Scene+ is Rewriting the Rules of Everyday Loyalty (#765)

PAULA: Hello, and welcome to Let’s Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV, a show for loyalty marketing professionals.

PAULA: I’m Paula Thomas, the founder and CEO of Let’s Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV, where we feature insightful conversations with loyalty professionals from the world’s leading brands.

PAULA: Today’s episode is part of the Wiser Loyalty podcast series, and is hosted by Aaron Dauphinee, Chief Marketing Officer of Wise Marketer Group.

PAULA: Wise Marketer Group is an education, advisory and research and media service company, providing resources for loyalty marketers through three business offerings.

PAULA: A global leader in loyalty education through the Loyalty Academy platform, which offers the Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional or CLMP designation.

PAULA: A trusted advisor through its advisory and research services, supporting loyalty brands and a leading source of news, information and insights through the Wise Marketer digital publication.

PAULA: I hope you enjoyed this episode brought to you by Let’s Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV in partnership with Wise Marketer Group.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Hi, everyone.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Welcome back to another edition of the Wiser Loyalty podcast series.

AARON DAUPHINEE: This is a podcast series that is now in its third going into actually fourth year, I believe, that is brought to you each month in partnership with Let’s Talk Loyalty and the Wise Marketer.

AARON DAUPHINEE: For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Aaron Dauphinee.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I’m your host for today’s edition and I am currently the CMO here at the Wise Marketer Group or WMG as we like to call it.

AARON DAUPHINEE: It was Bill Henfenn, our CEO at WMG and myself, supported Paul Thomas and the Let’s Talk Loyalty team since they launched.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But it wasn’t until about 2024 when she asked us to start sharing our thoughts and insights with people.

AARON DAUPHINEE: That first year, we focused on loyalty constructs from our course curriculum at the Loyalty Academy, which leads individuals of course to obtaining their certified loyalty marketing professional designation or CLMP, as we call it for short.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But last year, we did a shift.

AARON DAUPHINEE: We refocused to more one-on-one conversations with practitioners and executives and loyalty leaders who really have transformed the strategy in their business to true business results.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Tracey Pearce, who is the president of one of Canada’s most ambitious and rapidly evolving loyalty programs, CinePlus.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So welcome, Tracey.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Thank you.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Great.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And I think it’s probably apropos because this is a global audience that for our listeners who are not quite as familiar with CinePlus, it’s a household name here in Canada, but certainly not around the world.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But I’ll talk a little bit about the program.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So the program was born from essentially a union of Cineplex Scenes Program and Scotiabank’s Scotiabank Rewards.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And it certainly has grown dramatically since.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And the pun is kind of intended because Cineplex is Canada’s version of AMC Theaters, or Large Theatre Chains throughout the country.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so today, CinePlus is, gosh, more than 15 million members and it’s co-founded by Scotiabank, Empire Company Limited, which operates Sobeys, which is one or two, first or second largest grocer, I believe, in the land at this point.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I can’t keep track these days.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And then of course, Cineplex, as I mentioned before.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And the program certainly spans categories.

AARON DAUPHINEE: That include entertainment, grocery, travel, banking, home improvement now, and as early 2026, which we’re going to talk about, fuel, retail fuel, making it one of the most comprehensive loyalty ecosystems in Canada.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So that’s kind of a top line in CinePlus.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Let me do something similar for Tracey, for those of you who don’t know her.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So Tracey has been leading CinePlus as president since May of 2022.

AARON DAUPHINEE: She came from a distinguished career at Bell Media, where she served in several senior executive roles, including president of distribution and pay.

AARON DAUPHINEE: For those of you who don’t know Bell, Bell is one of the largest telco and entertainment media companies in Canada.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Before that, a career in legal and business affairs, so not from a loyalty heritage.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So that’s an intriguing background to bring to the foray.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Tracey brings a formidable combination, certainly of strategic acumen and commercial savvy to CinePlus, but Tracey, I’ll turn it to you.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Is there anything that I missed to set up our conversation today, or what else should our listeners know about you or the CinePlus program before we dive in?

TRACEY: That was a pretty comprehensive intro, Aaron.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Yeah, thank you.

TRACEY: Well, thank you for inviting me to talk about CinePlus today.

TRACEY: I think off the top, I would say that the team and I are super appreciative of the trust that members and partners have placed in us.

TRACEY: I mean, that’s really what has fueled our exponential growth.

TRACEY: And we’re very mindful of that.

