Paula: Welcome to Let’s Talk Loyalty, an industry podcast for loyalty marketing professionals. I’m your host, Paula Thomas, and if you work in loyalty marketing, join me every week to learn the latest ideas from loyalty specialists around the world.
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Hello and welcome to this episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV. Firstly, for those guys watching online, I’d like to ask you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, something I’ve totally forgotten to ask for in the past. But it gives us a great chance to get in front of a lot more people if you subscribe, because it helps YouTube to notice the great work that we’re doing.
Now onto today’s episode, featuring a loyalty program called Clos19 from the iconic brand Moët Hennessy, the wines and spirits division of LVMH. LVMH, I’m sure you know, is the world leader in luxury, operating in six different industries across 81 countries. Many of their products have been around for centuries while others are just starting their journey.
Today, I’m joined by Erin Scarfe, Head of Consumer Engagement within e-business driving Clos19 and her colleague, Anaïs Lebreton, who leads e business and loyalty for Reynard, which is both a champagne of choice for an international clientele and one of the jewels in the crown of the LVMH group. I hope you enjoy our conversation all about Clos19.
So, Anaïs and Erin, welcome to Let’s Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV.
Erin: Thank you. It’s an honor.
Anaïs: Hello. Nice to meet you.
Paula: Super exciting. You guys work for such an aspirational brand and company and world famous. So I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with you today and understand how you think about loyalty specifically in your sector.
So before we get into all of that conversation, as you know, we always start this show trying to get a sense of what you as loyalty professionals really do admire. So Anaïs, I’m gonna start with you. If you could give our audience a sense, what is your personal favorite loyalty program?
Anaïs: Sure. I actually have been working since 2010 in the loyalty industry, but And I used to be super impressed with our advanced loyalty programs but now kind of reconsider it. And I discover a small grocery store called Racine in the 18th district of Paris, where I live, and you can actually chase cheese or vegetables directly from a producer to consumer. And every hundreds of euro, you get to choose between five new products that you never tasted before just to make you try something new. And I personally ended up tasting a homemade cheese marinated with oriental spices, I would have never tried if it is loyalty program. And actually, it’s kind of a very nice and simple initiative to make you discover and go out of your comfort zone and spend your taste and your purchase at this local shop. So it’s actually my favorites because the simplest and the more effective one.
Paula: I love that example, Anaïs. Honestly, I think it was Einstein who said that the definition of genius was stripping away everything to its absolute simplest, but no simpler. So that idea of tapping into, as you said, like remove all the risk, let people get into a whole new experience. And I’m guessing that you have bought those products on another trip. Did you?
Anaïs: Exactly. Yeah. I actually purchase it every month now.
Paula: Amazing. Okay. You must be their favorite customer. Well done you.
Anaïs: Thank you.
Paula: Great. Great. And Erin, tell us what would you say is your favorite loyalty program right now?
Erin: So, unlike Anaïs, I have gone broad and I’d like to submit two things for your loyalty vault. The first are supermarkets and their loyalty programs because they have absolutely changed the face of loyalty, in my opinion. They have the member only pricing that get you hooked. You go, you return back to the same shop based on how easy it is to use. You pick up the Zapper, you zap the product, you get your promotion. That’s relevant for you instantly, you can track your spending on there and you also get your promotion sent to you based on all of those preferences, and it tracks whether you are shopping them in store or online. So, it’s great for me.
And then the other one that I would like to mention is the Lego program, the Lego Insiders Community. I just think it is. I only came across it actually when I was exploring great loyalty programs. It’s not really because I was using it, but after I found it, I was so impressed with it. I’ve been using it as a benchmark internally at work. And everything about it, it’s just great.
For starters, the vocab they use is really winded and it really suits their products. So rather than you’ll agree to their terms and conditions, it says things like, I promise, and you’re like, Oh, I do promise to behave in this forum. And then they have automations to keep you engaged. So they know if you’ve opted into the newsletter and they try to get you to opt in. And they have they, you can earn your points on the channel and you can burn them on great things that you can’t get in store or online, if you’re just a regular shopper.
