Conference Archives

Beating the Odds!
 Spring 2007 Conference - Las Vegas, NV


"Merging Loyalty Programs: Is it companies beware or customers beware?" Presented by John Reistrup, Director of Marketing Programs / Customer Loyalty, US Airways.

    In light of the recent US Airways/America West merger, John has unique insight on this topic; but whether merger or code-share, the challenges are wide and deep. For both companies and customers, consolidating loyalty programs can be a nightmare. How do you:

    • Assuage customer concerns?
    • Build an efficient staff?
    • Consolidate/leverage brand?
    • Control budgets?
    • Bring it all together?

    Join us to find out how this was most recently accomplished, successfully. It's sure to be a winner!

    About the Speaker:

    As Director of Marketing Programs and Customer Loyalty for US Airways, John manages customer database development, planning, and solutions to support new partners, products, programs and services to improve the customer experience. He also oversees marketing planning and analysis, including interactive e-mail development, product, partnership, and website analytics. John manages US Airways' partnerships, which include 29+ airlines.




"Avoiding Stagnancy: 7 Indicators for Stalling Growth," presented by Steve McKee, President, McKee Wallwork Cleveland.

    A groundbreaking study of 400 of America’s fastest-growing companies identified seven factors that correlate with growth stalling. Learn how these factors relate to the loyalty marketing industry—and see if your company may be unknowingly facing one or more of them.

    About the Speaker:

    Steve is the president and co-founder of McKee Wallwork Cleveland, a full service advertising agency that in 2004 was recognized by the American Marketing Association with two EFFIE Awards for excellence in marketing communications.

    In his role as president, Steve is responsible for overseeing the agency’s operations and client strategies. Steve pioneered the agency’s Charrette® planning process, a formalized methodology that serves as the foundation for client marketing programs. The process minimizes client risk by optimizing the use of their marketing resources.

    Steve is considered a growth company marketing expert and understands the unique challenges growth companies face. He authored The Four Horses, a research study that examines the characteristics and challenges of corporate growth and categorizes growth companies in four classifications – Mustangs, Fillies, Thoroughbreds and Mules. Steve has recently completed the latest phase of growth company research with a sweeping study of more than 400 companies entitledWhen Growth Stalls.




"Offline to Online... Exploring Alternative Channels to Connect the Dots," presented by Gil Bathgate, President, Convergence Group, and Ken Park, President of Octopus Media.

    In today’s media-saturated marketplace, companies are aggressively seeking the more targeted reach and increased measurability offered by “alternative” channels like the Internet, podcasting and mobile media to analyze consumer brand behavior and more accurately measure the return from their marketing dollars. These channels deliver relevant video programming to attract and engage highly-targeted audiences into fully measurable, 1-to-1 playback environments where it is possible to gather individual opt-in data, measure brand behavior, sell product and generate viral branding opportunities.

    Alternative channels and performance-based marketing are causing a quantum shift in how brands are built and foster loyal relationships with consumers. The introduction of performance-based transactional models by companies like Double-Click and Google have wreaked havoc on traditional “impression-based” models.

    Convergence Group will introduce strategies to harness the power of online video programming to engage today’s travelers and bridge offline and online channels as foundation for your existing loyalty programs.

    About the Speakers:

    Ken Park is the key strategist behind the industry’s leading online-offline, connected disc solution: HyperCD. HyperCD and its underlying patented technology represents the world's first fully encrypted, rich media gateway technologies that deliver high-quality, secure video playback to 100% of today’s Web audience. The company's technologies have been used by such diverse companies as Adobe Systems, Atlantic Records, BMG, Chrysler, DC United, HBO, Jeep, Major League Soccer, the Major Indoor Soccer League, Manchester United, the New England Patriots, Russell Athletic and Showtime.

    Prior to marketing HyperCD technology, Park served as senior manager of international content at Prodigy Services Company, a pioneer in the online services industry. He was responsible for the strategic development of the company's entertainment and international divisions, including building partnerships with content partners and foreign ISPs.

