

Leaders in Customer Loyalty, Powered by Loyalty360
Loyalty360
Leaders in Customer Loyalty: for those looking to deepen customer experience, engagement, and brand loyalty. Each episode features innovative brands, industry experts, and executive leaders who share actionable insights, proven strategies, and real-world experiences designed to help marketers and brand professionals stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of customer loyalty.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 1, 2025 • 22min
#456: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Industry Voices, Featuring Michelle Sequeira Yee, Vice President of Consulting, Bond Brand Loyalty
Send us a textAs brands face mounting pressure to create deeper, more sustainable connections with their customers, the role of loyalty strategy has evolved from transactional tactics to enterprise-wide engagement. For Michelle Sequeira Yee, Vice President of Consulting at Bond, this evolution isn’t just necessary, it’s urgent. Drawing on her experience leading customer and digital strategy at large national Canadian retailers, and on the agency side at McCann and Havas, Sequeira Yee now helps brands reimagine loyalty as a driver of business growth, using data, technology, and emotional relevance to build meaningful relationships across the customer base.

Jun 27, 2025 • 19min
#455: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: The CEO's Desk | 2025 Customer Loyalty Trends Uncovered Part 2
Send us a textWelcome to Leaders in Customer Loyalty: The CEO’s Desk, a Loyalty360 original podcast series featuring exclusive executive insights from Loyalty360 CEO Mark Johnson. In part 2 of this interview, Mark unpacks the Top 11 Trends in Customer Loyalty for 2025, straight from Loyalty360’s Advisory Board sessions at the 2025 Loyalty Expo. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:• Why organizational alignment is mission-critical to program success How leading brands are substantiating and reinforcing loyalty program value• The growing pressure to prove ROI to CFOs and align loyalty with business strategy Key strategies for simplifying loyalty program structures and overcoming tier fatigue• The evolving role of AI, data, and personalization in loyalty program optimization• How brands are adapting to economic uncertainty, supply chain disruption, and regulatory changes• Real-world examples of loyalty innovation from brands like Wigels and others Whether you’re a loyalty program manager, brand executive, or tech partner, this episode is packed with critical insights to help you evolve your loyalty strategy in a time of rapid change. 📌 Subscribe for more in-depth discussions on customer loyalty, emotional engagement, loyalty partnerships, and next-gen program design.

Jun 26, 2025 • 16min
#454: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Jessica Starnes on the Success of Weigel's’ My Weigel's Rewards Program
Send us a textIn the competitive world of convenience stores, where speed and service reign supreme, customer loyalty programs are becoming a pivotal factor in brand success. Weigel's, a family-owned convenience store chain based in East Tennessee, is setting a high standard with its innovative loyalty program, My Weigel's Rewards. With 85 locations and a commitment to quality products, exceptional service, and community engagement, Weigel's continues to expand, creating lasting connections with its customers. At the heart of this success is Jessica Starnes, the Director of Loyalty at Weigel's, who has been with the company for over 16 years, driving the evolution of its loyalty program.

Jun 20, 2025 • 23min
#453: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: The CEO's Desk
Send us a text2025 Customer Loyalty Trends Uncovered Welcome to Leaders in Customer Loyalty: The CEO’s Desk, a Loyalty360original podcast series featuring exclusive executive insights from Loyalty360 CEO Mark Johnson. In this episode, Mark unpacks the Top 11 Trends in Customer Loyalty for 2025, straight from Loyalty360’s Advisory Board sessions at the 2025 Loyalty Expo.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:• Why organizational alignment is mission-critical to program success• How leading brands are substantiating and reinforcing loyalty program value• The growing pressure to prove ROI to CFOs and align loyalty with business strategy• Key strategies for simplifying loyalty program structures and overcoming tier fatigue• The evolving role of AI, data, and personalization in loyalty program optimization• How brands are adapting to economic uncertainty, supply chain disruption,and regulatory changes• Real-world examples of loyalty innovation from brands like Weigels and othersWhether you’re a loyalty program manager, brand executive, or tech partner,this episode is packed with critical insights to help you evolve your loyaltystrategy in a time of rapid change.

Jun 19, 2025 • 30min
#452: Lenovo’s Jamie Linville on Building Authentic Connections and Empowering Small Businesses through Evolve Small
Send us a textIn an increasingly dynamic marketplace, the role of customer loyalty has evolved far beyond transactional relationships. Today’s leading brands understand that loyalty must be earned through authentic engagement, reciprocal value and experiences that resonate on both functional and emotional levels. Lenovo, a global technology powerhouse, exemplifies this philosophy with its customer-centric initiatives, including the award-winning Evolve Small program and the My Lenovo Rewards platform. In a recent conversation with Loyalty360, Jamie Linville, Digital and Brand Senior Manager at Lenovo, shared insights into how the company approaches loyalty, the evolution of its programs and the balance between technology and humanity in customer engagement.

