Case Studies

In 2016 Mastercard approached us to help them launch a bespoke travel programme for their World Elite cardholders, transforming the airport experience from “lost time” to “me time”. We’ve been working with Mastercard for 17 years and our history together allowed us to uniquely understand how best to design an airport lounge programme for them. The Mastercard Airport Experiences programme was fully co-branded and included a tailored lounge set and exclusive Mastercard-owned lounges that weren’t available via LoungeKey or Priority Pass. Cardholders gain access via eligible World Elite cards or digital, in-app cards. Mastercard also had the ability to add additional airport benefits if desired.

In 1995, Saudia approached Collinson (then ICLP) about a global loyalty proposition for its customers. Following global trends in airline loyalty, Saudia wanted to establish the first international frequent flyer programme in the region. This coincided with the airline expanding its operations from the Middle East to global routes.

Today we continue to manage the Alfursan programme for Saudia end to end. This includes engagement, reporting, strategic direction, development, planning, design, delivery and analysis of all Alfursan communications in English and Arabic. We also manage Alfursan’s partnerships, which have extended beyond the travel segment to include financial partners and retailers. Partnerships are key to this programme and we have built a network of over 40 partners in the travel, financial and retail sectors, which we continually review. The programme has seen an increase in revenue driven from commercial partners year to year, increasing the number of members. It is the region’s longest-standing FFP.

Chase® needed a partner to provide VIP airport lounge access to their high net-worth credit card customers, including the Chase Sapphire Reserve® portfolio.

They were entering a market dominated by a competitor’s card product and needed to be able to compete effectively with that card’s lounge access package. Our Priority Pass lounge and experiences programme, with a worldwide network of over 1,300 lounges, provided Chase with the coverage to enter the market with the largest and most credible airport lounge programme included in their benefits package. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card was launched with tremendous success and has become a highly-valued premium travel card in the US market.

Uber, a global ride-sharing company, wanted to motivate and incentivise drivers in Saudi Arabia, to differentiate their offering and increase drivers’ satisfaction.

We provided consultancy services for the setup and ongoing management of a driver reward programme. This included programme development, hosting, reward fulfilment, member service support, communications, and ongoing operational support for the new points-based, tiered programme. The programme was run via a mobile app, available for iOS and Android in English and Arabic. It consisted of four tiers – Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Drivers who used the Uber app earned points based on the number of completed rides. Points could then be redeemed for online gift vouchers across a range of retail and telecom companies. Additionally, all members had access to offers on car-related services, travel, healthcare and more.

Collinson Valuedynamx has been working with Virgin Atlantic since 2014 and to build on this existing relationship, we recently partnered with Virgin Red to launch its new rewards programme. Virgin Red’s ambition is to become the go-to rewards programme for everything Virgin and beyond, attracting new customers through exclusive and relevant offers and making it easy to earn and spend Virgin Points – points which never expire. Virgin Red wanted to have offers that matched its goals, brand, and broad member profile to ultimately drive sales, revenue and repeat member engagement through points accrual while maintaining total creative control of their app and website. They wanted to remain the first point of contact for customer service while still having the opportunity to raise queries to Valuedynamx if further support was needed. Through SmartEarn’s Headless API (HAPI) solution, we were able to provide 45 key retailer offers at the ATL launch of Virgin Red, where members could earn across a range of online merchants by simply clicking on the app or website. Using the HAPI technology, Virgin Red was able to design the app and website and pull in offer content via API. All SmartEarn features, including new developments and security measures, are available for Virgin Red to use at the drop of a hat. Virgin Red also has access to our large base of merchant partners and generates revenue through commissions paid by merchants. By working with Valuedynamx, Virgin Red has been able to add many earn opportunities to its rewards programme and select brands that perform well, align with its brand values, and give its members a range of different options.

Leading global fintech, Revolut, joined forces with us in early 2019 to give their Premium and Metal customers access to airport lounges through LoungeKey Pass. Customers can purchase a single-use pass for themselves and any guests ahead of flying, and enjoy entry to more than 1,100 lounges at 500+ airports in over 100 countries. As an API solution that works in Revolut’s app, customers can seamlessly download a LoungeKey Pass when they want to visit a lounge of their choice. Revolut also wanted to provide a different airport lounge access option in the event of flight delays, so in February 2020 we launched SmartDelay for Revolut’s Premium and Metal users. Customers whose flights are delayed for an hour or more now receive a LoungeKey Pass for complimentary entry to our global LoungeKey network. Both benefits are available via a travel benefits hub in the Revolut app. Whether they want to start their holiday early, keep on top of work or ease the pain of a flight delay, Revolut's customers can now relax in the comfort of an airport lounge regardless of their type of ticket.

IAG Loyalty needed a partner to provide a technology platform and retailer network that would allow users to collect Avios when shopping online through Avios eStores. They also needed to go to market with a rebranded proposition across multiple airlines, within very restricted timelines, plus provide the scalability to achieve exponential growth of the member engagement YoY. With our off-the-shelf SmartEarn APIs solution, access to over 5,000 retailers worldwide, plus affiliate know-how and digital marketing fundamentals, we helped them build successful eStores for British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Vueling Club and AerClub. These give users access to over 2,000 retailers across four key markets, allowing them to earn Avios while doing their everyday shopping online.