    Mr. Park is also one of the eight entrepreneurial marketers, including Guy Kawasaki (Garage.com), Christos Cotsakos (E*Trade) and Anita Roddick (The Body Shop), featured in an upcoming book titled, "Entrepreneurial Marketing: Real Stories & Survival Strategies" published by South-Western, a Division of Thomson Learning.

    With over 25 years of experience in the direct marketing industry, Gil leads Convergence Group’s efforts to identify and assemble new digital communication platforms and production technologies that will pilot new brand interactions, improve customer touches and deliver a better return.

    Gil recognizes that traditional forms of communication like direct mail remain a vital part of marketing channel planning but now require a digital dimension. His focus on “converging” traditional with digital …offline to online … will create accountable, two-way communications at every turn.

    Gil is responsible for development of a digital loyalty marketing and membership card issuance platform for the travel industry that improves one-to-one communications and ROI for clients like UAL Mileage Plus, ABA, Ameniti Travel Club, Firestone, Silver Wings and Red Carpet Club.




"PANEL DISCUSSION: CRM - Leave Nothing on the Table," moderated by Richard Metzner, Partner, Metzner Schneider Associates.

    Casinos have a wealth of appended data on their best customers, and it isn’t just gambling data. In addition, they track retail spend, accommodations spend, and entertainment spend. Our panel is made up of local leaders in this highly sophisticated, rapidly evolving arena of relationship management.

    Panelists:

    • Brent Pinkston, Executive Director, Slot Marketing, The Venetian and author of G-CRM
    • David Norton, Senior VP Relationship Marketing, Harrah's Entertainment
    • Pete Landi, Wynn (requested)
    • Rich Harp, Station Casinos (requested)



"An FTMA Exclusive: The Inner Minds of the Top 2%!"
    As a Spring Conference attendee, you will have access to the results of a unique, invaluable survey designed exclusively for the Association and administered to the USA TODAY MileTracker Forum(TM). This opt-in group of the highest travelers:

    • average 836,000 miles/points
    • are active in an average of 14+ online loyalty programs
    • average 28+ US trips annually
    • average 9+ international trips annually




Workshop 1: "David vs. Goliath: How the Little Guys Compete with the Behemoths," presented by Barry Hughes, VP of Distribution and Marketing at Red Lion Hotels.

    Despite limited budgets and membership rosters, smaller frequency programs can be effective against programs with deeper pockets and greater scale. Find out how one smaller program was able to develop robust CRM programs and leverage nimbleness and contemporary technology to accomplish its customer acquisition and retention goals. Discussion will include investment prioritization, program measurement and evaluation, and the importance of lower cost electronic communication vehicles.

    About the Speaker:

    Mr. Hughes has served as Vice President, Distribution & Marketing at Red Lion Hotels Corporation (RLH) since November 2002. Mr. Hughes is a member of the senior management team for RLH and oversees distribution and revenue management, call center operations and marketing. From December 1999 to November 2002, he was Executive Vice President of Electronic Media and Corporate Strategy for Proximus Information, LLC in New York, New York. From November 1998 to December 1999 he served as Vice President of Electronic Media at Cahners Business Information Travel Group in Secaucus, New Jersey. From August 1994 to November 1998 he served as Director of Sales and Marketing at Trase Miller in Oak Brook, Illinois.




Workshop 2: "Redefining Your Loyalty Program," presented by Richard Metzner and Howard Schneider, Partners, Metzner Schneider Associates.

    When American Airlines introduced the AAdvantage program in 1981, the airline industry, and travel market were very different. What was once groundbreaking is now commonplace. Opportunities for recognition and reward once motivated incremental purchase; now they are expected as part of the basic product offering.

    As programs have proliferated, rewards are offered by everyone, yet the value and availability have declined. But rather than taking a fresh look at the goals and objectives of their loyalty program, most companies persist in offering more and more of the same.

