#500: THANK YOU for this Incredible Milestone - Episode 500 - Audience Feedback

Paula: I honestly can’t believe it’s the 500th episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty. Hi, it’s Paula Thomas, the Founder and CEO of the show, which is dedicated to loyalty marketing professionals around the world. I created Let’s Talk Loyalty, and published my very first episode way back in 2019. We were the first podcast in the industry and while there’s lots of people now publishing audio content, I’ll always be particularly proud of us being the first.

And of course, keeping up a truly successful podcast takes more than just recording and publishing. We have been truly blessed to have so many of you listening as loyal audience of our show. And as a result, we consistently now rank in the top 3% of all global podcasts. So thank you all. 

To celebrate this milestone, I’m dedicating this episode to you, our loyal community, and allowing your voices to be heard. Since day one, you’ve sent me some incredible emails and messages and told us how much our content means to you, and how much you’ve learned from listening. So this episode is a compilation of some wonderful wishes and voice messages that you’ve sent us, sharing that wonderful feedback with each other.

I really hope it helps you feel part of something truly great, a show where so many iconic brands and industry experts have shared their wisdom so generously. Thank you to everyone in particular who sent in a voice message for this major milestone of 500 episodes. I can’t wait to bring you our latest, exciting ideas as we build out the Let’s Talk Loyalty community in the months and years to come. Enjoy the show.

Nejib: This is Nejib Ben-Khedher from Skywards. I’ve had the pleasure of joining the podcast on a few occasions, and I really love chatting with Paula. She has this wonderful way of putting you at ease and the conversation just flows effortlessly. What I find even more enriching is not just being in the talking seat, but also being in the listening mode. It’s incredible to hear insights and lessons learned from professionals across various industries. The dynamic nature of the loyalty industry keeps things so interesting, and these discussions are truly stimulating. I genuinely appreciate the easygoing vibe of the conversations, making it a delightful listening experience.

Jason: This is Jason Foo, CEO of BBD Perfect Storm, Global Treasurer of the Marketing Society and Non-executive Director of the Alliance of Independent Agencies. Paula, I would like to wish you and the team a huge congratulations for reaching your 500th episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty. I don’t know if you realize or are able to appreciate the role and impact you play in the loyalty industry by celebrating and raising the profile of what is good and great about loyalty.

The work you do makes such a difference to such a global group of people. 500 episodes is an incredible achievement and it’s testament to your hard work, perseverance and dedication to raising the bar of loyalty for the entire industry. The past 499 episodes have been about putting other people and brands in the limelight, so it’s entirely fitting that this episode, it’s about recognising and celebrating what you have done and achieved for the industry. So thank you and congratulations on this magnificent milestone, and here’s to the next 500 episodes. 

Rich: Paula, hi. This is Rich Long, a PepsiCo based in the US and Chicago. First, I’m so happy for you. Achieving this magnificent milestone of 500 episodes is only a testament to your deep passion for the loyalty industry and desire to connect all of us within the Let’s Talk Loyalty community that you have established, grown and nurtured over these years. Always hearing your voice and listening to these real life conversations with loyalty professionals around the world only inspires me every day to stay curious, keep on learning, and doing my loyalty best. Thank you again and congratulations. 

Danielle: Hello to you Paula and to the whole Let’s Talk Loyalty team. This is Danielle Brown, Chief Marketing Officer at Plusgrade. Wow. 500 episodes. What a truly remarkable feat. That longevity is a testament to the fantastic programming you’ve continued to put together over the years, it’s been a treat for me and my team to hear from our colleagues across the loyalty landscape from our partners in travel in particular, and others in the broader loyalty space. So from your first Loyalty TV guest, thank you for being a true loyalty champion. You’ve most definitely earned our loyalty and listenership. Here’s to another 500. 

