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The philosophy “the customer is always right” drives many marketers to value client, patron, and guest feedback.

Piada Italian Street Food, known for its fresh Italian-inspired menu, has steadily expanded since its founding in 2010, now operating in seven states with plans for continued growth. The brand has made it a priority to listen closely to customer feedback, leveraging data-driven insights to enhance both its on-site and digital experiences. As loyalty programs evolve, Piada has embraced gamification, flexible reward redemption, and exclusive offers to engage guests more deeply.

Loyalty360 recently spoke with Jason Profitt, VP of Technology at Piada Italian Street Food, about their latest loyalty program updates aimed at delivering a more personalized, seamless experience for customers.

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When a large financial institution decides to enhance the construction of its customer loyalty program, it can be challenging. Yet repositioning a program in a highly competitive Canadian market where large coalition programs are inter-matched with traditional brand-based customer loyalty efforts can be even more daunting. One of the ways to measure how brands enhance customer loyalty efforts is to look at the program’s metrics and KPIs. Another is to take home multiple awards at Loyalty360’s 2024 Loyalty Expo. Nothing says success quite like the recognition from your peers within the customer loyalty industry!

To learn more about this award-winning program, Loyalty360 recently spoke with Avery Miller, VP of Avion Rewards Digital Product, at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). Miller “grew up” in the financial services industry in the payment space, working for a relatively large issuer in the U.S. He joined RBC about two years ago to lead the digital product for their freshly revamped Avion Rewards.

In this interview, Miller discusses the award-winning Avion Rewards program, creating emotional loyalty, and growing relationships with non-RBC clients.

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Founded in 1993, The Lacek Group designs, builds, and maintains loyalty programs for top brands across the globe. As part of the Ogilvy network, the Lacek team converts disconnected tech stacks and processes into successful CRM programs powered by data-driven strategies. The company helps brands deliver relevant messaging at scale across channels to ensure connected, seamless experiences. The company works across a broad range of industries, including travel, financial services, hospitality, cruise lines, QSR, retail, automotive, health care, telecommunications, CPG, and more.

Loyalty360 spoke with Todd Hedberg, Senior Director of Digital Strategy at The Lacek Group. Hedberg has been with Lacek for just over three years and is still relatively new to the marketing side. He defines customer loyalty as an opportunity to strengthen customer bonds—both emotionally and transactionally—in every customer interaction. Hedberg and the Lacek team aspire to help clients achieve brand devotion with their customers.

In this article, Hedberg discusses working with clients to achieve deeper personalization, how artificial intelligence and machine learning fit into the equation, and going deeper to mine individual customer preferences.

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Inspired by its San Antonio roots, Church’s Texas Chicken® has served flavorful fried chicken for over 72 years. Founded by George W. Church in a location across the street from the iconic Alamo, the restaurant was first known as Church’s Fried Chicken To-Go®. Today, there are 800 Church’s locations in the U.S., spanning 25 states plus Washington D.C. Outside of the U.S., the brand is known as Texas Chicken® and can be found in more than 23 countries and regions, including Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, the Middle East, and more.

Loyalty360 recently spoke with Jessica Wu-McConnell, Vice President Digital and Loyalty at Church’s. With just over a year at the brand, Wu-McConnell’s role is to ensure guests are presented with the easiest, fastest, and most rewarding ways to enjoy Church’s menu.

In this interview, Wu-McConnell discusses the newly launched Church’s REAL REWARDSTM program, prioritizing a true omnichannel experience to better serve all guests, and educating team members so they can communicate the value of the program.

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Founded in 2008, WillowTree was built on a heritage of mobile applications. While the company still engages in much of that work, it’s grown into other areas in support of brands, including strategy and consulting, data and artificial intelligence (AI), digital marketing, loyalty program design, and more. WillowTree works alongside brands to develop successful loyalty programs and, in many cases, administers them. The company works in a variety of industries, including Financial Services, Health Care, Telecom, Travel and Hospitality, Food Service, and Retail and Consumer Goods, among others.

Loyalty360 spoke with Caitlin Watson, Partner, Marketing Services, and David Shaw, VP, Business Development, at WillowTree. Watson has been with the company for the last three years, helping to develop the company’s marketing services department—specifically in the areas of loyalty, strategy, and technology—while also working to build out MarTech services, CRM, lifecycle, and all elements of the customer journey. Shaw has led insight and strategy teams for his whole career. At WillowTree, he leverages his experience in strategy development to help determine how the company can go to market with individual companies and with specific vertical strategies—many of which involve loyalty.

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Founded by William Carter, children’s apparel retailer Carter’s is nearly a 165-year-old company that helps parents navigate parenthood. Today, the company operates more than 1,000 stores worldwide. Carter’s family of brands—including Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, Little Planet, and Skip Hop—are recognized across the globe and available online and in Carter’s owned stores, while exclusive lines can be found at the brand’s retail partners, such as Walmart, Target, and Amazon.

To learn about the recent updates to Carter’s loyalty program and how the brand is intentionally addressing the challenges and perceptions of parenthood, Loyalty360 spoke with Jeff Jenkins, CMO at Carter’s. Jenkins is an acclaimed marketing professional with extensive experience in multiple industries and has been with Carter’s for five years. In his role, he oversees marketing, brand strategy, customer insights, business intelligence, communications, creative, visual merchandising, PR and customer service experience, and more.

In this interview, Jenkins discusses the concept behind the “More Than Just Cute” campaign, appealing to the next generation of customers, and how platform integration needs to work in a martech stack to create a seamless customer experience.

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Hilton is a leading global hospitality company with 24 world-class brands for all guests’ stay needs at over 7,800 properties across 126 countries and territories. Through acquisitions that allow for more destination choices, technology innovations that make processes easier for guests, and brand partnerships that offer guests and Hilton Honors members even more benefits and perks, Hilton has set the bar high for what it means to truly deliver an elevated customer experience.

As a hospitality brand, the goal is to make the stay better for guests in almost every corner of the world. This includes loyalty program design, enhancing the value proposition and loyalty redemption, and making travel more seamless and flexible for program members.

To learn about Hilton’s latest customer loyalty and experience efforts, Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke with Brad Anderson, Vice President of Hilton Honors at Hilton. Anderson joined Hilton nearly eight years ago and leads the overall global strategy for the brand’s award-winning loyalty program, Hilton Honors, which now reaches more than 195 million members worldwide. Since joining the company, Anderson and his team have charted new courses for the program, achieving massive growth—almost 130 million new members.

In this interview, Anderson discusses the brand’s growing portfolio, establishing the right strategic partnerships, and speaking the language of Gen Z and Millennial travelers through digital innovation.

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Paris Baguette specializes in whole cakes, pastries, and breads, as well as artisan coffees, sandwiches, and other savory items. Globally, the brand has over 4,000 locations. In North America, the brand currently counts almost 200 locations.

To learn about Paris Baguette’s recent changes to its loyalty program as part of a broader effort to enhance the overall guest experience, Loyalty360 spoke with Cathy Chavenet, Paris Baguette’s North America Chief Marketing Officer. Chavenet is a seasoned marketing professional with extensive experience in the food service industry, particularly in the coffee and snack shop sector. At Paris Baguette, Chavenet is responsible for brand marketing initiatives and menu innovation.

In this interview, Chavenet discusses the brand’s updated rewards program, approaching challenges while leveraging opportunities in technology, and building emotional loyalty by creating joyful experiences for guests.