Jun 12, 2025 • 21min
#451: Creating Unforgettable Moments: How VIP Nation Builds Loyalty Through Emotional Experience
Send us a textFor many fans, the first concert or professional sporting event they attend is more than just entertainment. It’s a core memory. It’s the roar of the crowd, the closeness of family, and the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of seeing a favorite artist or team live. Today’s consumers no longer settle for a faraway seat or generic experience; they want immersive, personalized moments that spark emotional resonance. At the forefront of this movement is VIP Nation, a leader in curated concert experiences and part of the Live Nation family. Evan Abrams, Senior Director at VIP Nation, has had a front-row seat in the evolution of fan engagement for more than a decade. “VIP Nation, we're a global leader in premium concert experiences. "We work directly with the artists, managers, and promoters to create elevated fan moments,” Abrams explains. These range from artist meet-and-greets and sound checks to photo ops on stage and exclusive merch bundles. “Our mission is to bring fans closer to the music they love in unforgettable ways.”

Jun 10, 2025 • 26min
#450: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Industry Voices Modernizing Loyalty with Insight, Flexibility, and Emotional Connection: A Conversation with Beth McCoy, President of CORA Loyalty
Send us a textBrands currently face a variety of challenges including rising customer expectations, generational differences, and increasing desire for seamless omnichannel experiences. CORA Loyalty is answering that call with a comprehensive portfolio that integrates next-gen tech, deep personalization, and strategic services. At the helm is Beth McCoy, President of CORA Loyalty, who joined Loyalty360's Industry Voices series to share her vision and strategies for evolving loyalty in 2025 and beyond."CORA Loyalty is a newly created portfolio made up of three separate companies or entities that some people may be familiar with from the loyalty marketplace," McCoy explains. These include RewardOps, an API-based rewards marketplace; Carlson Marketing Solutions, an enterprise-grade points bank and engagement platform; and Points at Work, a channel incentives tool tailored to employees and manufacturers.Together, they form an end-to-end loyalty ecosystem, bolstered by a services layer offering data science, digital marketing, and curated marketplace solutions.

Jun 5, 2025 • 23min
#449: Loyalty for Good: How AARP Rewards Drives Emotional Engagement and Meaningful Change
Send us a textIn the world of customer loyalty, few programs embody purpose as completely as AARP Rewards. More than a points-based platform, it’s a mission-driven engagement engine designed to empower people aged 50 and older to live better, healthier lives. By leveraging traditional loyalty mechanisms in non-traditional ways, AARP has built an emotional connection with its members that goes beyond incentives and aims for impact.At the heart of this innovative program is Arapit Patel, Vice President of Loyalty at AARP. With a background in technology consulting and systems integration, Patel brings a product-minded approach to loyalty that’s focused on outcomes over optics. His path to AARP was unconventional, but his commitment to member well-being is unmistakable.

Jun 3, 2025 • 21min
#448: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Industry Voices Personalization at Scale: How Blings Is Transforming Customer Loyalty with Real-Time Video
Send us a textIn an era of short attention spans and digital overload, traditional loyalty communications are increasingly falling flat. For Yosef Peterseil, COO and Co-Founder of Blings, the solution lies not just in better content, but in a more engaging medium altogether. "We're all in a video world. We're all on TikTok and YouTube and Netflix, and that's what we're used to consuming."Founded in 2019, Blings is a technology company helping brands deliver personalized customer communications replacing static emails and generic SMS with real-time, dynamic video. At the core of this transformation is the company’s patented MP5 video format, which allows personalized videos to be rendered directly on the end user's device.

May 29, 2025 • 33min
#447: Noodles & Company Builds Loyalty by Honoring the Noodle—and the Customer
Send us a textFor over three decades, Noodles & Company has served globally inspired noodle dishes with a side of comfort. But in today’s competitive and value-conscious quick-service landscape, staying relevant, and resonant, requires more than just a beloved bowl of pasta. For Executive Vice President of Marketing Steve Kennedy, long-term success comes down to a deep commitment to customer experience, continuous innovation, and a loyalty strategy that transcends transactions. With over 460 locations across the country, Noodles & Company has carved out a distinct niche in the fast-casual sector, offering made-to-order meals that emphasize bold global flavors and fresh ingredients. Kennedy, who joined the brand with deep roots in loyalty marketing from past roles at Domino’s, Nestlé, and Borders Books, sees the company's loyalty strategy not as a standalone program, but as a core expression of its brand ethos.