TRACEY: Canadians have a lot of choices, both as consumers, as do Canadian businesses.

TRACEY: And so we always bear in mind that when they decide to join CinePlus either as a member or as a partner, and they had a lot of other choices too.

TRACEY: I think, you know, I love the fact that you reference, you know, my media background.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Yes, of course.

TRACEY: I’m super excited to be the newbie in loyalty, although maybe if four years in, I’m not allowed to comment.

TRACEY: Yeah, I don’t know how long you get to think like that, Monica.

TRACEY: Maybe that’s a bit stale dated, Aaron.

TRACEY: It’s been really interesting to see, you know, the parallels between media and loyalty, especially, you know, certainly with respect to streaming services, which is always one of my responsibilities.

TRACEY: You know, obviously, you know, being mindful of what consumers want, what members want, constant innovation of a program, you know, that eye on the acquisition and the engagement of members, keeping them satisfied, never being satisfied in order to keep them satisfied.

TRACEY: There are a lot of parallels between the two industries that I don’t think even I was fully aware of when I first took the role.

TRACEY: But I also hope that, you know, I’ve brought some fresh perspectives on seeing that has helped us to innovate along the way in these past four years.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Yeah.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I don’t know that I would have naturally thought that there was parallels between those two categories myself.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But that’s fascinating.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And I’m sure you’re going to talk even more so as we dig deeper into the conversation.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Before we do that, though, we have a bit of a heritage moment to some degree or something that we do every single time with each of our listeners.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And it’s not just us, Bill and myself, doing it in our Wise or Loyalty series.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But we actually, all the hosts who host Let’s Talk Loyalty podcast sessions, ask this question en masse of people because it’s a way for us to get beyond the professional conversation and look a little bit more into your personal self.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so just real quickly, what books are you currently reading and what are the most meaningful takeaways from the book or book that you’re reading at the moment?

TRACEY: So I’ve been working my way through the New York Times to put out a list of the 100 best books of the 21st century.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Okay.

TRACEY: And so that works for me because that’s when I started to have my children.

TRACEY: So I wasn’t reading any books and I wasn’t seeing any movies.

TRACEY: So I can’t read the new books.

TRACEY: I could go back and look at the 2003 books.

TRACEY: And so I’ve been reading Wolf Hall by Hill Hinton, which is quite an undertaking.

TRACEY: I would say my takeaways are that we’re fortunate not to have been born in the time of the Tudors, especially women.

TRACEY: But actually it’s been interesting because it’s about the rise of Thomas Cromwell, who was not of noble birth.

TRACEY: And so it was very much about his ingenuity and his hard work and his adaptability.

TRACEY: And you gave me a heads up about this question.

TRACEY: So I was reflecting on it and I thought, Thomas Cromwell made data-driven decisions, like in 50-

AARON DAUPHINEE: I would agree with that.

TRACEY: Whatever.

TRACEY: The data showed up in slightly different ways, but he was definitely informed by data making his decisions.

TRACEY: So thank you for the question because it made me think of it in a different way.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I agree.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I actually am a bit of a fan of European history, and so I know the rise of the Tudors well enough, I would say, to be able to back the fact that Cromwell did have a lot of little birds and to put it into new person’s terminology to some degree, that provided him with insights and information that allowed him to make the decisions very craftily in terms of how he came to power and rose up.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So great connection.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I love that.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Good.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Well, why don’t we dive in?

AARON DAUPHINEE: Let’s talk more about Cineplex because that’s why we’re here today.

AARON DAUPHINEE: For me, this is a great conversation, having watched Cineplex literally grow up from its infancy to where you’re guiding it now and its ambition.

AARON DAUPHINEE: It’s come a long way, I think, from its roots really as an entertainment, its rewards program.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So for listeners who have not followed that full journey and aren’t as into it as myself or other Canadians, can you walk us through that evolution a little bit?

AARON DAUPHINEE: Particularly from Cine and Scotiabank Rewards to this now multi-partner ecosystem that you have today?

TRACEY: Yeah, I think we’re super proud of our legacy and I think it’s one of the things that makes us unique as a program.

TRACEY: So for your listeners who are not as familiar with CinePlus, as you said, we started out as a reward program for Cineplex Theatres.

TRACEY: The Scotiabank had a couple of payment cards that were affiliated with the program and we also had a partner that remains a partner today, the Recipe Restaurant Brands.

TRACEY: And it was really a very successful, smaller loyalty program.