So I’ve been super impressed with how they’ve managed to take their customs obsession with that product and then build out this fan zone where you can just interact with other tribe members and get more from Lego than you would do if you were to just buy a box of Lego off the shelf.
Paula: Again, an amazing example, Erin, I was just researching them recently as well, because community is a really big theme for loyalty programs, as you’ve obviously noticed. And from memory now, but don’t quote me on it, but from memory, Lego was practically on the verge of bankruptcy in 1984, I think was the year mentioned, and it has totally reinvented itself.
And I think everyone listening to this show, of course, probably has a childhood, maybe emotional loyalty connection to the Lego brand, but actually what they’ve done to engage, you know, the same people as adults who are clearly now parents and again, build that whole tribe culture that you’ve said it’s absolutely extraordinary. So definitely in a wonderful example and a shout out to anyone in Lego or anyone who knows anyone in Lego, we’d love to have you on Loyalty TV to tell that story as well. So thank you so much, Erin for sharing that particular one. I think it’s brilliant.
And just to pick up on your grocery example, I think you have spent some of your career in the UK market. So it sounds like you might be referring to, I suppose, UK kind of British supermarkets. I think Tesco and lots of them have that member only pricing you mentioned.
Erin: Yes. But actually since moving to France, the supermarkets over here, Carrefour, have the exact same thing. So it has taken the world by storm.
Paula: Wow. Okay. So lots going on and certainly we haven’t done enough about loyalty in France either. So here we are doing our best to catch up with that. So Anaïs, I’ll come back to you. We’re here to talk about Moet Hennessy as a beautiful brand with incredible product range. So would you, first of all, give us an introduction to your own career both even before you joined Moët Hennessy and since you’ve joined, and I suppose the focus on loyalty within such a beautiful organization.
Anaïs: Sure. So I started in 2010 I used to be into CRM for a fast retailing group owning a Uniqlo and the lingerie brand, Princesse tam tam, I worked for.
Paula: Okay.
Anaïs: So I started loyalty there and actually with a very nice example of support of loyalty program since like when we wanted to target like this young ladies, but actually when we looked at our data, we only have like, 50 years old women, which isn’t holds, but actually marketing targets.
Paula: Yeah.
Anaïs: And we noted that actually people ended up accumulating points on the same card. So we couldn’t identify the end consumer because they were claiming with their moms.
Paula: Oh.
Anaïs: And that was all the start of my loyalty journey, trying to build something for the marketing target, which were the young ladies and make them appeal to have their own accounts, their own connection with the brand, not relying on their mother and building something that’s appealed to them was the whole first part of my career.
Paula: Okay.
Anaïs: And then I was done in a cosmetic brand called Groupe Rocher, a very nice project as well because we wanted to, for non-digital native build a whole online community, which is not easy .
Paula: Sure, yeah.
Anaïs: Yeah. That’s a amazing one. And before, uh, joining Moët Hennessy at a Clos19, so, and I used to be at of consumer engagement for Clos19 where I took part in building the loyalty program.
Paula: Wow. I can’t wait to hear all about Clos19. It really is a beautiful program and again, lots of, you know, insight and understanding in terms of exactly what it’s intended to do and exactly how it’s achieving all of that with its value proposition.
So Erin, I think you’re leading on the actual Clos19 program currently. I think Anaïs did as she said, get involved from the start. But tell us your professional background and then again, your journey so far in this role in Paris.
Erin: So I have always been in e-commerce but unlike an ace, I have just been in generic e-commerce marketing, digital marketing and some dabbling in CRM. I then moved into Wines & Spirits in 2020, and I really got to grips with building out communities with it using the CRM program. But not actually using a loyalty program. So I had all of the know how on how to communicate with customers, how to make them feel like they’re part of the brand, part of the community, et cetera.
And then I moved to Moet Hennessey in March last year. And in moving, I realized I needed to get grips with what a loyalty program, how to manage an actual loyalty program. So what I did was I just dove headfirst into loyalty learning. And it’s how I came across your podcast. I actually completed the CLMP qualification and became a loyalty professional. And I read Philip Shelter’s book, The Complete Loyalty Guide, and it made me laugh because you had him recently on the podcast.
