The Story Wave 62

British Airways’ Rewards Program Revamp Impacts Customer Loyalty – Case Study

Since 1982, British Airways has used its Executive Club to strengthen customer loyalty – offering frequent fliers redeemable points for flights, travel upgrades, and discounts. In December, British Airways announced a change to their rewards program name – the British Airways Club – and how fliers earned points – but many customers weren’t onboard with the changes:

• Customers voiced their concerns about the new system, which would benefit higher-paying travelers over price-sensitive passengers who frequently fly economy.
• Looking at British Airways’ QuestBrand data, we saw the airline’s positive brand momentum drop after the announced changes.
• Customers’ vocal pushback encouraged British Airways to alter its planned program updates just a month later.
• British Airways opened opportunities for fliers to qualify for tiers based on their number of flights taken and extended their bonus tier point system.
• Customers reacted positively to British Airways’ revised plans, and the airline’s positive brand momentum rebounded in February. 

Read the full case study to see the importance of developing a customer-centric rewards program to foster loyalty.

20 Brands Catching Baby Boomers’ Attention Now – Ad Age-Harris Poll

A recent Ad Age-Harris Poll uses QuestBrand data to rank the top 20 brands by quarter-over-quarter brand equity growth among Baby Boomers (ages 61-79). The top five growth brands from Q3 to Q4 2024 are listed below. 

Insights on Modelo’s growth: “Modelo’s brand equity surge reflects a confluence of cultural and market forces—the rise of Mexican imports, shifting preferences favoring premium beers, and seasonal tailwinds heading into the holidays. While millennials have fueled Modelo’s rise to the #1 beer in America since June 2023, this momentum is now reaching older generations. Once tied to younger drinkers and multicultural consumers, Modelo is going mainstream—proof that even legacy-loyal boomers aren’t immune to its cultural and market impact.” – Harris Poll co-CEO Will Johnson

Click here for the full list of brands, and to discover how these brands captured the attention of America’s Baby Boomers.

The Impact Of Social Commerce – UK & DE Report

The average British and German adult spends more than 500 hours per year plugged into their favorite social media channels. It naturally follows that companies have followed suit and actively sell to consumers through social media. Throughout this report, we employ QuestBrand and custom Harris Poll survey data to explore how British and German consumers use social media platforms to purchase goods and services.

• Social media isn’t just for scrolling: More than half of British (58%) and German (56%) adults report that that have used social media to purchase an item directly.
• “I definitely need that!”: The majority of social media shoppers (71% British, 71% German) say that most of their social media purchases are for non-essential items.
• A tool for brand discovery: 34% of British, and 25% of German, consumers have discovered some of their favorite brands/products through social media.
• Ad overload: More than 70% of British and German consumers say they often feel like they are being advertised to on social media even when they are not viewing ads.

Download the report.