Why Nobody Has a Marriott Bonvoy Tattoo… And Why That Matters in the Age of AI (Episode 482)

I’ve never seen a single person with a tattoo for Marriott Bonvoy, the hotel brand’s “loyalty” program. Or, for that matter, for Hilton Honors (its loyalty program) or Wyndham Rewards (its loyalty program). Hell, I don’t have a tattoo for United Airlines MileagePlus, and I fly roughly 80,000 miles with the company every year.

But I’ve see a ton of folks with tattoos for Harley Davidson. And Fender guitars. And Disney. And Lego. And Nike.

Wouldn’t you think that more “loyal” customers would have tattoos for brands that depend on loyalty programs for their businesses? I know I would.

The fact is that loyalty often isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And, in the age of AI, that’s a huge problem. Because if your customers aren’t willing to ask for your brand by name, you might be in real trouble.

In this episode of the show, I take a look at:

• What customers really value
• Why AI makes actual loyalty more important than ever
• What you need to do to drive more loyalty from your customers in the age of AI
• And how you can set your business up for greater success long term.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

• What ‘The Brand Is the Prompt’ Really Means for Your Business (Episode 474)
• In the Age of AI, Brand Isn’t Everything. It’s the Only Thing (Episode 472)
• What Changed in AI and Marketing This Year, Why It Matters, and What Comes Next (Episode 478)
• Will Agentic AI Kill Your Content Marketing? (Episode 470)
• The Rise of Agentic AI Among Your Customers (Episode 466)
• Belonging to the Brand Book – Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}
• What ChatGPT Ads Mean for Your Business (Episode 481)
• Should Your Business Have a ChatGPT App? (Episode 479)
• Are ChatGPT’s Apps Good for Your Business? (Episode 471)
• AI and Zero-Click Search: The Real Story (Episode 467)
• The Brand is the Prompt (Thinks Out Loud 465)

Tim Peter has written a new book called Digital Reset: Driving Marketing Beyond Big Tech. You can learn more about it here on the site. Or buy your copy on Amazon.com today.

Rutgers Business School MSDM Speaker: Series: a Conversation with Tim Peter, Author of "Digital Reset"

We have some free downloads for you to help you navigate the current situation, which you can find right here:

• A Modern Content Marketing Checklist. Want to ensure that each piece of content works for your business? Download our latest checklist to help put your content marketing to work for you.
• Digital & E-commerce Maturity Matrix. As a bonus, here’s a PDF that can help you assess your company’s digital maturity. You can use this to better understand where your company excels and where its opportunities lie. And, of course, we’re here to help if you need it. The Digital & E-commerce Maturity Matrix rates your company’s effectiveness — Ad Hoc, Aware, Striving, Driving — in 6 key areas in digital today, including:
  • Customer Focus
  • Strategy
  • Technology
  • Operations
  • Culture
  • Data

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Contact information for the podcast: podcast@timpeter.com

Recorded using a Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone and a Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 (3rd Gen) USB Audio Interface into Logic Pro X for the Mac.

Running time: 16m 08s

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