Let's Talk Loyalty

Paula Thomas

“Let’s Talk Loyalty” is an industry podcast for loyalty marketing professionals.

If you work in loyalty marketing, join us every week to learn the latest ideas and marketing insights from loyalty specialists around the world.

Check out our website on: http://www.letstalkloyalty.com/

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793 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes793

Newest first

May 29, 2025 · 40 min
ENOC (UAE Fuel Programme) Grows With Travel, Subscriptions and Co-Brand Propositions (#673)
This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV. Today we welcome a new guest host – Joanna Witsch - who has been on the show a few times as one of our expert guests. Joanna Witsch is hosting today's episode which features one of Comarch’s most loyal clients - Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC). Her guest is Suryaveer Singh who is the Head of Loyalty CRM and Data at ENOC (more often simply known as Suri). Suri was previously on the show in 2021 and since then the YES Rewards programme has grown dramatically. This UAE-based fuel-led loyalty programme now has over a million members and includes a co-branded credit card, a subscription tier and also a consumer travel proposition, effectively evolving in to a comprehensive lifestyle programme. Please enjoy this conversation between Joanna Witsch from Comarch and Suri Singh from ENOC. This episode is sponsored by Comarch. Show Notes: 1) Suryaveer Singh 2) Joanna Witsch 3) YES Rewards 4) Emirates National Oil Company 5) Comarch 6) The Psychology of Money (Book) 7) Yes Rewards from ENOC - Fuel, Food & Convenience Loyalty in UAE - 2021 Episode
May 27, 2025 · 37 min
Hadie Perkas: Connecting the Loyalty Industry Through Vision and Community – see what ’ s next!!! (#672)
Hadie Perkas is an inspiring entrepreneur with a career starting in recruitment, before founding The Gift Club & The European Loyalty Association. Hadie is known for her business drive, while identifying gaps in the market. The communities she builds empowers businesses to build connections lasting relationships. The latest exciting news from the ELA is the launch of the Jobs Board, matching experienced loyalty professionals with job opportunities in the industry. Hosted by Carly Neubauer Show Notes:- 1) Hadie Perkas 2) The Gift Club 3) The European Loyalty Association. 4) Jobs Board 5) Atomic Habits (Book) 6) Cold: ExtremeAdventures at the Lowest Temperature on Earth (Book)
May 22, 2025 · 41 min
Launching Shoppers Drug Mart's Optimum: Learnings from a Loyalty Operations Lens (#671)
In the latest Wiser Loyalty podcast, Aaron Dauphinee of the Wise Marketer Group, speaks with industry loyalty operations expert, Nadine Rubin. Nadine shares her thoughts on the characteristics and skills needed to be successful in loyalty operations after a 25+ year career in the industry. She also shares her vast experience, in particular while launching the Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum program in Canada as an alternative to coalition loyalty models that were dominating the market. Nadine does a compare and contrast of then versus now in loyalty and outlines some successes and wins: ensuring the immediacy of rewarding members, establishing program ambassadorship, testing with employees, etc. Nadine closes by providing some thoughts and advice to a younger version of herself working in the 'loyalty industry'. This conversation is chalked full of insights and learning from someone that specializes in the unique area of Loyalty Operations. Show Notes: 1) Nadine Rubin 2) Aaron Dauphinee 3) Wise Marketer Group 4) Drug Mart Optimum 5) The Invitation by Oriah (Book)
May 20, 2025 · 52 min
Pasaporte, el programa de lealtad de Despegar (#670)
Today's episode of Let's Talk Loyalty & Loyalty TV is in Spanish. Descubre las estrategias de lealtad que están marcando la pauta en el sector viajes online en nuestro nuevo episodio de Let's Talk Loyalty/ Recibimos a Alex Sánchez, líder del programa Pasaporte de Despegar y con una valiosa trayectoria en Club Premier. Alex nos comparte cómo Despegar fideliza a sus usuarios a través de beneficiostangibles como la acumulación de puntos y su innovadora tarjeta Invex. En esta conversación, exploraremos cómo se pueden crear tiers de forma estructurada y alineada a los objetivos, además de la clave para combinar transacciones y experiencias en un programa de lealtad exitoso. ¡No te pierdas los insights de un experto! Escúchalo ahora. Hosted by Alex Saul. Show Notes:- 1)Alex Sánchez 2) Despegar 3)From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time (Book)
