BROADCASTS.com

\u201cConsumers are human beings first.\u201d\xa0Duh. Who needs to be reminded of this? I mean, we\u2019ve got our big data, customer analytics, loyalty metrics, key performance indicators, demographics, psychographic profiles, and \u2026 Oh yeah. That\u2019s why we need to be reminded that our customers are living, breathing humans. Luckily, loyalty expert Barry Kirk joined us this week to discuss neuroscience, gamification, and the changing world of customer loyalty. Enjoy this week\u2019s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by\xa0Twenty20.\nAbout Barry Kirk\nBarry Kirk\xa0brings a decade of experience in customer retention and digital marketing to his role as VP of Loyalty Strategy for Maritz Motivation Solutions. In this role, he serves as the leader of the Maritz US loyalty practice. A sought-after speaker, blogger, and workshop leader, he has led the introduction of new disciplines like neuroscience and gamification to the loyalty space, and champions the belief that \u201cconsumers are human beings first.\u201d Prior to Maritz, Barry led the consumer loyalty practice for Bunchball, a silicon valley tech startup focused on customer and channel engagement.\nEpisode Highlights\nLoyalty today.\xa0\u201cLoyalty really hasn\u2019t changed much since the 1980s.\u201d That\u2019s when we began mercenary loyalty \u2014 rewarding loyalty, sometimes at great expense. It doesn\u2019t work as well as it used to which is why we have to focus on \u2026\nThe modern forms of brand loyalty.\xa0\u201cFirst there\u2019s true loyalty \u2014 it\u2019s literally the experience. Like Starbucks, there\u2019s no reason to pay that much but you do.\u201d The other form of loyalty is cult loyalty. This is based on connections to a group through your loyalty. Like Harley Davidson. \u201cHow easy does the brand make it for you to find other people? This is incredibly hard to disrupt.\u201d\nThe impact of neuroscience on marketing.\xa0Barry spends a lot of his time talking about the four-drive model of human behavior developed at Harvard. Basically, we have four main drives as consumers: (1) acquire, (2) bond, (3) create, and (4) defend.\nWhat\u2019s one thing you can do to focus your own customer loyalty program?\xa0\u201cStart with the consumer and what they want.\u201d This too sounds simple, however, many businesses spend more time focusing on what they\u2019re trying to sell instead of what their customers want.\nWhat brand has made Barry smile recently?\xa0It shouldn\u2019t be a huge surprise that a loyalty expert pointed us to an airline \u2014 Southwest Air. \u201cThey\u2019ve got me with cult loyalty \u2014 I have a personal alignment with them.\u201d\nTo learn more,\xa0go to the\xa0Maritz Motivation Solutions website\xa0and\xa0follow Barry on Twitter.\nAs We Wrap \u2026\nDid you hear something you liked on this episode or another?\xa0Do you have a question you\u2019d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.\nThanks again to our sponsor\xa0Twenty20.\xa0Your source for on brand photography for your brand. You can get five photos with Twenty20\u2019s one-week free trial at\xa0Twenty20.com/OnBrand.\n\n\nSubscribe to the podcast\xa0\u2013 You can subscribe to the show via\xa0iTunes,\xa0Stitcher,\xa0TuneIn, and\xa0RSS.\n\n\nRate and review the show\xa0\u2013 If you like what you\u2019re hearing, head over to\xa0iTunes\xa0and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.\n\n\nOK. How do you rate and review a podcast?\xa0Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes?\xa0Check this out.\n\nUntil next week, I\u2019ll see you on the Internet!\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices