User Experience Processes That Reinforce Brand Commitment

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🙏

3 things to remember this BFCM, that I wrote about for Ad Age: We're living in a post-funnel world where... - 50% of consumers do most of their brand research AFTER they buy -78% find things that attract and make them loyal to brand AFTER purchase - Pre-purchase is increasingly dedicated to only price and feature research It’s clear that post-purchase is where real branding begins. The greatest opportunity for brand building is increasingly happening after the first sale is made, not before it, and that means new rules for making sure your brand is connecting with your user, especially this holiday season. #1) Lean into post-purchase rationalization. After making a purchase, humans have a natural inclination to keep looking for proof that they made the right choice. We’ll look for stories and signals that we bought the right thing in order to avoid the emotional discomfort of buyers' remorse. That immediate window after conversion, when your user is already looking for a connection, is exactly when your brand should be stepping in. It’s a perfect opportunity to shape perceptions, tell deeper stories and create branded experiences that historically would have happened before purchase. Your brand needs to sell the hardest after the sale is made. #2.) Create loyalty to the group first, brand second. Community is quickly becoming the first layer of brand, and in a post-funnel world where consumers are researching price and features before anything else, community might be the only chance you get to imprint your brand before your user buys anything. We already know community is often where consumers get their most trusted reviews and recommendations before converting. It should also be where you signal what your brand is really about. When you’ve created and stewarded a community of brand enthusiasts that genuinely connects people to one another, you’re not only creating a stronger group - you’re sending a branded signal that reaches people before purchase with more relevant, trustworthy, branded content at the time they are most likely to be looking for it. #3.) Go deep, fast. Start with presumed intimacy. When so much of branding takes effect after purchase, you don’t have time to drip campaign yourself into a meaningful relationship with your customer. Create a reflective and deep storytelling experience that assumes your buyer is already invested in the brand. Even if it's their first direct, unmediated touchpoint with you, people in a post-funnel world are already primed for deeper levels of engagement. Consumers want to understand who they’re supporting and the larger business they’ve bought into. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gUenawUi #branding #brandstrategy