TRACEY: It had a super strong brand and was really beloved by the members of the program.

TRACEY: And I think it’s to great credit to Scotiabank and Cineplex that they realized the opportunity that lay in that original scene program.

TRACEY: And then, of course, it underwent a massive transformation first with Scotiabank choosing to make scene its only rewards program.

TRACEY: So the entirety of Scotiabank Rewards.

TRACEY: So we are the reward program for Scotiabank customers.

TRACEY: We’re super proud to be so.

TRACEY: And then realizing that if you want to deliver on that everyday part of people’s lives experience, you gotta have a grocery partner.

TRACEY: And so that was the genesis of bringing Empire in as an owner.

TRACEY: And as you mentioned, we are owned by Scotia Empire and Cineplex.

TRACEY: And the Empire banners are plentiful.

TRACEY: You mentioned Sobeys, but there’s IGA and Frasco and Thrifty’s, and they are from coast to coast.

TRACEY: And so I sometimes say when I joined Scene four years ago, I got the last seat on the rocket ship before we talked about the launch of Empire.

TRACEY: And that really did turbocharge the program, but we haven’t stopped since then.

TRACEY: You know, we also have, you know, Rakuten, which is a fantastic retail partner for us with over like plus 600 retail opportunities to earn the scene points.

TRACEY: You know, we have Expedia and a broad travel offering through Expedia, also aligned with Scotiabank.

TRACEY: Of course, Home Hardware, which is, you know, on pretty much every main street.

TRACEY: And so it has been an absolute fantastic addition to the program.

TRACEY: And then finally, which we did, and we’re in the middle of our high lit in Alberta.

TRACEY: We added Shell as a fuel partner to the program.

TRACEY: But, you know, I think that, you know, the magic fairy does to the movies is close to my heart.

TRACEY: So, you know, I think that it was a fantastic decision to build on that foundation of a really strong brand, a really strong, you know, consumer love for the program.

TRACEY: And I think we’ve done right by it, as we’ve added to that, you know, to those, to that foundation with new building blocks.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Right.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And let’s talk about that growth a bit more, because I would think I saw a stat, something to the effect of, I mean, you mentioned exponential growth, but I think I’ve seen a stat, like you’ve doubled your member base in the past five years at Cineplex, and you’ve grown from like 10 million to the 50 million number that we’ve talked about.

AARON DAUPHINEE: That is certainly impressive.

AARON DAUPHINEE: What’s driven that growth?

AARON DAUPHINEE: And more importantly, what does it tell you about what Canadians are looking for from a Loyalty program today?

AARON DAUPHINEE: That they weren’t maybe, maybe they’re trading up versus the programs of yesterday.

TRACEY: Yeah, I think for one of the guiding principles for us is we want to live, and we think we are, but as I said, you can never sit still.

TRACEY: You always have to be listening to members and iterating.

TRACEY: The sweet spot for us is that we’ve been very intentional on the partners that we’ve added to the program.

TRACEY: In order to deliver a breadth of program that allows members to choose the rewards that matter to them.

TRACEY: So that’s the first piece.

TRACEY: The second piece is that they’re earning in the places and spaces that they live.

TRACEY: Because I don’t want to just be front of wallet.

TRACEY: I want to be the only one in the wallet.

TRACEY: And I can’t do that if I’m not the card that people can pull out consistently for the way they live.

TRACEY: And then I think the last thing is, we’re trying to make it as easy as possible.

TRACEY: I mean, life is life is complicated and you don’t need your loyalty program to add to that.

TRACEY: And so I call it the sweet spot because obviously, if you’re a single retailer or proprietary program, that’s really straightforward and that’s great.

TRACEY: But you’re never going to be able to deliver on that lifestyle promise of I’m earning where I’m shopping living.

TRACEY: So we’re trying to be, hit that, as I said, sweet spot where we have enough to deliver on the promise of rewards that matter most and that you can earn, but that is not overly complicated or hard to use or understand.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Okay.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I love that.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And I’m a multi-tenured in loyalty for a number of years and I’m grown up in Canada where coalition or ecosystem, whatever term you want to put onto it, when there’s multi-partner programs coming together and how they’ve operated.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And I know the Cine program a little bit, can you talk a little bit and share some secret sauce, I think, in the way that you operate CinePlus?

AARON DAUPHINEE: Because it certainly impacts your ability to deliver the value you’re talking about to your members, to the owners, to your partners.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And I think you’ve got a real niche there in terms of how you set your team up for success.