May 15, 2025 · 34 min
Bank of America's Preferred Rewards Program (#669)
This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV. I’m delighted to be today meeting with another Fortune 500 brand as we meet with Bank of America, one the world's largest banks. According to its latest annual report, Bank of America now serves approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients, and surpassed $100 billion in revenue in 2024, with net income in excess of $27 BILLION. As part of the bank’s celebrations for the ten year anniversary of its Preferred Rewards program, I am joined today by Shikha Narula, the Managing Director, Head of Consumer & Small Business Product Strategy, Transformation and Rewards at Bank of America. Shikha shares some of their key achievements including a membership base of over 11 million members, a 99% retention rate, and some of their flagship partnerships such as their coffee / cash-back program with Starbucks in the US market. Shikha also shares how their award-winning Preferred Rewards program really differs from other programs in the financial services industry. Please enjoy our conversation. Show Notes: 1) Shikha Narula 2) Bank of America 3) Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program 4) Coffee, meet Cash Back - Bank of America Promotion | Starbucks Rewards 5) Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less (Book)
May 13, 2025 · 46 min
Loyalty KPI's with Brierley PLUS Capillary's Latest Acquisition Announced (#668)
Today I'm chatting with Don Smith - well known to many of you for his role as the Chief Consulting Officer of Brierley which is now a Capillary Services Company. Don shares his expertise around optimising some of the common KPI’s for loyalty professionals, the importance of the “mental mantle” of loyalty, as well as some of the big nuggets he learned from the recent Capillary Captivate Conference in Mumbai. As one of the loyalty industry’s most respected brands, I’m thrilled to bring you some of Brierley’s unique frameworks and perspectives that can help us all build better programs. We also discuss Capillary's most recent news as they acquire Kognitiv Corporation, to enhance both their client portfolio and their position in the US market. Please enjoy our conversation. This episode is sponsored by Capillary Technologies. Show notes: 1) Don Smith 2) Brierley 3) Capillary Captivate Conference 4) An Economic Theory of Democracy (Book)
May 8, 2025 · 44 min
How to Build Loyalty That Works? Global Lessons in Personalization, Culture, and Trust with Comarch (#667)
This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV. This episode celebrates Comarch which has become our new title sponsor for Loyalty TV, and we are thrilled to announce this as our biggest partnership so far of 2025. Sponsoring Loyalty TV is how Comarch is showcasing its ambition to be recognised worldwide as the go-to partner for loyalty professionals. In today’s episode, Paula Thomas is joined in studio by Marlena Polrola and Joanna Witsch, both based here in Dubai with Comarch’s Middle East team. Marlena and Joanna will share why you should be following, learning from and talking to Comarch throughout your loyalty journey, including some real examples of the scale and success of their loyalty projects worldwide over more than 30 years so far. Episode sponsored by Comarch. Show Notes : 1) Marlena Polrola 2) Joanna Witsch 3) Comarch 4) The Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom (Book) 5) Loyalty Program and the Currency Effect : A Comprehensive Guide to Realizing the Power of Points (Book)
May 6, 2025 · 37 min
Host Announcement - Former President of AAdvantage - Bridget Blaise-Shamai (#666)