Erica: Erica Hood here from The North Face. I started listening to the Let’s Talk Loyalty podcast when I took a position at The North Face to redesign and rebrand their loyalty program. I felt I had so much to learn about retail loyalty programs, and I was relieved to find a place where I could learn from other professionals. Paula’s upbeat, supportive, and open approach to the interviews make listening so much fun. I will be forever grateful for this loyalty community and how it has helped me build a program and optimize it over the years.

To say my year was made when Paula reached out to me to be a guest on the Let’s Talk Loyalty podcast would be an understatement. Happy 500th episode Paula, and let’s talk Loyalty. Thank you for all you do to spread knowledge and inspiration around building loyalty. 

Mayank: Om Swastiastu. Hello and Namaste to the Let’s Talk Loyalty community. I am Mayank Singh, Chief Digital Officer and Vice President of Marketing, Digital Business and Technology at Dominos Pizza, Indonesia. First, congratulations to Paula and the entire Let’s Talk Loyalty team on reaching the 500th episode milestone. Reflecting to our journey with the Let’s Talk Loyalty, I’m reminded of the fascinating discussion around the use of data and loyalty we had Paula. 

We often talk about loyalty programs, but here’s the thing. The true loyalty is the two-way street. It’s not just about offering rewards, it’s also about creating delightful experience that you have been doing. Me being your loyal listener, I’ve always believed that the data is not just about numbers, it’s about stories. Paula, you have been unraveling these stories in episodes and here goes the 500th one. Kudos to the storytellers. The data enthusiasts and everyone contributing to the rich tapestry of loyalty. Cheers to the loyalty, Let’s Talk Loyalty team. Thank you Paula, for this incredible platform. Looking forward for many more engaging conversations.

Nicholas: Hi Paula. This is Nicholas Kerr from Mistplay. Congratulations on 500 episodes you’ve become the go-to resource for loyalty professionals to understand what’s happening at the cutting edge of our industry. Here’s to the next 500. Keep up the great work. 

Sebastian: Oh, hi Paula. This is Sebastian Huschner from Aer Lingus. I just want to say on reflection that it’s been really great to connect with you personally on a personal level. It’s been impressive to watch how you manage to build a community of loyalty professionals where we can regularly listen and learn from each other. It’s been really useful to gain insights not just from my own home markets but also from other global markets and industries and learn from them. It really helped me to widen my horizon and really help accelerate not just my own program. But my profile within the loyalty community and my career in the industry. So I’m really thankful for that and I look forward to the next 500 episodes. Thanks so much, Paula. Bye. 

Paul: Hi Paula. It’s Paul Kramer at The Loyalty Advisors and Marketing Professor at Fordham University in New York, where I teach a class on loyalty program management. Congratulations on reaching your 500th podcast episode. I’m a regular listener and I often use some of the items you talk about in your podcast’s inspiration for some of the discussions we have in class. So keep up the great work and keep the content coming. 

Renato: Hey, Paula and Let’s Talk Loyalty team, this is Renato from Star. I’m very happy and I’m grateful for having had the opportunity of being in the podcast for two times and I think that is, that could be a record. I don’t know if that there’s someone that did it or did more than twice. Well, besides Paula, of course. I’m very happy for that opportunity. I am so excited that you managed to be such a successful podcast and it’s so important to educate, to have knowledge exchange.

I remember when I started my career, the only way that we could do was to travel around the world, to visit the industry events and we didn’t know much we were exploring, right? And now when you travel and don’t get me wrong, I want everybody to travel. I work for the airline industry. So, but now when we travel, we know what we are seeking. We are more aware of everything. So that’s so great. We have people with a better knowledge on the topics. So discussions can be richer, right? So, that’s so good and you’re enabling that as well. So congratulations for your podcast and happy to hear more about you in the future. So bye-bye. 