TRACEY: Yeah, I’m, you know, I always get nervous when we talk about secret sauce, because it kind of suggests that you’re at end of job.

TRACEY: And if there’s one thing that we know, we’re never at end of job.

TRACEY: But we’ve built a really lean team.

TRACEY: We’re, you know, we’re a small team that allows us to be super agile.

TRACEY: And I think it makes sure that we stay, you know, really focused on, you know, on what matters.

TRACEY: And as I said, you know, first and foremost, you got to deliver for members.

TRACEY: We talked a bit about that, right?

TRACEY: Are you allowing them to earn where they want to earn?

TRACEY: Are you delivering the words that matter most to them?

TRACEY: But I think it also means that we’re very close to what matters to our partners as well.

TRACEY: You know, why do they have a loyalty program?

TRACEY: Why did they choose Cine?

TRACEY: How are we delivering, you know, against their KPIs?

TRACEY: And so we’re super proud of, you know, listening to our members, but we’re also very proud of delivering on the KPIs for our partners.

TRACEY: And, you know, they need people to show up at their businesses more frequently and to spend more.

TRACEY: And I think that we’re very mindful of, you know, what our job is for both members and for partners.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Let’s pick up on that last comment and the mindfulness, because like I want to connect it with talking about Shell.

AARON DAUPHINEE: That’s arguably the biggest Cineplex announcement you’ve had in 2026 so far.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so, you know, being mindful of that partner coming together, what was the impetus for pursuing this fuel partner?

AARON DAUPHINEE: And why was Shell the right fit for Cineplex and its members?

TRACEY: Well, you know, in terms of the fuel partner, our members are pretty loud and clear.

TRACEY: I can’t say that it was any fantastic insight on my part.

TRACEY: You know, when we surveyed our members about, you know, if they were interested in terms of adding to the Cine Plus program, they were loud and clear.

TRACEY: As I said, they wanted a fuel partner.

TRACEY: In terms of Shell being the perfect partner, a whole bunch of reasons.

TRACEY: I mean, one, you know, Shell is an iconic brand.

TRACEY: I’m very mindful of the, you know, other brands in our program.

TRACEY: And we are caretakers of those brands in some respects.

TRACEY: So we want to make sure that it’s an appropriate ecosystem for everyone to exist in.

TRACEY: And obviously Shell is part of that.

TRACEY: And you know, Shell has a super long history in Canada and that mattered to us as well.

TRACEY: They’ve got a commitment to communities.

TRACEY: They’ve got a track record of innovation.

TRACEY: And listen, I would be disingenuous if I didn’t say there’s not that many fuel partners.

TRACEY: And so, you know, we had to, you know, had to be opportunistic and convince them when they were ready to make a decision that we were the best option.

TRACEY: And then I think the last thing is obviously Shell has an incredible physical footprint, right?

TRACEY: It’s, I think, over 1200 stations.

TRACEY: We have a strong physical footprint already at Cine, obviously through all of the grocery banners of Empire, through the theatres, through the home hardware locations, frankly, through the Scotiabank branches.

TRACEY: I mean, if you sort of think about it on any main street in a Canadian town, that is the Cineplex ecosystem.

TRACEY: But in addition to that, you know, Shell is very, has a very strong digital footprint.

TRACEY: And that matters to us too, because that matters to our members.

AARON DAUPHINEE: That’s awesome.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And full disclosure, I grew up at Shell using the Airmouse Currency before I hopped into that bastion.

AARON DAUPHINEE: That was my first foray into this world of loyalty some 25 plus years ago.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So I know exactly what you’re talking about when, and not surprised at all to hear that CinePlus members were wanting Shell as a key partner to add into the ranks.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So that’s, congratulations and kudos.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I also did say a little bit of a caveat there of your biggest announcement so far in 2026.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And in this preparation call for this conversation, you shared with me another announcement coming up in spring with Tangerine as a new banking partner to add to its payment card and essentially complement what I would suggest you have in terms of a strong banking partnership with Scotiabank already.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So how does that second banking partner fit into this CinePlus ecosystem?

AARON DAUPHINEE: And what does it mean for the members in terms of how they can accelerate their earning going forward?

TRACEY: I think if we zoom, we’re super excited to have Tangerine because Tangerine is also sort of agile and scrappy, so we’ve got a super big adventure, which is fun.

TRACEY: But importantly, the payment cards are really the big unlock in the program.