Paula: Yes, yeah.
Erin: And he said nobody reads the whole book from cover to cover unless you’re a nerd, and I was like, that’s me, I am that loyalty nerd.
Paula: Wow.
Erin: And then more recently I found Blind Loyalty and I’m just constantly reading papers and reports, etc. This is where I’m up to now.
Paula: Sounds like you have fallen in love with loyalty, dare I say it, Erin.
Erin: Oh my God, I really think I have, and I keep referencing things that I have learned and I keep saying things like, we need to be like McDonald’s. They have this local, they have this global, etcetera. And I just seem to know all of this stuff, whereas before I just knew how to function the channel. And now I know all about loyalty and it, I just can’t stop learning about it because it’s one of those things that, it’s our past and it’s our future. It’s like one of the oldest ways to sell, and yet it keeps evolving and changing. And you can’t keep up with where it’s going. And yeah, and so it’s just a very interesting area to work in.
Paula: It totally is. And what I love about your approach, Erin, as well is rather than figuring out or assuming, let’s say that, you know, you’ll figure it out on the job, which I think in the past I was probably guilty of. But the complexity of loyalty, when it needs to be done really well as a compelling business strategy, that is, I suppose, respected at the C-suite level, you do need the level of education that you’ve put yourself through. So I think for anyone listening who hasn’t read both of those books, obviously, hopefully listening to this podcast and really immerse themselves in the loyalty industry.
It’s a specialty that can only add to any marketer’s toolkit. So for me, there is absolutely, as you said, there’s a lot to fall in love with. I certainly did as soon as I got into it. And I always felt it was a really lovely way for brands to demonstrate loyalty to their members and to their customers, rather than I think in the past when it started, it was always like, how can we get these people to be more loyal to us? Actually, it does have to start from the brand.
So by you going on that journey of education, I think you’re demonstrating exactly what Moët Hennessy is is keen to achieve. And that’s what I’d love to ask you next, actually, Erin, if you don’t mind. So Clos19 is the program name. Will you introduce the program and essentially the value proposition and what you’re working with?
Erin: So Clos19 is a portfolio website. We sell all of the brands that Moet Hennessey produces, whether that’s champagne, wines, or vodka and a lot of cognac. And the loyalty program is there to reward our customers for shopping with us directly. And in doing so they can earn points. So they earn status points and then they earn reward points. And the more you spend, the higher up the tiers you can go. And then you get the opportunity to burn those points on different products.
So, towards the lower tier, you have a free delivery with your first order and you can burn your points on items like a really fancy bottle stopper, but a bottle stopper. And then at the top, you have exclusive events as well as the opportunity to burn your points on something really phenomenal like a magnum of vodka.
Paula: Wow. Beautiful. Thank you for that. Actually, I was obviously on your website in preparation for this conversation, and I literally didn’t have enough time to buy the champagne stopper, but it’s beautiful. So I will be buying it. So you’ve already got a new member. I’ll be signing up to take advantage of that purely to buy it because it’s really gorgeous. And we don’t drink a lot of champagne in my house, but when we do, of course, we don’t finish the bottle. So it’s a perfect opportunity. So thank you for that.
And Anaïs, back to you. Would you give us a bit of a sense of, I suppose, you know, how you think about building loyalty with its commercial agenda, of course, of driving, you know, ideally, you know, revenue, profitable behavior changes, we would say on the CLMP. In the context, of course, of alcohol being something that has to be marketed in a very responsible way, both legally and ethically, of course, for a brand like Moet Hennessy and any other brand in this industry, how do you think about the challenges of marketing alcohol and building loyalty with that context?
