Josh Stevens is the Groupawn, striving to live off Groupons for one year. If he’s successful, Groupon gains additional publicity in extreme fashion, all for the cost of $100,000 – the carrot in front of Josh until May 2011.
I’m neither a “WegPawn” or eligible for any incentive from Wegman’s, but I am considering moving in [...]

When I’m working with any of my business partners in the Customer Strategy Network, whether from the UK or New Zealand, I’m used to being treated as a second class citizen.
There is something about the British-influenced accent and manner of speech that simply makes everything they say sound more intelligent than my best shot. At the [...]

Orange Juice has been on my breakfast menu for as long as I remember. Linus Pauling shined the original spotlight on OJ as he asserted the benefits of Vitamin C to cure the common cold and retard the impact of certain forms of cancer.
Since then, there has been great debate about Pauling’s claims and the [...]

Burgers are burgers, or are they?
With McDonald’s squarely on top of the QSR burger world, Burger King has resorted to some innovative advertising, to say the least. Visit their website, slide the bar marked “King” to the right, and you’ll find everything from “Subservient Chicken“, “Whopper Virgins“,  and “Simpsonize Me“. The chain has even launched [...]

With March Madness about to launch into full swing, you might be dusting off your list of favorite sports bars. In South Florida, there are a lot to choose from, but there is only one that combines good vibes, good food and a decent rewards program – Duffy’s Sport Grill. If you aren’t familiar with [...]

My Dad taught me the value of money. Cash is King and all that.
A dollar is a dollar, that can’t be denied. And, those dollars are increasingly hard to come by with the demands of business pressing harder on most over the past two years.
With my mind on cash and flipping through the latest issue [...]

A small firestorm over the efficacy of Loyalty Marketing programs broke out over this past weekend thanks in large part to an article written by Joanne Kaufman for the Wall Street Journal.
Ms. Kaufman recounts a telling tale of how her own household purchase behavior adapted to take advantage of rewards programs from Duane Reade to [...]

I need to do some consumer research. Do minor consumer revolts against good sense constitute a leading indicator of good times returning, or confirm that the economy is still struggling with frustration leading people to make irrational choices?
Whatever the answer, it seems a minor groundswell is taking place in the restaurant business with new chains [...]

A celebrity endorsement—for a loyalty program?
The pros and cons of using a celebrity spokesperson in advertising have been long established.

The pros? A celebrity draws attention
The cons? A celebrity draws attention—away from your product or service

What’s more, as we recently saw with golfing legend you-know-who, there’s the potential downside of aligning your company with a celebrity [...]

When it comes to brand recognition, the usual names that dominate the conversation are Apple, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Visa and …. Chick-fil-A?
Ok, Chick-fil-A may not be a household name of the same caliber as Starbucks, but I guaranty that the “second largest chicken restaurant chain in the US” has the most passionate fan base in [...]