TRACEY: I mean, that is really how you accelerate the earning of points and Scotiabank is foundational to our program.

TRACEY: They, even before the addition of Tangerine, they have a fantastic suite of cards.

TRACEY: I’m a big evangelist for the Amex goal because it gives you six times points on groceries, which is super exciting.

TRACEY: And it allows you to just accumulate points.

TRACEY: Then you put members in a position to choose a huge variety of rewards, whether you still choose to redeem for groceries or at the movies, but it also sets you up potentially for home improvement or travel or whatever.

TRACEY: So I think at its core, the program just works better if you have a Scotiabank credit or debit card.

TRACEY: And then now to extend that to Tangerine gives members even more choice.

TRACEY: So it allows us to expand that suite of payment cards that accelerate that earn, that then to you up to really plug into the rewards that you want most.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And I’ve heard through this conversation already, a recurring theme with you around choice, member choice.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And we talk about that all the time at the Wise Marketer Group.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So that’s great.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I couldn’t advocate for that much more.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But let’s turn the page just slightly.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I think it’ll build on that theme of choice in terms of response, if I’m guessing.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But let’s dig in a little bit about the actual Canadian loyalty environment itself.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Because we’re at a bit of an interesting moment in our journey here in this country in terms of loyalty.

AARON DAUPHINEE: There’s a lot of competitive activity.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Some programs are cutting back benefits, others are reforming to restructure into brand new programs.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Canadian consumers on top of this are navigating real financial pressures.

AARON DAUPHINEE: There’s tariff uncertainty, there’s macroeconomics, there’s a lot of uncertainty in the world in general.

AARON DAUPHINEE: How does this fuel and then the upcoming additional banking partner, partnership launch, really respond to the member needs that you’ve seen and the competitive nature of the Canadian marketplace?

AARON DAUPHINEE: What are you doing to create that protective moat, so to speak, for your members?

TRACEY: Well, I couldn’t agree more with you that we all want choice as consumers if you ask us, yes, I want choice.

TRACEY: But I think it’s really important to be thoughtful about the choices that we’re providing to our members.

TRACEY: Because, you know, choice that doesn’t respond to needs is just noise.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Oh, I agree.

TRACEY: It’s a program harder to understand and harder to use.

TRACEY: And so fundamentally, that is at the core of C.

TRACEY: We are being really intentional about the partners who join the program to make sure that they, you know, meet a need for members and that we’re well positioned to deliver for the partner that joins and that they’re creative to the ecosystem.

TRACEY: So it, you know, it has to be net-positive for members, net-positive for existing partners, and obviously net-positive for the new partner.

TRACEY: So I think that, that, and that is, you know, that is constant adjustment.

TRACEY: That sort of is, is the program delivering enough choices, meaningful to members, that allows them, as I said, to earn, you know, where they’re, where they’re living and to redeem the way they want, but in a way that they can understand and that they can use and that it’s not just more stuff because I think that’s not what people want now.

TRACEY: I think they’re looking for, you know, clarity and partnership and I kind of, I got you feeling from, from brands, so.

AARON DAUPHINEE: No, I like, I like that.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And I mean, certainly when you get to a level of, of meeting needs, like that gets down to an individual level type of response.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And I think, you know, as consumers and certainly Canadian consumers, everyone’s seeking some element of personalization, particularly when it’s about a redemption, you know, a reward that’s coming to me.

AARON DAUPHINEE: It’s, it’s, it’s for me, right?

AARON DAUPHINEE: I earned this type of mentality and that’s okay.

AARON DAUPHINEE: That’s why we strive to build programs that provide rewards and benefits to our members because that’s the payoff.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So, so how has Cineplex adapted to meet that expectation around personalization part of me in, in terms of the rewards that you’re offering?

TRACEY: Yeah, I think, I think that, you know, that personalization, I feel like when I joined four years ago, you know, that was the first thing everyone said.

TRACEY: And now I almost feel like it’s, well, I don’t feel it.

TRACEY: It’s table stakes, right?

TRACEY: Like, if you’re not bringing a personalized experience, you’re just not, you’re not in the game.

TRACEY: But I also think that, so taking a step back, you know, we brought a lot of functionality in-house to see in four years ago, in order to better set us up, to personalize for the benefit.

TRACEY: Interesting.

TRACEY: To better understand our members through our data analytics and our data capabilities, and then to translate that into offers and rewards, and how they get delivered to members in ways that matter to them.