Anaïs: Actually it’s very challenging because, and especially in France, because as you may know, there is a law that is called the Evin Law that actually decorrelates and that’s good decorrelates alcohol with any notion of incentive to purchase incentive to party or anything like festive, birthdays triggers or any loyalty offers that you may think about for proper, like, for a simple loyalty program. So we had to get actually very creative for this particular loyalty program and for any Moët Hennessy ambitions. So we wanted to regulate it and without doing any discounts as well, because as you know, we are not only in the two one in spirits, but also in a luxury group.
And once it’s counting you, you can’t go back to your initial strategy. Customers will always wait for the next discount. So this program was really designed for you to try something new. That’s why I love this example, because it’s, for me, the best loyalty strategy makes you taste something different. But with that strong incentive for you to purchase more, it’s more something that, because the initial insight was that 70 percent of our customers in 2019 were monobrands. So they were just purchasing the same brand.
Paula: Interesting. Interesting. Yeah.
Anaïs: And yeah, it’s very nice and diverse image portfolio at Clos19. We wanted them to discover it. So we wanted like this points incentive was really to get them into looking for something new in our portfolio. And actually people are more likely to double their AOV to get a product they never tasted before for free rather than purchase this very same product, even for a far lower price. So that’s something we discover.
Paula: Beautiful.
Anaïs: To drive loyalty without damaging the brands.
Paula: Yeah. So it sounds like you took that favorite loyalty program from the the local store that you mentioned with the cheese and the beautiful local products, and you’ve applied the same insight into the Moat Hennessy portfolio. That’s amazing.
Anaïs: Yes, exactly.
Paula: That’s wonderful.
Anaïs: You don’t need AI or anything groundbreaking to do loyalty just go into your customer’s shoes and try to think what you would like to get as a customer.
Paula: Yes, actually you’ve reminded me, we’ve only done one other episode, actually. I’ll make sure that we linked with the show notes, but it was based in Canada and a huge retail group there, actually state owned, actually. It was quite interesting to hear, but like that both ethically, legally, and from every perspective, they could not ever think about driving sales of their products, but what they could think about and really be of service to their customers was that, that discovery piece.
So, you know, if this was to your taste, you know, again, we’ve paid attention to what you’ve enjoyed in the past. Maybe you’d like to try this particular wine, this vintage, this champagne. So I love that idea of discovery and bringing it into a loyalty strategy. And as you said, staying away from the temptation to discount. Because I think that’s a very slippery slope. It sounds like that’s something you’ve noticed along the way as well.
Anaïs: Totally. Totally. And actually when I worked in the retail industry, it was an easy trigger. So, you know, these private sales and like, even for like a launch, you use discounts to make people actually buy.
Paula: Totally.
Anaïs: And you lose your real prices because people associate you with discounts and you can’t go strong on something because afterwards it’s all diluted and they are not shopping for your brands. They just shop for like, a good promotion. So I would rather avoid it at any cost. I would rather do like what Irene mentioned, this free shipping. Okay. It’s still an incentive, but actually when you hesitate, you’re like, okay. Whatever it is, let’s do an impulsive sale because I want to try and I don’t even have the shipping cost. So it’s maybe a small discount, but not on your product.
Paula: Correct, absolutely. I think that’s the distinction. So, Erin, it sounds like taking all of your e-commerce and direct to consumer expertise, and again, applying that into the loyalty context to make it appealing. Cause I think we’ve all hesitated when there’s a shipping charge. And again, I just didn’t have time to look up earlier, but I know I have to think about, okay, particularly I’m overseas, you know, how can I do that in a way that still feels that it’s a good purchase. So, so very exciting.
So, what else are you thinking about, Erin, in terms of the proposition you’ve talked us through, there’s obviously an earn and burn, and there’s obviously a tasting piece, do you do anything around birthdays, or I think I saw something about anniversaries on your website, or experiences, because obviously, if you’re staying away from discounting as a mechanic, are there other things that you can share that your members are enjoying access to?
Erin: Yeah. So we have birthday gifts. I won’t say what they are.
Paula: Okay.
Erin: So first anniversary surprise and delight, and a lot of little extra things such as we sent handwritten notes to VIP customers. In December, just thanking them for being part of the loyalty program and expressing how we’re excited to, to see them return to the site in the new year. We have those things.
