#103: Movies, Music and Sport - Passion Points to Drive Loyalty

PAULA: Welcome to Let’s Talk Loyalty, an industry podcast for Loyalty Marketing Professionals.

PAULA: I’m your host, Paula Thomas.

PAULA: And if you work in Loyalty Marketing, join me every week to learn the latest ideas from Loyalty Specialists around the world.

PAULA: Hello, and welcome to episode 103 of Let’s Talk Loyalty.

PAULA: And in this show, I’m summarizing a conversation all about creating emotional connection with your customers and obviously loyalty by tapping into things that they’re already passionate about.

PAULA: So this means things like movies, things like music, sport, and even video games.

PAULA: And the reason being that all of these different areas of our lives are really things that already have massive fan bases and already incredible amount of loyalty.

PAULA: So for us as brands, what better way to create loyalty with our customers than perhaps giving our members access to something that they really do love.

PAULA: So I ended up having a fantastic conversation with a gentleman from a marketing agency in London, which specializes in doing exactly this kind of specialized work.

PAULA: The gentleman I spoke to is by the name of Tom Sugg, and he, in fact, had been working with Brand Culture, the agency, for about 15 years.

PAULA: And certainly Brand Culture seems to be an agency that’s leading the field in negotiating, particularly film partnerships in the UK market.

PAULA: So what Tom was able to do was share with me some really great case studies.

PAULA: We started with a specific loyalty one to make sure it was really exciting and relevant for this audience.

PAULA: And that was a proposition for the Marriott Bonvoy Group, which at a particular time was really keen to reposition its brand as a hotel chain that was also for families, in fact, and for holidays.

PAULA: And its own research had said that a lot of people really saw Marriott as particularly a business hotel.

PAULA: So in the interview, Tom talked through the marketing partnership that was set up to address that and had some phenomenal results with.

PAULA: He also talked about a partnership for a pet brand.

PAULA: So a company that was retailing products for pet parents and how they actually partnered with the leading animated film, all about pets as well.

PAULA: So you can imagine the relevance and the incredible results that was achieved there too.

PAULA: The third and probably for me, the most exciting example that we talked about was in the FMCG sector.

PAULA: So for Energizer Batteries, which is a very well-known brand, but again, probably something that’s quite hard to differentiate.

PAULA: So Tom’s company ended up developing an unpacked promotion, which tapped into really, I suppose, a passion for movies and allowing customers to download a promotional code and then watch a movie of their choice on the Google Play platform.

PAULA: And this one, again, was incredibly successful, started in five countries, and was eventually expanded to over 55 countries.

PAULA: So from my side, I really enjoy the conversation with Tom.

PAULA: I really believe that brand partnerships are a highly specialized way to develop brand loyalty, and brand culture is a multi-award-winning marketing agency.

PAULA: And for me, I suppose, the key point was to remember that we don’t just have to rely on points and prizes.

PAULA: And sometimes, if your loyalty program, I think if it needs a bit of a refresh, then brand partnerships is a really innovative way that’s new for customers, usually new for brand owners, and I think can add a whole new perspective in terms of how your customers perceive you.

PAULA: I suppose in closing, one of my favorite examples that we talked about was the McDonald’s Happy Meal, which I’m sure all of you are familiar with.

PAULA: It’s been run for many, many years, and again, just leveraging the power of films to connect with McDonald’s customers, and clearly something that has worked extraordinarily well for them as a global brand.

PAULA: So in my mind, partnerships are a win-win-win approach.

PAULA: It’s a win for the brand, win for the assets or rights owner, and very much a win for customers.

PAULA: And in my own experience, it’s definitely a powerful way to create loyalty for consumers.

PAULA: So if you’re interested in the whole idea of harnessing the power of entertainment and I suppose any lifestyle assets as a social currency in order to excite and inspire your members, then head on over and listen to the full interview.

PAULA: It’s episode number 20 of Let’s Talk Loyalty.

PAULA: This show is sponsored by The Wise Marketeer, the world’s most popular source of loyalty marketing news, insights, and research.

PAULA: The Wise Marketeer also offers loyalty marketing training through its Loyalty Academy, which has already certified over 170 executives in 20 countries as certified loyalty marketing professionals.

PAULA: For more information, check out thewisemarketeer.com and loyaltyacademy.org.

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