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The LoyalTea Club is Well Brewed by ArgoTea

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The LoyalTea Club is Well Brewed by ArgoTea
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I had two hours to kill in Chicago O’Hare and needed something to drink. Just as I was teetering towards the familiar Starbucks installation, I spotted an inviting alternative across the concourse – Argo Tea. I’d never seen this chain before but was attracted by the Asian-tea-fusion feel to the place. As I scanned for the menu, the “take me” jumped out at me. There was a brochure for The LoyalTea™ Club.  I was hooked.

I’m sure you have encountered retail stores or restaurants whose design and layout not only catch your attention, but communicate an unspoken connection that makes you feel comfortable and invites you inside. This was the case with Argo Tea and, combined with my natural curiosity to see if their loyalty program passed the Loyalty Asterisk™ test, I had to linger for a few minutes.

I was not disappointed.  In fact, I was elated to see a reasonably modest outfit get Loyalty right.ArgoTea

The staff was well trained, helping to orient me to the reasonably complex array of tea drinks and smoothies. I was offered samples and while enjoying an Iced Pom Tea™ I asked about the LoyalTea™ program. I was greeted with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable brief on the program and handed a brochure and card which I later discovered was a “three-in-one” card serving as Gift Card, Debit Card, and Reward Card. Taking a page out of the Starbucks Duetto Card playbook, the card was really a stored value card that could hold my loyalty points and be loaded with cash value to pay for drinks and food.

Supporting the offer was the succinct and smashing brochure that clearly explained the program benefits and key features. Sporting the tag-line “Blends with Benefits“, the front of the brochure let me know what I could expect in short order:

  • Register online and get a free drink
  • Get a free drink on your birthday
  • Load $50 on your card, and we’ll give you $5 more
  • Buy a food item and drink to get 10% off
  • Buy 10 drinks, and get 1 free
  • Buy 5 tea packs, and get a free infuser

Argo Tea BrochureThe inside of the brochure highlighted the triple threat nature of the card itself and encouraged takers to register the card online to protect the value on board from theft or loss.  The benefits on the front panel were reiterated with added details, and the value proposition was explained with instructions on how to calculate points into dollars  by “dividing the number of points by 1000 e.g. 4880 points = $4.88”.

With a little bit of digging, I learned that Argo Tea is a growing chain that opened its first cafe in Chicago in 2003 and now has over 16 around the Chicago metro area.  Loyalty branding should be complementary to the core brand message and LoyalTea™ was sync’d nicely with the corporate self description that Argo Tea “brings natural and tasty signature drinks to all those looking for healthy alternative beverages and lifestyle experiences”.

The company goes on to say that they are “passionate about bringing teas directly from growers around the world and blending them into unique and delicious signature beverages and teas …. and are committed to being a sustainable business by working with the best local and global tea, coffee, and food artisans and by contributing back to our communities to promote a healthy lifestyle and the conservation of natural resources”.

It is great to see a company get it right and I realize how seldom it is that I can highlight a program that on first impression merits nothing but praise. LoyalTea™ has a great name that survives a good pun and is constructed in a utilitarian way while reinforcing the company’s brand message. The staff were well trained in not only delivering a good customer experience but in reinforcing the value of the loyalty program.

Congratulations to Argo Tea. Did I mention that their drinks were great as well?

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