User Experience Campaigns That Boost Brand Loyalty

The world preaches loyalty, but how many brands actually live it? Last month, I got an invite to something called Summer Smash, 1st Phorm International's invite-only community event in St. Louis. Think three days of HQ tours, private pre-parties, high-energy workouts, rides, and live music from artists like Ludacris, Lil' Jon, Pitbull, and Steve Aoki. The whole thing sells out in under a minute each year. Pure community building at it's finest. I couldn't make it due to personal obligations, but here's what blew me away: they still sent me a surprise box packed with over 10 of their top products (proteins, apparel, energy drinks, protein sticks), plus a handwritten note that felt genuinely personal, not like a marketing ploy. We've gotten so caught up in digital tactics that we've forgotten about the power of high-touch moments that forge actual emotional connections. This kind of follow-through is almost unheard of in today's brand world. Most companies would've moved on to the next person on their list. But 1st Phorm gets something that a lot of brands miss: real loyalty isn't built through campaigns or offers, it's built through experiences that make people feel like they belong to something bigger. That's where lifetime value really takes off. Summer Smash is far beyond just an event; it's the kind of experience that flips the loyalty script entirely, where customers don't just buy, they simply belong. Here's what I think other brands can learn from this approach: ➟ Send unexpected value for no reason. A surprise product or handwritten note shows customers they matter beyond their purchase history. ➟ Build exclusive communities around shared values, not just products. Whether it's in-person events or virtual experiences, give your best customers something they can't get anywhere else. ➟ Create moments people actually talk about. A few hours with A-list talent or behind-the-scenes access beats another discount code every time. ➟ Lead with gratitude, not growth metrics. When thank-you moments drive your strategy instead of the other way around, authenticity follows naturally. The bottom line: loyalty is earned through emotion, experience, and belonging. If your brand isn't building that, you're just another transaction in someone's day. When did you last surprise your customers with something that wasn't even on your roadmap?

I analyzed 100+ loyalty programs in the last 30 days. Most brands still run loyalty like it’s 2009: Earn points, get a discount, repeat. The top 10%? They’re using loyalty to change behavior- not just reward it. If I were Head of Loyalty at a $10B+ brand today, here’s exactly what I’d do to build a program that drives LTV, repeat purchases, and real retention: 1. Stop Giving Away Loyalty - Make Them Pay for It Costco, RH, Barnes & Noble. When customers pay upfront, they buy in - literally and psychologically. Forget free points. Paid memberships = commitment, retention, higher LTV and emotional sunk cost. 2. Make Loyalty Required, Not Optional - Integrate Directly into Payments Starbucks preloads!!! When rewards are embedded in how people pay, behavior shifts faster, and for longer. This is probably the biggest opportunity in loyalty right now. 3. Forget Delayed Points - Instant Gratification is More Important Immediate dopamine beats theoretical future savings. Slow accumulation = slow engagement. Instant offers = repeat behavior. The 2nd purchase matters more than the 10th. 4. Make Loyalty Emotional, Not Transactional REI, North Face, Sephora. Customers want to belong, not just save. Identity, community, and shared values are outperforming cashbacks and discounts in driving long-term loyalty. Loyalty isn’t just a discount strategy, it’s a brand strategy. 5. Invest in Status + Experiences, not Generic Perks This isn't just theory – with companies like Rapha and Lululemon offering loyalty members exclusive product drops, community events and behind-the-scenes experiences. Lean into waitlists and exclusive product drops. Less financial. More status + psychological “being in the club.” 6. Reward Engagement, Not Just Transactions MoxieLash, Pacifica, Lucy & Yak. UGC. Reviews. Referrals. Loyalty now means participation. The modern flywheel starts before checkout - and lasts far beyond it. ~~ Bottom line? If your loyalty program is still playing a game from 15 years ago, your customers are going to find better options. Today, the best brands in 2025 aren’t just rewarding loyalty- they're engineering it. PS: We analyzed 100+ programs across QSR, retail, travel, and fintech. Next week I’ll share the Top 30 loyalty programs leading the way. Stay tuned🙏

👀 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 The brand loyalty game is changing. Gen Z swipes, samples, unsubscribes — then repeats. ❗ BUT: 𝙂𝙚𝙣 𝙕 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 60% 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙗𝙪𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨. So let's look at the bigger (loyalty) picture: 📉 Beauty brand loyalty is down 20% in the last two years. 📉 90% of Amazon beauty purchases? Unbranded. In a category obsessed with newness, retention is now the most underrated growth lever. Now what's the winning playbook? Connection > Coupons. Ritual > Rewards. Participation > Points. Here’s what smart brands are doing: 🪐 OSEA Malibu reduced churn by 40% just by improving its subscription UX based on customer feedback and conducting frequent A/B testing to optimize the customer journey. 🪐 REFY doesn't just reward customers — it recruits them. Its product development strategy invites the community to shape the brand's future, creating co-ownership through direct engagement. 🪐 Medalist Skin rewards customers for real-life actions like attending women’s sports games or signing up for a 5k run — loyalty as lifestyle. 🪐 Face Reality focuses on strategic product bundling to successfully increase loyalty among their B2B partners and B2C customers simultaneously, resulting in 90%+ B2B retention rates. 🪐 Charlotte Tilbury Beauty turned loyalty into lore. Its “Beauty Universe” rewards fans with surprise gifts, quizzes, and access to the mysterious Magic Vault — a program that feels more like a fantasy game than a transaction. 🪐 Glow Recipe knows loyalty lives on social. “Glow Rewards” rewards referrals, shares, and follows — treating community actions as valuable as purchases. 🪐 Aveda leans into accumulation. Its paid “Plus Rewards” program unlocks everything from robes to spa days, doubling down on experiential aspiration. Across the board, the brands winning on loyalty all share one trait: ❗ 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘. So what should you be doing? 🔺 Design community into your product, not just your Instagram. 🔺 Design your loyalty program like a universe, not a discount bin. 🔺 Reward values, not just volume. 🔺 Swap point-hoarding for co-creation, access, and honest reward. 🔺 Make engagement feel like access, not effort. ❗ 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣 2025, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨? 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. Thoughts? Drop them below! 😍 #BrandLoyalty #BeautyMarketing #RetentionStrategy #CommunityBuilding #BrandStrategy #BeautyIndustry #BeautyTrends #MarketingStrategy #BeautyBusiness #GrowthMarketing