Air Miles Canada signs up energy utility
The North American energy utility, Direct Energy, is to begin offering Air Miles rewards to natural gas customers in Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, having signed a multi-year sponsor agreement in the Canadian Air Miles reward programme.
Despite the fact that utilities are less often associated with loyalty programmes than other sectors, Direct Energy's natural gas customers can now join the ranks of other more traditional Air Miles collecting consumer categories.
"We want to provide more valuable products and services to our growing customer base," said Paul Massara, president of Direct Energy's Canadian operation. "We are pleased to be partnering with Air Miles, offering our customers an opportunity to earn rewards from their natural gas needs."
Created and operated by The Loyalty Group (a subsidiary of transaction and credit services provider, Alliance Data Systems), the Air Miles coalition loyalty programme in Canada has acquired more than 60% of the country's households, representing more than 12.5 million consumers. Air Miles can be exchanged for over 500 different rewards including travel, movie tickets, entertainment attractions, and electronic merchandise.
The leap into a non-traditional category (the energy utility sector) represents a first step for Air Miles Canada's growth strategy. Loyalty Group CEO, John Scullion, explained, "Our growth will be driven through deeper relationships with existing sponsors, expanding into new and non-traditional categories (as is the case with Direct Energy), and the continued addition of new households."
For more information: · Visit Air Miles Canada at http://www.airmiles.ca · Visit Direct Energy at http://www.directenergy.com