This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV. I’m thrilled to be announcing a new member of the Let's Talk Loyalty family as we continue to grow our network of guest hosts around the world. Today’s announcement is incredibly exciting as we’re being joined by someone who has led one of the biggest airline loyalty programs in the United States. Bridget Blaise-Shamai is most notably a former President of the American Airlines Advantage Program, the award winning travel rewards program of American Airlines, which of course includes leadership responsibility for the entire proposition and partnerships portfolio, where she led a team of over 700 professionals to deliver that world-class program. Bridget has also worked at V. Group, a leading global shipping services firm, as well as serving as an advisory board member to several loyalty and payments start-ups. She is also a guest speaker at Universities on how to affect consumer preference, loyalty/digital marketing and data analytics. Today Bridget is bringing more than 25 years expertise in loyalty and leadership roles to Let’s Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV, where she will be hosting monthly episodes featuring guests from various lifestyle programs and industries across the United States. Please enjoy our conversation. Show Notes: 1) Bridget Blaise-Shamai 2) The Pillars of The Earth -Ken Follett (Book) 3) Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drive Our Success (Book)
May 1, 2025 · 42 min
Porsche, Latam Airlines and La Quinta Hotels Driving Customer Engagement Using Gamification (#665)
This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV. For a masterclass in gamification, you can enjoy Yu-Kai Chou’s down to earth interview with Amanda Cromhout about gamification and his Octalysis Framework. He is the Founding Partner of The Octalysis Group and the creator of The Octalysis Framework which has been translated into 16 different languages, serving not only the commercial work but also academia. This interview highlights the impact gamification can have on customer engagement and the commercial results it drives in loyalty programmes. Yu-Kai Chou leaves us with three case studies of Porsche, Latam Airlines and La Quinta hotel group, all of which boast positive results worth taking note of. Show Notes 1) Yu-Kai Chou 2)Amanda Cromhout 3)The Octalysis Group 4) Actionable Gamification by Yu-Kai Chou (Book) 5) 10,000 Hours of Play by Yu-Kai Chou (Book) 6) Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (Book)
Apr 29, 2025 · 53 min
Monetizando tu programa de lealtad: Retail Media (#664)
This episode of Let's Talk Loyalty & Loyalty TV is in Spanish. ¿Te has preguntado cómo las grandes marcas de retail están revolucionando su estrategia de marketing y monetización? En este episodio de Let's Talk Loyalty en español, exploramos el fascinante mundo del Retail Media de la mano de un experto de primer nivel: Juan Restrepo, líder de la estrategia de Retail Media para OXXO. Con una trayectoria que incluye roles clave en Google y Falabella, Juan nos desvela la estrecha y poderosa relación entre el Retail Media y los programas de lealtad. Descubre cómo la data de lealtad impulsa campañas efectivas, las claves para monetizar tu programa y las últimas tendencias que están transformando el panorama. ¡No te pierdas esta conversación llena de insights estratégicos! Hosted by Alex Saul Show Notes 1) Juan Restrepo 2) OXXO 3) Died with Zero - Bill Perkins
Apr 24, 2025 · 37 min
Unlocking Insights: The Latest in European Loyalty Trends with Mando Connect (#663)
Carly Neubauer, Managing Director of Elevate Loyalty and OneTap Group, introduces two leading strategists from Mando Connect—Charlie Hills and James Davies. Together, they bring a wealth of experience in loyalty strategy and analytics, shedding light on their collaborative work in the loyalty space. Charlie Hills is the Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder of Mando-Connect, WPP’s specialist agency for partnerships, loyalty, promotions, and rewards. As a passionate advocate for loyalty, she co-hosts Let’s Talk Loyalty, authors multiple white papers on loyalty and promotions, and serves as an Editor at Large for the Wise Marketer. James Davies, Senior Strategist and Analyst, specializes in loyalty and reward analytics, partnerships strategy, and consumer insight. With his expertise, he works alongside Charlie to produce cutting-edge research, including the third edition of the “Understanding Loyalty in Europe” white paper. This white paper explores membership, appeal, and impact across 24 European markets, marking a leading study in the field of loyalty. Show notes: 1) Charlie Hills 2) James Davies 3) Mando-Connect 4) YouGov 5) Understanding Loyalty in Europe 3.0 - Whitepaper 6) Knowledge is Beautiful - Book 7) Zero to One Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel - Book **************************** This episode is sponsored by Phaedon. Visit their website to learn more about how they're powering the world's most beloved loyalty programs at www.wearephaedon.com