TRACEY: I also think it’s interesting that while we still see some members that are pretty consistent in their reward behavior, they earn at one partner and they redeem at one partner, or they earn at one and they redeem at two.

TRACEY: We’re also starting to see increasingly that members change their behavior.

TRACEY: There’s a lot of uncertainty in the economy, and we have members through all different age ranges and lifestyles.

TRACEY: So the reward that matters to you today may not be the reward that matters to you six months from now.

TRACEY: And so that personalization is not one and done.

TRACEY: It’s not like we find out about Aaron and we stick him in a segment and we call it, we just keep messaging to him because we think we know him.

TRACEY: People change and so personalization is only as good as yesterday.

TRACEY: And so I think we’ve become far more nimble.

TRACEY: I don’t think we’re unique.

TRACEY: It’s seen by the way in doing this.

TRACEY: I think this is what loyalty has to do.

TRACEY: But I think we are particularly, I’ll use the word again, like mindful of continuing to better understand each member so we can continue to deliver on what they’re looking for.

AARON DAUPHINEE: No, I like that and then I think that’s absolutely apropos.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I would agree with that sentence wholeheartedly as well too.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Let’s continue down the path.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Let’s look beyond the Shell and Tangerine announcements because they’re both exciting.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So one happened and one have been coming.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But let’s talk about how you’ve built this steady partner portfolio over the years.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Empire and Sobeys was significant.

AARON DAUPHINEE: You mentioned that earlier.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But how do you go through the process?

AARON DAUPHINEE: How do you assess the impact of adding each new partner, both for members and programs?

AARON DAUPHINEE: Is there a methodology to this?

AARON DAUPHINEE: What’s the alchemy look like?

TRACEY: I think it starts with listening.

TRACEY: As I said, we talk to our members a lot and in different ways and ask them what they’re interested in terms of additions to the program.

TRACEY: Not exclusively in partners, obviously features and how we’re using our partners and delivering them to members.

TRACEY: So it starts with listening to the members.

TRACEY: I think the second piece is, as I said, what gaps may exist in the program from our partner’s perspective?

TRACEY: Because we want the sum to be greater than the individual pieces.

TRACEY: That means that the partner needs to be filling the gap, which ideally makes the ecosystem as a whole stronger.

TRACEY: And then I think the last thing that’s really important is we want to make sure that we’re going to be able to deliver for the new partner, too.

TRACEY: It has to be a strong relationship on both sides.

TRACEY: So we are putting a lot of energy into launching Shell successfully.

TRACEY: It’s been so far fantastic and a great partnership.

TRACEY: We would not be adding another major partner right now because we need to focus on Shell and do a good job of delivering that.

TRACEY: And I think with Tangerine, you will see that we very carefully staged it to make sure that we give Tangerine its due and that our partners really understand how exciting it is that they’re being added to the program.

AARON DAUPHINEE: It sounds like you’ve got a real respect and development of reciprocity that’s happening in terms of your partnership model, which is something obviously we always talk about and strive for as loyalty marketers to find that reciprocity with our actual consumers.

AARON DAUPHINEE: So at the partner level that you have that, maybe we could go a little bit further on that and talk beyond the obvious 15 million members that Cine brings to the partner.

AARON DAUPHINEE: What else is in that value proposition for a Shell or a Tangerine or even going back to an Empire?

AARON DAUPHINEE: That those brands really get from joining this ecosystem.

TRACEY: Well, I think that they get the benefit of members who are highly engaged.

TRACEY: And so as Rich mentioned previously, that engagement was seen.

TRACEY: We’re very focused on ensuring that that delivers engagement to each of the partner at their place of business.

TRACEY: So going more often, buying more.

TRACEY: And we’re proud that we’ve been able to deliver that for our partners so far.

TRACEY: So really strong track record on that.

TRACEY: The second thing is we talked about it a little bit before.

TRACEY: It’s data, helping partners better understand their customers.

TRACEY: Third thing, new customers.

TRACEY: Let’s take the bank, for example.

TRACEY: The bank knows its existing customers really well.

TRACEY: And I think does a fantastic job of highly personalized communication to their existing customers.

TRACEY: But, you know, they’re in a world where they’re looking for new customers.

TRACEY: You know, making a decision to acquire a new credit card or debit card or change your banking relationship isn’t easy.

TRACEY: And so, you know, the value we hopefully deliver is we can, you know, find people who are in the right, you know, time and space to acquire a particular credit card.