Lynn: Hello, it’s Lynn from FedEx and me as my FedEx Rewards team, congratulations, Paula and team on your amazing milestone for the 500th episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty. We cannot stress enough how important it is to recognize our loyal customers and to find you and engaging ways to do so. Your show and the numerous guests have shared so many brilliant insights over the years, so a great big thank you is due as well. Well done, and we cannot wait to see and hear more from Let’s Talk Loyalty. 

Phil: Hey, Paula and the Let’s Talk Loyalty team. It’s Phil Rubin saying hello from Washington, DC. I’ve always appreciated being a guest host, and of course being a listener. And congratulations on 500 episodes of being one of the leading global voices for loyalty in the loyalty industry. You’re a great contributor. And wishing you not only another 500 episodes, but a great success going forward with this. And Let’s Talk Loyalty TV. 

Emily: Hey, Paula and team, this is Emily. Big congratulations on hitting your 500th episode. You have been very inspiring. Your passion to spread the loyalty gospel and to create endless content for all your listeners. And yet still today, you continue to iterate and improve. I’m so proud of you. The speakers you’ve brought on the podcast have also been insightful, inspiring, unafraid to share, and truly global. Here’s wishing you and your team continued growth. All the best. 

Amanda: It’s such an honor to be part of the Let’s Talk Loyalty team. As a guest host, I absolutely love being part of the brand and I absolutely love working with Paula and her team. So to Paula, Pooja, John, and I know there are others behind the scenes, you do an exceptional job bringing real case studies, real humans, real loyalty leadership to life. So I just wanna say thank you for what you do, and thank you for including myself, Amanda Cromhout. It’s an absolute privilege to be part of your extended team. 

Lisa: Hi, this is Lisa Brightwell from Bright Insights Consulting, a former podcast guest. You read more recently a Loyalty TV guest. I absolutely love working with the team at Let’s Talk Loyalty. Not only are they super professional and easy to work with, it’s just a nice group of people doing an amazing job for the industry.

I absolutely love the ability to go in and look for content that might be relevant to me based on what I’m looking to kind of research. Or it could just simply be a colleague that I or a contact that is doing a podcast that I wanna listen to. I often listen in the car on the way to meetings or on long drives. And sometimes when I’m doing my exercise I scroll through and look for what content that I wanna listen to. There’s certain episodes that stick in my mind. Some of the episodes I even reuse some of the quotes. I think there was a great analogy from the lady from AS Roma who talked about the data. Not all data is the same. And there was an Ozzy Osbourne and Prince Charles, an analogy that I’ve used several times to talk about how people data can look the same on the outside, but on the inside could be very different in terms of the personalities of the audience. So, absolutely love the team, great group of professionals. Love the ability as a professional myself in the industry to have access to content. It’s just amazing and well done team. Great job, great podcast. Love it. 

Charlie: Hello, Let’s talk Loyalty. This is Charlie Hills, one of the guest hosts of the podcast, and obviously an enormous fan of Let’s Talk Loyalty. So firstly, I wanted to say thank you to all my fellow guest hosts and of course to Paula Thomas for recording such brilliant episodes that inspire all of us that work in loyalty across the world. I love hosting the episodes. I love meeting all the new guests. And most of all, I love listening to all the other podcasts and learning what loyalty market is across the world, up to it’s a brilliant source of insight and inspiration for myself, for my team and for all the clients we work with. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well done on getting to 500 episodes and I’m really, really excited to the next 500 too. Thank you.

Cristina: Hi, this is Cristina Ziliani from the Loyalty Observatory at the University of Parma in Italy. We’ve been doing research on loyalty and CRM for over 25 years, and I really like to thank Paula for creating awareness around loyalty around the world, for being a stage for excellent case studies, for the very interesting formats she has developed. And personally, because she really helped us establishing our network of collaborations around the world with loyalty experts and other loyalty scientists. Thank you very much for all the work you have done for the loyalty community. And goodluck for the next 30 years. Bye-bye.

Javier: Dear Paula and dear are friends of Let’s Talk Loyalty. This is Javier Marin from RENFE from sunny Spain. Congratulations on your 500 episodes, it’s awesome. Congratulations. I think that all of us who till daily with loyalty and marketing, we all enjoy this passion, this common passion, and it’s great luck to be able to have their podcast to learn or to see what other colleagues around the world and are doing. And we can hear it while we are running, cooking or working. So it’s a great tool and many congratulations and above all, many many thank you for your effort and contribution to the loyalty industry. Congratulations. Let’s go for the 1000th episode. 

Nik: Hi, it’s Nik Laming here from Asia Pacific. What can I say about Let’s Talk Loyalty? Well, great guests, great content, and a great platform for the loyalty industry to speak to and with each other. Now there’s nothing I enjoy more than talking about loyalty, as many of you would know, having been in it for so many years, I had the pleasure of discussing with Paula about co-brands, co-brand cards in loyalty, and I hope that people found that useful.

I fully intend to speak about the talent gap. And promote my new offshore resourcing business in the future using the great coverage that the platform has. So well done, and congratulations, Paula and team for building the podcast and now the TV channel and making, Let’s Talk Loyalty, a bastion of the loyalty industry. 

Suryaveer: Hi Paula, congratulations on hitting the 500th mark. Suryaveer Singh, Yes Rewards. I would like to congratulate you on the big day and the big number was lucky to have been featured on your podcast, and I wish you all the very best lots and lots of luck and listening to many more podcasts and being the Oprah of the loyalty space. Congratulations once again. 

Valerie: Hi, this is Valerie Popeck from Epsilon. I just wanted to thank you, Paula and your team for everything you do on Let’s Talk Loyalty. I really love hearing all the different perspectives and valuable insights on your show. Also, thank you for having Dave Allen and me from Epsilon on last year. I really enjoyed meeting you, and it was a fantastic experience. Thanks again. 

Pablo: Hello Paula. This is Pablo Sordo from Doters and VivaAerobus. I’m very excited to be a part of your 500 episodes on your podcast Let’s Talk Loyalty and very happy to have met you and all the people that you have introduced me. I think that you have been very helpful in my upcoming into this loyalty world, and I’m very grateful to have met you and I been listening to all the podcasts and all the helpful tips and network that I’ve been getting. I hope you reach the 1000 milestone pretty sure and keep maintaining all that nice energy and all the efforts. Hope to see you in a conference nearby and talk you soon. Thanks. Bye.

Adam: What a great achievement Paula and team at Let’s Talk Loyalty 500 episodes. Amazing. Adam Posner here from The Point of Loyalty and Author of the For Love or Money Research Study, which I have been grateful enough to have had a number of interviews with you Paula over the years to share insights of consumers, love of for loyalty and loyalty programs. And perhaps the most important message that we’ve shared together is what is loyalty? Because loyalty is not a program, it’s an outcome. It’s a behavior. It’s behavior based on spend more often over the long term. It’s a belief which is emotional, and that’s the love, the trust and the recommendation. And it’s a sense of belonging, belonging based on community and purpose, and identifying with the brand. So behavior, belief, and belonging are the three B’s of loyalty, which I’ve shared with you and your audience over the years. I just wanna say thank you for Let’s Talk Loyalty, and as you’ve always said, it’s about loyalty and the loyalty industry, not only programs. However we’ve all benefited from the great insights shared in your 500 episodes. Well done and thank you very much and keep going. And we’ll see you in a thousand episodes in a few years.

Jenn: Hi, this is Jenn McMillen. I was a guest in 2023 and I had a blast. Of course, we all want to be prepared and have a list of questions and know exactly, you know, what’s coming for us. So because that is the norm, I really enjoyed the departure of the surprise questions. I have no idea if you kept my last comment whether we are still recording, but I said I hated my answers.

