Auto insurance is not the most sexy purchase you can make as a consumer. It’s one of those “must have’s” and often its hard to differentiate the pros and cons between major insurers to make a decision.
I’ve admired the advertising creativity from Allstate and Progressive over the past year or so. Dennis Haysbert has put [...]

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 [...]

Passion. It’s what fuels the average person like you and I to enter and train for a local 10K race or even a sprint triathlon.
Passion. It’s what every event sponsor at these races is hoping to stoke up by their presence at the events.
Participating in the Open Water Swim festival this weekend in Ft. Myers, [...]

I just signed up for the Virgin Atlantic loyalty program called the Flying Club. I have no immediate plans to fly on the airline. Nor do I really need another frequent flyer card, as I’ve got miles banked in three or four programs now.
The reason I joined the club is I just finished reading Business [...]

Don Peppers and Martha Rogers gave birth to the concept of 1 to 1 Marketing over 15 years ago. The brilliant marketing innovation is intended to “illustrate the importance of treating different customers differently. (from their website).
From a practitioners viewpoint, 1 to 1 has also been difficult to execute while attaining measurable ROI.  “Mass customization” [...]

The proven model worldwide to form a multi-partner Coalition loyalty program is essentially the same, regardless of the local language.
Operators normally chase down the one or two leaders in each high frequency category (retail, grocery, fuel, banking) to form the foundations of their value proposition. With regional coalitions easier to launch than ones of [...]

Online retailers have a uniquely difficult challenge in building relationships and creating customer loyalty. Without a store-front to rely upon, most online retailers lead with product selection and price to attract first time buyers.
This leaves many to rely on ad words and keyword search as their only acquisition funnel. Generating repeat business, building trusted relationships, [...]

Now and then, it’s good to know you’re ahead of the game.
A few months ago, I had written about CVS ExtraCare and, along with an overview of their program, made note that I had measured one receipt in excess of 36″. If receipts were as much fun to catch as Tarpon and Bonefish, this one [...]

Have you ever had a retail experience that starts with a bang and ends with a thud?
That’s what happened to me recently at Wachovia Bank, and I share it as it illustrates a core practice of Customer Satisfaction surveys that needs re-engineering.
I had occasion to open an account at Wachovia and the experience was the [...]

Speedbumps are everywhere.
They’re in my neighborhood, at the mall and also on the internet.  If you’re in new environs, speedbumps can by definition be mileposts of learning. Ever fly down the street in an unfamiliar area only to discover speedbumps the hard way? It’s not pleasant for you or your passengers and can do damage [...]