But actually what we’re doing is we’re building out our portfolio of rewards into more experiential things because we seem to have the rational loyalty side of things down. Customers understand that by making the purchase with us, they will earn points, which they can then burn. They, we tend to find. So an aces point, but they earn the points and they say, and they will burn it on a product that they might not have normally thought. We saw that last year with an individual who only buy champagne and then they burn their points on a maximum vodka. I think it was.
Paula: Brilliant.
Erin: That was really successful there. So we’re going to bring in some of this emotional loyalty and provide experience. And to do that, we need to lean into what we’re good at and that is producing great liquids, champagne, wine, spirits, et cetera. So we’re going to make sure that we just lean into what we stand for. We did that recently in December, we had a Verquico experience where we invited loyalty members to taste some of the Loyal the Veuve Clicquot Expressions.
Paula: Beautiful.
Erin: And they absolutely loved it, and there were purchases made afterwards.
Paula: Yeah. Wow.
Erin: And we have we have something similar coming up as well, so, Moet Hennessy have recently launched, I say recently, I think it was June last year, a bar in Saint Germain des Prés in Paris, and it’s called CRAVAN, and we’ve collaborated with them and we are hosting an event in the coming week. Again, inviting our loyalty members to experience it and they get to experience the bar, the history, the product. And it’s just a super exciting way to provide them with a reward that they wouldn’t be able to get. Because at the end of the day, you can buy our product in many other retailers. But what those retailers don’t have is the Moet Hennessy landscape of access and experiences.
Paula: Yeah. Yeah, and physical events, I, I agree, Erin they do create that sense again of community back to your comment about Lego for your customers to actually connect with each other. I would say that was, I’m guessing it felt quite intimate. So to have a beautiful brand like Veuve Clicquot and literally to have them in a tasting environment and to meet other members of your program, that must have been very exciting.
Erin: It was extremely intimate, actually, and at the end, everybody that attended was saying how they had such a lovely evening. And we’ve seen that some of the members that attended that event have already signed up for the next one. And like I said, one person went on to buy I think it was a whole case of one of the expressions that was tasted at the event. So it was really successful in that way.
Paula: Wow. Amazing. Amazing. So lots of progress. Tell us then over the journey. So, actually how long has Clos19 been in existence as a program, Erin? Or is it from Anaïs, did you actually launch it originally?
Anaïs: I think we launched it in October, 2022.
Paula: Okay. Perfect.
Anaïs: Yes. So in France first, because we love to check the artists markets at first.
Paula: Well, at least it’s home. Yeah. Amazing. And in that time, then Anaïs, you know, it’s what it’s here we are early 2024, so still a fairly young program, like less than a year and a half old. What would you say you’re most proud of that you’ve achieved, given that you’ve got, again, beautiful brands as a starting point, and you’re obviously doing lots of wonderful things. What would you know, pick out as your highlight over that time?
Anaïs: Actually I have two, two moments I really cherish forever.
Paula: Yeah. Okay.
Anaïs: I think the first one was two weeks after the launch, actually, where the, with the first customer claim. There was a first customer claim about missing points and we created these points and we gave them a value. This value is just enough for your customer to claim them, to call the customer care and to notice when they are missing. So actually this, even if it’s a claim, I was like, it’s real, it’s happening. So that was kind of the first thing I was like, oh, they do care about that. Even if it’s like kind of a virtual assets that you may, that didn’t exist two weeks ago. And yeah, interesting. Like, I think the most epic pride, it was we had a 90 tech leads who help us to build this whole program. And actually wanted to buy an exclusive bundle of two champagnes only available on ruinart.com. So, my new website and he wanted to buy them on ruinart.com, but actually he couldn’t then get points if he wasn’t purchasing it until 19. So he ended up buying another product until 19, just to collect points. And he didn’t even convert these points into gifts. It was just because he had the feeling he was missing something. He was missing a reward if he didn’t.
So actually that’s the power of loyalty. He choose the retailer over the desired product based on a potential long term loyalty reward, the loyalty reward he didn’t even get.