But you know, in hindsight, all good, and as a side note, I had a prospect reach out because on a five hour road trip, she was listening to episodes of the podcast, one of them, which was mine. And she said, after listening to the podcast, she said she wanted to reach out and see if I might be able to help her in her current business situation. So I’m not mad about that. And again, I just wanna say thank you so much for having me on as a guest. And I think the reach of the podcast is astronomical, and I love it. And if I can do anything to keep that momentum going, please call on me at any time. 

Kevin: It’s Kevin Crowe from Give a Mile. To congratulate you on such an incredible milestone 500 episodes, that’s absolutely amazing. And as someone who came into the loyalty space that had not worked in it came in it to make social good happen, I can’t thank you enough for what you have created here. From insights and wisdom and community, it has been so important for us and so valuable to see the amazing people that have shown up the amazing wisdom they shared. So congratulations on this amazing milestone, and we look forward to hitting 1000. 

Alyssa: Hi Paula. It’s Alyssa Callahan from the US from episode 157. Congrats on 500 episodes. I have been a subscriber since day one, and I love this podcast. It is my go-to for all things loyalty, and it has provided me with so many valuable insights and I’ve learned so much through your thought provoking discussions with experts across the globe. It really inspires me and it makes me feel part of a community of loyalty professionals, which I would not be able to be a part of if it were not for you in this podcast. So thank you so much for connecting us all across the globe and for bringing on guests that share so much knowledge about what’s working in their programs.

I love the global component. I think the ability to have a front row seat to a discussion with someone in another region or country that I may not have otherwise been able to connect with and learn what’s working in their market, what they’ve tested, and take those insights back to apply them to my own program is such a game changer. I love this community that you’ve created. Thank you for keeping us all connected. Thank you for being an advocate of loyalty programs, and thank you for all of the learnings that I’ve gained and for the tremendous impact this has had on my professional growth. Thank you. 

Charles: My name’s Charles Ehredt, one of the Co-founders of Currency Alliance. And I met Paula probably six years ago when we were judging The International Loyalty Awards, and we stayed in contact on a regular basis. So two and a half years ago or so, when she sent me a link to episode one of Let’s Talk Loyalty, I became quite enthusiastic about how this program could influence the industry and how much I might learn from the different people being interviewed. And that has certainly been true. And in fact, obviously many of my colleagues in the industry have appreciated as well, or she wouldn’t have been able to survive for two and a half years and now reaching episode 500. 

So anyway, Paula, thank you very much for your contributions to the industry and giving a voice to hundreds of other professionals in the industry so they can share their voice. Because I find it fascinating to listen to people talk about their own experiences, how they got into the loyalty industry. What works within their particular business and the ability to listen to that through a podcast really brings it to life. And so I’ve met many new friends through this program ’cause I collect, you know, connect to ’em on LinkedIn after the podcast and then we meet at conferences or whatever. But for me, this has just been a fantastic program. And so thank you very much for bringing it to life, letting all of us benefit. 

Dominik: Hey there to Let’s Talk Loyalty team and all wonderful listeners. Whoa, 500 episodes. That’s something to cheer about. And as a fan and a podcast, I’m buzzing with excitement. I feel honored of being a part of the global community of loyalty pros. We are all in this together. Learning and growing. Being a part of the show for me was a blast. Paula and the team, you guys are amazing. The engaging conversations, insightful questions, and warm hospitality made it a truly memorable experience for me, and I learned a ton. 

I truly believe Let’s Talk Loyalty is not just a podcast or TV, it’s a source of masterclass in loyalty programs, the hub of innovative ideas. A source of inspiring stories. It helps me to connect with professionals worldwide and despite of geographical distances. It feels like we are all part of one big team, learning from each other and growing together. So here reached to 500 episodes and many more. Let’s Talk Loyalty team, thanks for making us feel a part of this journey. Keep up great work. Cheers, Dominik. 