Apr 22, 2025 · 28 min
Crafting Loyalty for Superfans: Martina Lipp on Revamping Disney's Global Program (662)
Martina Lipp is a true expert in the loyalty space with a career spanning some of the most iconic brands. Martina’s impressive track record includes leading customer loyalty and loyalty programs for Disney, Dollar Shave Club, Nespresso, and T-Mobile. Most notably, Martina is recognized for her groundbreaking work in revamping Disney's international loyalty program, where she spearheaded a strategy that brought together a seamless omni-channel experience. Her efforts in customizing loyalty for fans of Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel have set new standards in the industry. Join us as Martina shares her insights on loyalty design, the power of fan engagement, and how to create lasting connections with customers across multiple touchpoints. Hosted by Carly Neubauer Show notes: 1) Martina Lipp 2) Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. (Book) 3) Marketing to Mindstates: The Practical Guide to Applying Behavior Design to Research and Marketing (Book) 4) The Culture Map (Book)
Apr 17, 2025 · 34 min
Rethinking Membership Loyalty: Strategies for Scale with Steve Allmen, CAA (#661)
In this episode Bill speaks with CLMP™ and recognized industry figure, Steve Allmen, EVP, Strategy and Partnerships, Canadian Automobile Association. Steve is guiding marketing efforts for this large membership organization. His insights in this conversation will shed light on strategies and tactics to grow loyalty and engagement across large member groups and change the way you think about Membership Loyalty. Hosted by Bill Hanifin. Show notes: 1) Steve Allmen 2) Canadian Automobile Association 3) Bill Hanifin 4) The Wise Marketer 5) Life: Keith Richards (Book) **************************** This episode is sponsored by Phaedon. Visit their website to learn more about how they're powering the world's most beloved loyalty programs at www.wearephaedon.com
Apr 15, 2025 · 33 min
Inside South Africa’s Loyalty Landscape: A Conversation with Amanda Cromhout (#660)
In this episode Charlie Hills interviews Amanda Cromhout, the CEO and Founder of Truth. Based in South Africa, Truth is a boutique consulting business specialising in customer centricity and customer loyalty programmes. Amanda is also a proud co-host for Let’s Talk Loyalty! Today we will be learning about her favourite book and loyalty programmes, her background in loyalty and the highlights and key learnings from her new research report on loyalty in South Africa - The Truth and Brand Mapp Loyalty White Paper. It’s the only study of its kind in South Africa which is a renowned mature loyalty market. Hosted by Charlie Hills. Show notes: 1) Blind Loyalty Trust 2) Truth Loyalty Whitepaper download 3) Amanda Cromhout Loyalty 4) Follow Amanda Cromhout on Instagram 5)The Wealth Money Can't Buy: The 8 Hidden Habits to Live Your Richest Life 6) Becoming SuperNatural ********************************************************************************** This episode is sponsored by Phaedon. Visit their website to learn more about how they're powering the world's most beloved loyalty programs at www.wearephaedon.com
Apr 10, 2025 · 37 min
Earning Loyalty at New Heights: WestJet’s Upgraded Rewards Program (#659)
In this episode Bill speaks with CLMP™ and recognized industry figure, Steve McClelland, Vice President of Loyalty, WestJet. Steve is guiding the operation of WestJet Rewards, which recently announced significant upgrades to its frequency flyer program. His insights in this conversation will shed light on strategies and tactics to fuel growth in the travel sector, and to optimize frequent flyer program operations. Hosted by Bill Hanifin Show notes: 1) Steve McClelland 2) WestJet 3) WestJet Rewards 4) Bill Hanifin 5) The Wise Marketer 6) Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (Book) 7) Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice (Book)
Apr 8, 2025 · 43 min
Poundland Perks: Loyalty Made Simple with Emma Collins (#658)