TRACEY: So I think, you know, data and personalization of messaging is another thing we deliver to our partners.

TRACEY: And then I think the last thing is, you know, we are perfectly aligned that we want people to be using Cine, as I said, you know, not front of wallet, only in wallet.

TRACEY: And we want Cine to be a value add to our partners so that because they are a Cine partner, they get customers insights, value they wouldn’t have received otherwise.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Right.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Okay.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Very good.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I’m an Alberta boy.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I’m born and raised, but I live in Ontario and Canada now.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so I’m obviously excited that you launched the program in Shell in Alberta.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so selfishly, my parents are still there.

AARON DAUPHINEE: It’s a little bit of a personal question, but I think it’s helpful to all members.

AARON DAUPHINEE: You know, is there some guidance or advice that you can unlock for members who are already in the program, where they can just get the most out of Cine Plus right now, whether they’re in Shell or looking forward to the national rollout when the Shell Go Plus program goes live with Cine Plus across the nation?

AARON DAUPHINEE: Maybe you can give some insider track, if you will.

TRACEY: Sure.

TRACEY: I would say we’re also super thrilled to be launching in Alberta, although I jokingly say around the office, can we please stop doing our pilot launches in the head office jurisdiction because we did our first pilot for Empire in Atlantic Canada, we did our pilot for Shell in Alberta.

TRACEY: I’m like, maybe can we…

AARON DAUPHINEE: Put it right down on 4th Avenue there.

TRACEY: Yeah, that’s right.

TRACEY: That’s right.

TRACEY: But you know what?

TRACEY: It keeps you sharp.

TRACEY: So, okay.

TRACEY: Advice for members of Shell.

TRACEY: Well, the first thing I have to say is you gotta go get like a Scotia or a Tangerine payment card.

TRACEY: Like you have to, not just because it massively accelerates your ability to earn scene points, but because there are like instant cents off discounts at the pump that are really significant.

TRACEY: So number one, go do that.

TRACEY: Number two, you need to link to the Shell Go Plus app.

TRACEY: You gotta link your payment card and you gotta link your scene card.

TRACEY: And first of all, because it just makes it super easy to pay at the pump because pumping gas isn’t the most exciting thing in the world.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Especially the cold in Canada.

TRACEY: Shell will be okay with that.

TRACEY: I think they will.

TRACEY: So link to Shell Go Plus because it makes it easier, but it also unlocks additional bonuses inside of the app.

TRACEY: So I would say number two, that.

TRACEY: Then number three, you need to download the Cine Plus app because for two key reasons.

TRACEY: One, there are digital exclusives in the Cine Plus app as well.

TRACEY: But also, it is the place to understand all the different offers and rewards that the program has.

TRACEY: So I jokingly say I’m like your reward concierge, Aaron.

TRACEY: So if you ever want advice on how to use your Cinecoins, but I can’t go around to every Cinemember.

TRACEY: So really, that’s where the app is fantastic because it will tell you how best to give you ideas to use your Cinepoints and plug you into offers.

TRACEY: Then I would say the last thing is, we want to convince our members and earn their trust in using Cine.

TRACEY: Because if you use Cine more, you get more.

TRACEY: That is the way to ultimately unlock the value in the program.

TRACEY: I know we all have a bunch of cards in our wallet, but that’s not going to really accelerate points earning.

TRACEY: You got to double down.

TRACEY: I really hope that we’ve earned the trust of Canadians, that we are the place to do that.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I love that.

AARON DAUPHINEE: That’s a great summation to bring to a bit of a close the conversation.

AARON DAUPHINEE: But before we tie things up, a couple of things.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I want to open the floor to you a little bit.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I had my preconceived direction in terms of how I wanted to pick your brain and get your insights and guide the conversation today.

AARON DAUPHINEE: It’s been very informative.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Thank you so much for sharing and being transparent and open.

AARON DAUPHINEE: That’s what we strive for here in these conversations.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I appreciate that very much, Tracey.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Is there anything that you want, loyalty marketers or business leaders in Canada, around the world to take away from the scene plus story that we just haven’t had time to cover or my questions haven’t guided you to?

TRACEY: Well, I don’t want to presume to tell experienced loyalty marketers around the world how to run their business.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Business leaders, yeah.

TRACEY: I would say two things.

TRACEY: I think a big part of our success has been being humble, listening to members, listening to partners.

TRACEY: Being mindful of the trust that partners place in us with their businesses and their brands, and really trying to understand their businesses so that we can deliver for them.

