The end, when it came, was sudden. Just when it looked like the Saturn car company had been rescued by the Penske Group, the deal fell through and now, despite a loyal customer following, Saturn is no more.
As faithful Loyalty Truth readers know, I have blogged about Saturn in the past, noting its social media [...]

If you’re like me and work on the creative side of the business, you’d like to believe that good communications and a healthy social dialog are the keys to building relationships and ensuring customer loyalty.
But the fact is, your company is often only as good as the people you have on the front line. One [...]

(Another reason your company needs a social media presence.)
Microsoft sucks. So does The Home Depot. Ditto Dell, Target and Dominos.  And while it may not surprise you to hear that Wal-Mart sucks, you may not have heard that beloved brands like Apple, Ikea and Starbucks suck as well.
The fact is that despite you or your [...]

Visitors to England usually have an easy to predict list of “must see” destinations during their stay. After coping with the adjustment to a different time zone, most are off to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the London Eye. With cultural needs somewhat satisfied, a bevy of High Street merchants are on the “shopping” [...]

How many people still get excited about getting mail delivered to their home?
I remember waiting for the mailman to pull up to the mailbox as a kid and running to see what came. Was there something for Me? A new flyer from my favorite store? A card from Grandma? It is something that stays [...]

One mantra of Loyalty Marketing practitioners is that discounting is not a sustainable strategy. While it does create temporary impact to boost sales and adjust inventory levels, it is not a differentiating tactic and does not serve as the foundation for creation of competitive advantage through a strategic marketing plan.
That said, discounting is one of [...]

Earlier this year, I blogged on Loyalty Truth about the Ford Fiesta Movement. As you may recall, the Ford motor company gave new Fiesta automobiles to 100 social media-savvy drivers for six months—hoping they would post videos and blog about the Fiesta, to build some buzz around the car’s early-2010 launch.
I really hadn’t heard much [...]

After more than 100 posts I can say that Loyalty Truth has achieved a degree of permanency.
Founded on my own conviction and commitment, it is a welcome relief to have help. I express my gratitude to guest contributors Tom Rapsas, Jim Kuschill, Brian Kryzanski, and Mike Capizzi. They have each written about aspects [...]

Editor’s note: Reading Brian’s post here got the adrenaline flowing. The irony of retail is that the lowest paid associates, also the ones with the highest turnover rate, are the primary interface for the customer. How ironic….spend millions on branding, advertising, merchandising, fashion consulting…..and then leave your fate in the hands of people who are [...]

Editor’s note: The build versus buy decision is visited often by loyalty program sponsors. Jim Kuschill is the architect of one of the original – and still market leading – platforms in the industry. This is the Second in a several part series about loyalty software and it will be sure [...]