Abhi: Hi, I want to congratulate Paula on 500 episodes of Let’s Talk Loyalty. I’ve been following your journey for many years now, and it is so exciting to see reach that mark. I mean, your podcast definitely is one of the best podcasts that I listen to and the way you cover the complex topics of various loyalty programs run by corporations across the globe, it is just fascinating and I’ve learned so many, you know tips, tricks, what to do, what not to do. So it’s just amazing. I want to wish you continued success and hope the program continues to grow, and very soon we’ll be celebrating your 1000th episode. Thanks. 

Richard: Hi Paula. It’s Richard Schenker, Chief Customer Engagement Officer from Loyal Strategy Consulting in Toronto, Canada. I wanted to wish you and your team a huge congratulations on your 500th episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty. What an incredible accomplishment. I remember how honored I was to be on your 353rd episode discussing enterprise loyalty and wide data utilization with Amanda. You and your team have single-handedly totally elevated our loyalty profession globally, and have brought the best of breed practitioners and experts to share their ingredients to success and their loyalty endeavors.

We all in the loyalty industry must pay great gratitude for what you have done. And I know I speak for all the listeners that we can’t wait to see what future heights you will take this global entity to. Even after 30 years in this loyalty industry, I always learn something very valuable each and episode from you and your guests. Thank you for doing what you’re doing. Lots of luck in the future and cheers from Canada. 

Leandro: Hello, team from Let’s Talk Loyalty. I’m Leandro Torres from Dotz Coalition Program Brazil. I love the show. I am always watching, hearing the podcasts. I love the question that Paula always ask the participants, which is basically which program do you love the most or do you recommend, or which data from loyalty do you analyze the most? I hope you have many years ahead. I’m glad that you are sharing information for the entire community of loyalty marketers. Thank you very much. Keep doing the great work. Bye-Bye.

Kristie: 500 episodes. Young. Well Done team. This is Kristie Atkins, Managing Partner of Wink in Australia, where we win and keep customers for our clients through loyalty, rewards, incentives, and promotions. On behalf of our whole team, thanks for being such a trusted source for loyalty professionals, and thank you for keeping us up to date on what’s new and big in our industry. Thank you also for your support of Wink and particularly our G8 Education Child Care Saver program. With your support, it’s become one of the most celebrated and awarded loyalty programs in APAC and has also had its own child through the launch of Team Saver for G-8 Education staff. Well done, Paula and team. Here’s cheers to the next 500 episodes. 

Brian: Hey, congratulations, Paula, and Let’s Talk Loyalty on your 500th episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty. Oh my God, the 500th episode. I cannot imagine you’ve reached there and I remember being on Let’s Talk Loyalty for the 355th episode, talking about Points for Good and its connect with social causes. I think today, Let’s Talk Loyalty has truly become the voice of loyalty globally. And is a great medium for the loyalty industry. It’s a great resource for loyalty practitioners and marketers to get a wide perspective of loyalty practices across the globe. So here’s to the next 500 episodes. Congrats once again.

Lisa: Congratulations, Let’s talk Loyalty. This is Lisa Routel, and 500 episodes is such a major milestone and it’s very well deserved. Paula and the Let’s Talk Loyalty team have created this engaged loyalty community and has helped all of us in so many ways from building a professional network, sharing insights and ideas, as well as providing a resource to build our loyalty careers and doing it all on a global scale. I truly enjoyed sharing my story on Let’s Talk Loyalty, where I shared my background in loyalty space, specifically for the loyalty initiative I led at Verizon called Verizon Up. Speaking with Paula is like having conversation with an old friend. I feel very lucky to be a part of this community and congratulations again and Let’s Talk Loyalty.

Nizar: Hello, this is Nizar Al Qabbani and I’m excited to express how Let’s Talk Loyalty has significantly inspired me promoting the establishment of Loyalty BI Arabi podcast. This show has proven to be an invaluable source, ensuring I stay informed about worldwide loyalty, insights and activities. Moreover, being part of this community has provided me with a deep sense of connection on a global level. Looking forward to embarking on this journey with all of you and good luck.