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Why does the name of a loyalty program weigh with the customer?

The loyalty program is a great tool to build customers’ confidence in the brand. This is noticed by more and more companies that are willingly implementing this type of solution in their marketing strategies. However, there is more than just owning a loyalty program and there’s the rub. It has to be well-judged and planned in order to be successful. Nowadays, offering only a plain system of collecting points is not enough. The customers expect their favorite brands to exhibit a higher level of creativity, attempting to gain their loyalty.

Thus, when creating a successful loyalty program it is important to make the customers using it feel appreciated. In that every positive and absorbing experience will cause the “I want more” effect.

Co-branding is also a meaningful issue. Loyalty programs should be considered as an adjunct of your brand. So, if you are a luxurious products retailer, it is worth making the program VIP themed. On the other hand, if you sell pets food and accessories, your program should be more laid-back, with educational threads. It is all about tailoring the value of a loyalty program to your brand’s goal. This makes its effectiveness higher.

Your strategy that’s helping to build customers loyalty, should also have a catchy name, connoting your brand’s name. It can be done two ways: by combining the name of the loyalty program with the name of your brand or an offered flag service. It is important to add a second limb that has a positive tone, encouraging to take particular actions. Let’s analyze the names of popular brands’ loyalty programs.

The name of a loyalty program – let it sound similar to your brand

Let’s take a peek at a loyalty program of a well-known, multinational fast food restaurant franchise Subway. The program, which encourages the customers to visit the restaurant more often, is called “Subcard”.

What we can see first, is the prefix “sub”, which directly brings to mind the name of the brand. Second, the suffix “card”, which implies the affiliation and allegiance. Conclusion? Customers feel that having a Subcard program makes them closer to the brand.

Another example is the Swarovski brand, known for its beautiful products, mainly jewelry made with lead glass, colloquially called “crystal”. The name of the loyalty program is simply “Be Swarovski”. Some people think that the creators didn’t show much creativity, but in this case the simplicity is a huge advantage. The first association with the Swarovski brand are crystals, which in turn bring to mind luxury, wealth, exclusive lifestyle. By extension, “Be Swarovski” simply means “be rich, live luxuriously”.

Another brand, which created its loyalty program name on a similar basis, is PetSmart. The company sells pet food, accessories and nursing services. When creating the name of a loyalty program, the word “Treats” was added to a brand name. Treats are taken positively, as for pet owners this word mainly means pet snacks.

The name of a loyalty program: let it put in mind of your offer

Some companies, such as The North Face or Sephora had different approaches to creating their loyalty programs names.

The former is a global company which offers professional mountaineering clothing and footwear. Their loyalty program is called “VIPeak”. It is a blend of two elements, for which the letter is a common part. The first element is VIP acronym, which means a very important person, second – peak. This combination shows that The North Face customers are specific and unique, as not everyone can deal with a tough alpine journey. Moreover, in a simple way it brings to mind mountains. When you climb, you always have a “peak” to reach.

Sephora, a beauty supply store, took a punt on the name Beauty Pass. The name puts in mind of the ticket to be beautiful. Sephora, deciding on such a name for its card program, wanted to show the customers that this is the place which helps to expose their beauty. However, in some countries the name of the program is Beauty Insider, which on the other hand connotes the idea of being a beauty expert.

Summary

After analyzing the examples above, it is clear that the name of a loyalty program is of great value. What you should draw attention to? An optimal name should be:

  • simple, so that it can be easily remembered;
  • catchy and creative, so that it keeps customers mind and stands out in the “crowd”;
  • referring to the name of the brand or an offered product/service, so that it goes to make the brand’s “extension”.