Paula: Wow.
Anaïs: But that’s interesting. Even if I may say I’m a bit disappointed he didn’t choose. Anyway, I think it’s very strong because you miss this attachments you are creating with a loyalty program.
Paula: That’s absolutely brilliant, Anaïs. The fact that he, you know, was so clear and compelled to behave in a different way, which is aligned, of course, with the whole business strategy of launching the Clos19 website. And we don’t always get enough of that feedback, I guess, from customers. So the fact that it was an internal guy meant, of course, he got the exact insight. So a huge achievement. And I can imagine how proud you were when he told you that story.
So Erin, from your side, what would you say you are most proud of?
Erin: So, Anaïs rightly said that the French program was launched in October, 2022. The German and the UK program were launched in April, 2023.
Paula: Okay.
Erin: And then after that moment, because it was such a new program and there was quite a new member, quite a few new members of staff that had joined the team, etcetera, I had to resell the program to senior leadership to be able to convince them of its value and the fact that we should keep developing it. And I managed to do that partly because of the reasons that I said earlier, where I just upskilled myself in loyalty. But also because of examples, as Anaïs has said that customers are using it, they’re choosing to use it.
But I think I listened to one of your shows the other day, I think his name was Josh, but he said that loyalty is a team sport. And that really resonated with me because it, you can’t manage a loyalty program without a really great team, a really great dev system, networking. You know, you have to wheel and deal around the business to drive not only development, but also the best rewards that you can get for your customer.
And it’s about having this. It’s about convincing the whole business, not just your immediate team, not just that wider team, but the whole business that a loyalty program is worth being champions. And it’s not just about marketers who run it. It’s the whole business needs to get behind this. And I think you know, between us we’ve done that and that’s a really great feat to have achieved in such a large corporation such as Moët Hennessy.
Paula: Again really great to hear Erin because every market of course has its own complexity, additional investment of course required when you start moving into huge countries and obviously the languages would be required of course as well, whether it’s German or of course in, in the UK would be different from the original French program. So, so that’s amazing. And bringing that leadership team on the journey is probably another of the biggest themes I’m hearing coming through on this show, Erin, because we’ve always all recognized that the ultimate, of course, decision makers are the C-suite.
And I know certainly when it was me, one of the reasons I started this show was I always felt I was defending my program and I never felt I’d fully convinced the leadership team when I was doing it again the first time. I didn’t have the education and the language. And again, it was a way before I discovered CLMP and everything. So I totally get you that sense of having the business conversation and for everyone to feel comfortable that this is a great way to take care of our customers and to take care of our business. So it sounds like you’ve achieved that internally.
Erin: Exactly.
Paula: Wonderful. Wonderful. And I wanted to also pick up before I forget actually, Erin, as well, because, you know, communication is the point that’s coming to my mind and we’ve talked about it here with internal communication, but I had wanted to mention when you talked about the Lego language.
But I often feel the actual copywriting that goes around any brand actually, it doesn’t have to be around a program, but I do feel how we communicate with our customers does create emotional loyalty if you can nail it. So it’s something that I definitely hadn’t appreciated again when I was back in my early days of running my first programs back in Ireland. So I just wanted to comment on that because you have reminded me, yes, internal communication. But let’s get the external communication on brand as well in a way that drives emotional loyalty, because as you said, it’s not about the points. It’s not about the transactions. It is actually about how the customer feels after all of our work is done.
So listen we are coming to the end of our conversation. The most important thing is to look forward. Anaïs, do you want to maybe comment on any I suppose anything on your wishlist, anything that you’re excited about as we get into 2024 in terms of loyalty within Moët Hennessy?
Anaïs: Maybe just just a tips for anyone that’s may have any doubts in launching any loyalty trigger, I’ll always think about yourself in the shoes of your customer. Like if you have any doubt, would you like this initiative? Would you go to as a fancy events? You suggest, would you do that as a customer? If it fits any appeal to you, you will find customers that will. So, promote it because it’s a way to work. We are all our customers as well, and not only loyalty marketing actors. So I would really every time it’s actually quite easy. I didn’t learn loyalty and I think I miss a lot of things when I listen to Erin, but actually I’m a customer and that’s what helps me every day.