Synchrony was working on an email campaign to provide their cardholders with offers relevant to staying at home during the COVID-19 crisis. We were enlisted to help and one of our first tasks was to make sure that the Synchrony offers wouldn’t compete against those being presented by their co-brand partners. Our ability to source offers through our affiliate partner network meant we were able to bring in some well-known retailers in the food delivery, meal prep, and media streaming services. Through working with us, Synchrony was able to provide relevant offers to their cardholders during a time when retail spending had plummeted, helping to keep their cardholders engaged.

Eurostar approached us to help combine their existing programmes into a single proposition on one new platform to work with their evolving technology. After the successful launch of their rewards programme, Club Eurostar, they needed a strategic partner to enhance their member experience strategy, plus a new solution to provide a seamless member experience and broaden the appeal of their programme through redemption. We built their loyalty platform using our SmartEngage product and integrated it with our SmartRedeem Store, making sure it could interact with Eurostar’s evolving interfaces. We also migrated 500k cleansed records to the new database. The platform enables Eurostar to run points earning and burning campaigns to support their wider commercial strategy. It extends the programme’s value while removing manual processes and reduces the cost of fulfilling rewards.

As a global leader in luxury beauty retail, Sephora needed a partner to help redevelop, launch and manage their new and improved loyalty programme across the GCC. With over 10 million loyalty members, Sephora wanted to transform their loyalty programme to deliver a personalised customer experience at every touch point, as well as offer personalised rewards that aligned with what their brand stands for: prestige, quality and luxury. We developed an effective three-tier loyalty program for Sephora Middle East. The exclusive upper tiers helped drive further engagement and encourage more spend over time and membership subscriptions. Up until 2018, we supported them in ongoing day-to-day programme management, communication strategy and execution. Today Collinson and Sephora have a newly repositioned partnership, managing and developing the creative design of the loyalty communications for Sephora.

Bayer needed a partner to help them add an emotional appeal to their transactional programme for customers. Competitors were offering B2C programmes that provided additional services, but Bayer’s programme was purely transactional. We provided Bayer with a strategic action plan for improving their programme and mapped all competitors’ programmes to see their strengths and weaknesses. Then, we supported Bayer to create a personalised communication lifecycle rule according to a patient’s treatment and their communication stage. Bayer now has a more robust programme with greater emotional appeal. Offering more than just a transactional benefit, it provides health services and products, discounts from partners, communications alerts and content to help patients learn more about their treatments.

We partnered with easyJet to give passengers relevant and dynamic insurance options, while Zurich provided underwriting. easyJet passengers are presented with products and tailored pricing if their booking matches certain profiles, such as sports or business travel. Depending on the persona purchasing the flights, bespoke add-ons are also offered; for example, enhanced gadget cover may be suggested to families.

As well as allowing customers to buy their insurance alongside their flights, we also created bespoke, standalone sites that customers can use to buy their travel insurance, plus provided support for sales, customer servicing, claims and assistance in 13 European markets.

Based in Singapore, but with a global reach, KrisFlyer was finding international member engagement a challenge. They wanted to increase engagement with their international base and allow these members to earn miles when they shop with local and global brands. They also wanted to be able to give their Singapore-based members access to brands and products available internationally, as well as provide more opportunities for their members to earn KrisFlyer miles when not travelling. KrisFlyer implemented SmartEarn, under the brand name of KrisFlyer Spree, giving members access to over 2,000 international merchants via one online shopping portal. This meant members could earn KrisFlyer miles through online shopping for everyday items. With these changes, KrisFlyer was able to establish a market-leading platform with an inventory made up of almost 70% international brands.

We’ve been working with Radisson since 2002, when they were looking for help to develop a loyalty programme in the EMEA regions. We delivered a business case, full programme design and RFP submission for the EMEA programme (at the time called Gold Points Plus) and launched in 2003. Since then, the programme has undergone a couple of revamps and relaunches, in 2011 as Club Carlson and in 2018 as Radisson Rewards. We’ve helped in various ways in supporting the programme and Radisson.

Fliggy, Alibaba’s OTP (Online Travel Platform) – a significant player in the travel arena in China with over 320 million members, made up of 60% milennials – required a bespoke, travel-related and China market-relevant solution that would serve to reward and ultimately retain its premium customers.

Effective since April 2021, Fliggy’s second highest tiered members (F3) are now able to redeem access to more than 190 airport lounges within Collinson’s lounge network in China (at over 60 major airports) to relax, unwind and recharge before boarding their flight.

Additionally, Fliggy’s F4 members – the highest tier of the loyalty programme – also have the opportunity to invite guests to enjoy the quiet, relaxing atmosphere, amenities, and services within the lounges.

Saga were looking for a new long-term partner and wanted to work with someone who was extremely customer-centric and could offer commercially attractive terms. By demonstrating how customers are at the heart of what we do and proving our competitiveness, we secured Saga and are now entering our fourth year as their strategic partner. We also introduced new product features that give greater flexibility and choice, while we continue to work closely with Saga’s Network and Operational teams to ensure a first-class customer journey.