Executive Interview Featuring Maria Giacobbe, SVP, Business Development Epsilon
One of the most compelling topics in discussion in the world of customer loyalty is how to convince brands to take a holistic, enterprise approach to customer strategy development and execution of resulting programs and campaigns. The importance of “the customer” to business is undeniable and each time an executive shouts the message to shareholders that “we are committed to a journey to become more customer-centric”, governance for customer loyalty inches closer to the center of the C-Suite.
We’ve been talking about this using the term “Loyalty as a Business” and others are chiming in with supporting views. Leading up to the Loyalty Academy workshop in London, September 19-21, we had our first opportunity to dig deep into this topic with someone touching on many clients. This interview with Maria Giacobbe, SVP Business Development Epsilon opens the discussion and addresses the key considerations needed for you to gain access to the C-Suite for your loyalty discussion and, better yet, to gain support from these important stakeholders.
I caught Maria on a sunny day in London, so this conversation is upbeat and full of smiles. The energy for the topic blasts through the screen and I came away believing ever more that treating Loyalty as a Business is one of the key topics that our industry should be focusing on in the coming year.
I encourage you to listen to the entire interview, but if you are time-starved, we’ve provided time stamps below to help you find the parts of the conversation that are most important to you.
If you want to take part in this conversation firsthand, join Maria, Mike Capizzi, and many more next week in London. A few seats remain and you can register here.
Timestamp:
0:57 - Maria Giacobbe on gaining C-Suite buy-in for customer loyalty
4:48 - Examples of how loyalty programs drive financial results for business today
7:47 - A Horse Racing case study
9:36 - Revealing the world’s expert in casino gaming
10:12 - What are the main reasons it can be difficult to get executive support?
12:47 - Lessons learned from a Tapas restaurant in Putney, London
14:45 - What key factors should be considered in strategic planning of a loyalty program?
17:10 - How to go about engaging with C-Suite stakeholders
19:35 - How to convince the CEO to give your loyalty idea the attention it deserves
22:03 - What about the CMO and CTO?
25:05 - Who is the most important executive to win over?
27:08 - Are there any stakeholders that are often forgotten?
30:03 - Where does CSR fit in?
32:30 - Why playing to the C-Suite is more than a trend
34:55 - Wrap up and a preview of Loyalty Academy™ London