This episode focuses on Poundland Perks … the new loyalty programme from Poundland in the UK. With Emma Collins, the Head of Digital Loyalty & Engagement for Poundland. Today we will be learning about Emma’s favourite loyalty programmes, how Poundland Perks is delivering for customers and the business and all about their plans for the future. Hosted by Charlie Hills. Show Notes: 1) Emma Collins 2) Poundland Perks 3) Poundland 4) European Loyalty Whitepaper 5) Mando- Connect 6) YouGov 7) Return on Courage : A Business Playbook for Courageous Change ********************************************************************************** This episode is sponsored by Phaedon. Visit their website to learn more about how they're powering the world's most beloved loyalty programs at www.wearephaedon.com
Apr 3, 2025 · 34 min
IndiGo: Launching a loyalty programme at scale in the world’s 5th largest economy (#657)
This interview with Neetan Chopra from IndiGo is highly insightful from learning about a relatively young airline, a very young loyalty programme and a global market place not to be ignored. IndiGo operates out of India, which is the world’s 5th biggest economy. The airline carried over 100m passengers in 2024 and has growth plans for its carrier and frequent flyer programme, BluChip, which launched 5 months ago. Hosted by Amanda Cromhout Show notes: 1) Neetan Chopra 2) IndiGo 3) BluChip 4) Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (Book) 5) Accelerated Digital Transformation: How Established Organizations Can Gain Competitive Advantage in the Digital Age (Book)
Apr 1, 2025 · 45 min
Experience with programs: The Star Entertainment Group, David Jones, NewsCorp, Qantas, Global Red, Brierley & Partners, Coca Cola(#656)
Han Bailey has worked with some of the largest brands and loyalty programs in Australia and the US, including The Star Entertainment Group, David Jones, NewsCorp, Qantas, Global Red, Brierley & Partners, and Coca-Cola. Now consulting for a range of businesses and mentoring emerging loyalty talent, Han brings a commercial perspective to loyalty and a deep understanding of building programs from the ground up. Today’s conversation explores her journey—from an unexpected start in loyalty to developing and delivering some of the industry's most well-known programs. Hosted by Carly Neubauer Show Notes: 1) Han Bailey 2) Carly Neubauer 3)The Gift: A Survivor’s Journey to Freedom by Edith Eger
Mar 27, 2025 · 43 min
Getting to know Voyage Loyalty, The Loyalty Programme for Seafarers (#655)
This episode focuses on Voyage Loyalty … a fascinating loyalty programme for V.Group. It creates a more engaging and valuable employment experience for seafarers, bringing them respect for their hard work and dedication. With Bridget Blaise-Shamai, Senior Commercial Officer, and Rory Mackenzie, the Loyalty Program Manager, for Voyage Loyalty. Today we will be learning about their favourite loyalty programmes, how Voyage Loyalty is delivering for seafarers, the brand and the business and all about their plans for the future. Hosted by Charlie Hills Show Notes : 1) Bridget Blaise-Shamai 2) Rory Mackenzie 3) Voyage Loyalty 4) V.Group 5) European Loyalty Whitepaper 6) Mando- Connect 7) YouGov 8) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 9) If- Rudyard Kipling 10) The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Mar 25, 2025 · 44 min
Will Points-based Currency Potentially Usurp Cash as King? (654)
This episode features one of our industry's well known loyalty leaders when it comes to loyalty finance and loyalty strategy, Evert de Boer. Evert is the Managing Partner at On Point Loyalty, a global advisory firm exclusively niche to loyalty finance and strategy. He is the CEO at Fidivo, which has built the first off-the-shelf loyalty program financial tool analysis. Evert shares an executive style summary of his second published book "Loyalty Programs and the Currency Effect" and his perspective on loyalty in the travel sector, particularly given his expertise in aviation. The Wiser Loyalty podcast series is created in partnership between Let’s Talk Loyalty™ and The Wise Marketer™. This episode is hosted by Aaron Dauphinee. Show Notes: 1) Evert de Boer 2) On Point Loyalty 3) Fidivo 4) Loyalty Programs and the Currency Effect: A Comprehensive Guide to Realizing the Power of Points - By Evert de Boer & Xiao Yao Chin 5) A Perfect Spy: A Novel 6) Connemara: A Novel 7) German Summer Book (but only available in Dutch) ********************************************************************************** This episode is sponsored by Phaedon. Visit their website to learn more about how they're powering the world's most beloved loyalty programs at www.wearephaedon.com