement Tool
Send us Fan MailBrands have understandably been focused for years now on improving the digital experience of their loyalty programs by launching or redesigning their apps, recognizing how much customers prioritize convenience today—and how convenience often means being able to do everything on their phones. However, Sallie Williams, Sales and Marketing Director of Gift and Loyalty at MTL Card, thinks the brands creating the best loyalty programs are not choosing between digital and physical customer experiences, but combining both. Rather than just focusing on an app, the most successful programs are focused on creating a unified omnichannel experience that offers seamless customer touchpoints across both digital and in-person experiences. Stay connected with Loyalty360! Follow us on LinkedIn and X for the latest loyalty insights, industry news, and upcoming events.https://www.linkedin.com/company/loyalty-360https://x.com/Loyalty360https://www.youtube.com/@Loyalty360_
July 16, 202638 min
#534: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories | How Scene+ Curates its Loyalty Ecosystem to Fit Member Needs
Send us Fan MailWhen Candice Troupe, the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Partnerships at Scene+, assesses the loyalty space in Canada, one word comes to mind: crowded. She notes that the average Canadian has about 15 loyalty cards in either their physical or digital wallet. While this growth in loyalty is a welcome development for Canadians, an increasingly crowded marketplace can also make things a little more complicated for consumers to find the rewards and benefits that fit their needs. This is where Scene+ comes in. Started almost 20 years ago as a partnership between Cineplex and Scotiabank, Scene+ has grown into a 15-million-member customer loyalty ecosystem spanning entertainment, grocery, fuel, home improvement, travel, and more. Stay connected with Loyalty360! Follow us on LinkedIn and X for the latest loyalty insights, industry news, and upcoming events.https://www.linkedin.com/company/loyalty-360https://x.com/Loyalty360https://www.youtube.com/@Loyalty360_
July 9, 202619 min
#533: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories | How Food Lion is Evolving Without Sacrificing Emotional Loyalty
Send us Fan MailBefore Nicole Hulstein began her role as Loyalty Campaign Development Manager at Food Lion, she worked in category management for the grocery chain, primarily focused on produce. And while there might not seem to be a very close connection between loyalty programs and produce, Hulstein sees her former role with the company influencing her approach to her current role. "That background really helped shape how I think about loyalty today,” Hulstein said. “The experience in produce really helped me to understand the product side, the customer side, and the importance of delivering both quality and value and really leaning into my merchant mindset to deliver those things.” Food Lion is an omnichannel grocery retailer with more than 1,100 grocery store locations, operating over a 10-state footprint on the East Coast. Headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina, the grocery chain was founded in 1957. Stay connected with Loyalty360! Follow us on LinkedIn and X for the latest loyalty insights, industry news, and upcoming events.https://www.linkedin.com/company/loyalty-360https://x.com/Loyalty360https://www.youtube.com/@Loyalty360_
July 7, 202626 min
#532: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Supplier Voices | AI Has Created an Inflection Point for Loyalty. Are Brands Ready for it?
Send us Fan MailPlatforms such as Spotify, Amazon, and Netflix have not only innovated how people consume music, shop for everyday items, and watch movies and television—they have also permanently transformed the relationship that consumers have with brands. By training consumers to expect experiences tailored to their preferences, these platforms have made personalization, convenience, and seamless omnichannel experiences increasingly non negotiable features that brands are expected to deliver with their products and services. Ian Young, Senior Director & Head of Business Development at Comarch, also sees these shifting consumer expectations playing out with loyalty and rewards programs today. To build lasting emotional loyalty among their members, brands must now think beyond just points and make personalization a key cornerstone of their programs. And to effectively embed seamless personalization across all the channels of their loyalty program, brands must invest in artificial intelligence, according to Young. Stay connected with Loyalty360! Follow us on LinkedIn and X for the latest loyalty insights, industry news, and upcoming events.https://www.linkedin.com/company/loyalty-360https://x.com/Loyalty360https://www.youtube.com/@Loyalty360_
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