Paula: Yes. Yes. You’re a customer who cares and notices any, so that’s a marketing skill. So, the don’t don’t underestimate what you’ve achieved as well. So that’s amazing.
And Erin, what are you thinking about in terms of the future of Clos19 and how you can further grow your customer loyalty?
Erin: Like I said, it’s about building on experiences, but I’d really like to see us do something that no one else has done. Maybe leaning into what Anaïs said with AI. Maybe we can take customers on a journey through our vineyard in some sort of a way. But I think that’s probably in the more distant future than the immediate future.
Paula: Okay.
Erin: But it just sounds exciting because like you said, we’re a global brand. But most of our most of our vineyards and our operations are in France, not all, but most. So how can we send that to the customer around the world?
Paula: Yeah. Yeah. And I’m sure you do have plans to roll it out around the world. Is there anything that is, you know, happening quite soon that you can mention or is it all top secret?
Erin: I’m afraid I cannot say.
Paula: You’re going to have to tell me offline if there’s anything relevant to the UAE, but if not, then it’s okay. That’s the one that I would love the most. So, so exciting. And of course you have to keep it close, close to your chest until those decisions are made. So no problem.
So in closing, then Erin, from your side, do you have any words of wisdom? Anais has shared some advice about, you know, obviously making sure to to feel like the consumer and how things would resonate for you personally. Have you anything that you want to share with our audience before we wrap up?
Erin: Yes, I think for me, I have found huge merit in looking at loyalty programs from across all industries, because you learn from everything. I’m not going to look at loyalty programs exclusively from my direct competitors, but looking at sports brands and how they drive loyalty, looking at small local supermarkets and how they drive loyalty. I have learned so much just by broadening my competitive research into all industries.
In fact, I asked a few months ago, I asked loads of my friends to send me emails from loyalty programs that they really enjoyed being a part of. And it allowed me to see why they enjoyed it. Who, what is this company doing that I can’t see externally because I’m not a member.
Paula: Totally.
Erin: But my friend has given me the insight because they are a member. So I think if you work in loyalty, just think more broadly than the industry that you work directly in.
Paula: Yeah, that’s great advice, actually, as well. So I often comment when my birthday comes around each year. I’m always like, from a professional point of view, I’m evaluating every program I’m a member of to see if they’ve used my data and if they’ve noticed. So I think you’re absolutely right. Pay attention to what the industry is doing and every other industry.
So, and I was even thinking about it, actually, when we were talking about obviously being an alcohol category. There are some similarities with for example, the airline sector and again, particularly in Europe we recently had Air France KLM on the show. And of course they, from an ethical perspective, cannot encourage people to fly more because of the environmental concerns. But they can say, if you’re going to fly, please fly with us. So again, I always love when there’s a, you know, a positive framing around something where, you know, the customer wants to do something, you want to take care of them, but it has to be done in a responsible way. So I love that example.
So lots going on. I think from my side, as I said, I’ll be watching Clos19 very carefully to see its global rollout, there’s so much potential for a brand like you guys. So I hope you’ll come back on the show. As I said, it’s early 2024 and I have no doubt you’re going to be going from strength to strength.
So with all of that said, Erin Scarfe and Anaïs Lebreton, thank you so much from Let’s Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV.
Erin: Thank you so much.
Anaïs: Thanks a lot.
Paula: This show is sponsored by Wise Marketer Group, publisher of the Wise Marketer, the premier digital customer loyalty marketing resource for industry relevant news, insights and research. Wise Marketer Group also offers loyalty education and training globally through its loyalty Academy, which has certified nearly 900 marketers and executives in 49 countries as certified loyalty marketing professionals.
For global coverage of customer engagement and loyalty, check out thewisemarketer.com and become a wiser marketer or subscriber. Learn more about global loyalty education for individuals or corporate training programs at loyaltyacademy.org.
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