TRACEY: And similarly with Canadians, you know, trying to make sure, as I said, that we’re delivering choice, but that we’re not delivering choice just to have choice, but it’s actually meaningful to members and actually gives them what they’ve told us they want.

TRACEY: Maybe sometimes what they didn’t know they might want, because I do think a surprise and delight is a super fun, but also important part of the loyalty program.

TRACEY: And then, you know, I think when I came to loyalty, I don’t think I appreciated that little zing that people get when they redeem is really pretty special.

TRACEY: And that’s also not that different from media where, you know, you can make people laugh, you can make people cry, but that when you pull out your card and it feels like you got something for free for doing things that you’re going to do anyway, that’s really a lovely, lovely moment.

TRACEY: And I really enjoy hearing people’s stories.

TRACEY: I call them redemption stories, but I think I don’t, I think I may need to get another name.

TRACEY: I’m not sure that’s what I should be calling them.

TRACEY: But I think I can tell you how they use their points.

TRACEY: They’re so excited.

TRACEY: And that has been such a delight to have that experience and to have, people tell me how much they love seeing and what they’ve done with their scene points.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Oh, I love that.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And that actually is a lovely transition into our final question, which is a bit of a signature wiser loyalty closing question that we have.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Bill and I always think it’s helpful for the guests that are on to talk a little bit about their own personal epiphany moment of why and when they had new customer loyalty worked.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so do you have a personal professional moment that adds on to what you just described?

AARON DAUPHINEE: That’s a little more specific to Tracey about that moment of, hey, this is why I know customer loyalty is working.

TRACEY: Yeah, I do.

TRACEY: And I love this question.

TRACEY: I actually have quite a few, but I’ll tell you one that was the most recent.

TRACEY: So I was with my guy or actor, which is sort of like a weird way to start a story.

TRACEY: But in any event, you’re there for 30 minutes and you’re having a good chat.

TRACEY: And he knows what I do.

TRACEY: And so he would ask me questions about Cine.

TRACEY: And so it started with, oh, I love Cine, Cine’s great.

TRACEY: I love going to the movies.

TRACEY: And so then we moved on to the, hey John, you gotta get a Scotiabank credit card.

TRACEY: Oh, which one do you think I should get?

TRACEY: Yeah, you should get this one.

TRACEY: So he gets the credit card.

TRACEY: And he told me the other day that, being a scene member, shopping at Sobeys, using his credit card has changed how he travels.

TRACEY: He’s a young dad, they have two girls.

TRACEY: All of their past three vacations have been on scene points.

TRACEY: And it drives his behavior, right?

TRACEY: Because he now sees that this is adding huge value to a young family.

TRACEY: And so, you know, he was so excited to tell me about the different places he got in.

TRACEY: Some of them, you know, a couple of them was he and his wife went to the Caribbean for like a long, all inclusive weekend.

TRACEY: But some of them are like a lot more modest.

TRACEY: But still, it’s a young family.

TRACEY: It’s a vacation.

TRACEY: It makes a difference.

TRACEY: And it’s driving.

TRACEY: It’s driving a change in behavior because of it.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And traveling for four is very different than traveling for two or one or something less.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so this is helping to offset.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Oh, that’s a that’s a fabulous example.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Thank you for sharing that.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And hopefully that continues and there’s more individuals like that, that come through the program and share those stories that you can propagate up to tell about the success of the program.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Tracey, this has been a really, really enjoyable conversation.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Thanks so much.

AARON DAUPHINEE: I mean, when you get to talk about a program that literally you’ve seen grow up to and then become something bigger and better, it’s almost a little bit of a proud Papa moment here.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so kudos to you and the team for what you’ve been doing and what you’re going to continue to do, because I’m excited about what’s ahead as well.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And you’ve laid the foundation to let us know that you’re not done yet, right?

AARON DAUPHINEE: This is not the, you know, there’s more to do.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so we’re excited about that, but we appreciate your time.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And we appreciate the time of everyone who’s listened to this conversation today.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And we know it’s valuable.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And so Tracey Pearce of CinePlus, continue the good work and we look forward to speaking with you in the future when you’ve got more to tell in the story.

TRACEY: We would love to come back.

TRACEY: Thank you.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Absolutely.

AARON DAUPHINEE: Have a good day, everyone.

AARON DAUPHINEE: And as always, stay loyal.

PAULA: Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty.

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