Bill Hanifin
view more articles
Everywhere we turn lately, we’ve encountered either a brand new loyalty program, or have received a communication from a familiar name. Each time we dig in to understand the substance of what’s being offered or communicated, it’s led to the same question: “Why Loyalty”?
The question is not at all about why the brands in question launched a loyalty program or tout what they are touting. It’s centered on why they chose the program structure or offer tactic they created.
After a review of current offers from Immediate Health Care, Sketchers, Banana Republic, and Marriott, we’ve been reminded of some core best practices that brands should remember, as well as current trends dictating the future of loyalty marketing. Taken as a whole, we felt it worthy of this mini-series we’ll call “Why Loyalty”?
I was greeted on a recent Saturday morning by two surprises. The first was the occasion to take a family member to an “urgent care facility”. As we were out of town on vacation, we found a reputable name convenient to where we were staying and made a visit to Immediate Health Care.
The experience overall was good and the medical team at the location was caring and professional. The outcome of the visit was all-positive and we left feeling satisfied.
The second surprise came when I noticed a brochure for a Loyalty Club (literally named) at the registration counter. My first thought was “I hope I don’t have to come here often enough to find value in a rewards program at this place” and was closely followed by “you mean that even getting sick has its rewards”?
The brochure was a familiar four-color trifold design which included a plastic membership card on an inside panel. Generally speaking, there are two moments of truth that register with people when they are first introduced to a loyalty program. The first is to understand “what’s in it for me?”, and the second is to determine what type of rewards delivers that value.
In the case of Immediate Health Care’s Loyalty Club, there is very little in it for anyone. There is only one benefit that I could determine – the ability to call ahead within one hour of appointment time to “get on the list”. There were no other benefits described and even this one, presumably positioned to save time for patients, had restrictions.
The call privilege did not constitute an appointment and there was no guaranty that by calling ahead, the patient would be seen immediately upon arrival. I understood this to mean that a patient in the program would receive some priority handling, but with fuzzy outcomes.
Loyalty Truth:
Brands are better off calling “benefit” packages for customers by that proper name rather than launch “loyalty” programs if they aren’t really going to play the game. Consumers have expectations connected to the “L” word, and Immediate Care sets itself up for disappointment and possible brand damage with its current offer.
If Immediate Care is just looking for an avenue to collect more customer data, they might be better off to invite patients to “register” for a VIP list and combine one or two other modest benefits to accompany the call-ahead feature. Sometimes keeping it simple renders a healthier result.