    This workshop will offer examples of companies that have redefined the concept of a program to move from an entitlement to something that truly generates incremental loyalty and revenue, and will offer suggestions as to how those with legacy offerings can return to the original purposes of these once vital tools.

    About the Speakers:

    During Richard’s distinguished marketing career, he has served as President of Brierley & Partners, the company that pioneered the practice of Customer Relationship Management. One of the founders of the firm, Richard established and built Brierley’s highly regarded strategy practice, and served for a number of years as Senior Vice President of Strategy. After graduating from Harvard Business School, Richard began his career as a financial analyst at American Airlines and, later, served as a marketing planner at Western Airlines. From 1995 to 2000, Richard was Vice President - Marketing for Continental Airlines. He has been recognized as both a Brandweek "Marketer of the Year" and as one of Advertising Age’s "Marketing 100."

    Prior to co-founding MSA, Howard was with Brierley & Partners from 1988-2002. As EVP/Chief Creative Officer, he supervised global creative support for United Airlines, Hilton, Hertz, Norwegian Cruise Line, UPS, EPSON, Sony, Blockbuster, Pacific Bell and others, as well as serving on the agency’s strategy review board and executive committee. Howard has held senior management positions at DMCA and Cohn & Wells/LA, where he was Creative Director and General Manager. He is a Past President of the Direct Marketing Creative Guild.




Workshop 3: "Back on the Chain Gang: Building Customer Relationships One Link at a Time," presented by Rick Ferguson, Editorial Director of COLLOQUY.

    The Relationship Chain is a COLLOQUY measurement tool that documents a series of behavioral links, beginning with awareness and ending with advocacy, and provides an indication of members' awareness and involvement with your loyalty program and correlates it with their value. It's also a guiding principle to drive desired behavior within the framework of your loyalty marketing and CRM efforts.

    Join Rick Ferguson as he explores the Relationship Chain and discusses the importance of communications to move customers along the continuum. Be prepared for plenty of real-world examples and results that definitively prove how a strong communications plan drives customer's engagement and moves them along the increasingly important links of the chain. Wrap up your loyalty strategy up with the COLLOQUY "Relationship Chain" and watch your program results soar.

    About the Speaker:

    As Editorial Director of COLLOQUY, Rick Ferguson is responsible for all COLLOQUY print and online publishing, educational and research projects. Under Rick’s direction, the COLLOQUY magazine and web site provide a worldwide audience of 25,000+ subscribers with news, expert commentary, program summaries and research on all facets of loyalty marketing around the globe.

    An acknowledged expert in the theory and practice of loyalty marketing, Rick has published numerous articles and white papers describing the characteristics of marketing programs which seek to change customer behavior. He has been quoted as a loyalty expert in the Wall Street Journal, Guardian UK, Fast Company, and the Dallas Morning News, serves as a contributor to The Journal of Consumer Marketing and has written monthly columns for NACS magazine and the Chief Marketer web site. Rick has been a featured presenter at industry conferences sponsored by the DMA, NACS, FTMA and Terrapin. As a key member of the COLLOQUY faculty, he’s delivered educational workshops and webinars on the principles, practices and technologies of loyalty marketing in the US, UK and Singapore.

    COLLOQUY comprises a collection of resources devoted to the global loyalty-marketing industry. The flagship resources are COLLOQUY Consulting, a loyalty consulting practice, COLLOQUY®, a quarterly publication serving the loyalty-marketing industry since 1990, www.colloquy.com, the most comprehensive loyalty web site in the world, COLLOQUY's Research and Education divisions, and the COLLOQUY Network, a global network of consultants certified in COLLOQUY's consulting methodology. Together they provide a worldwide audience of 25,000+ marketers with consulting services, news, editorial, educational and research services across all verticals and around the globe. COLLOQUY magazine subscriptions are available at no cost to qualified persons at www.colloquy.com/register.asp or by calling 513.248.9184.