AI Roundtable
The Lacek Group’s artificial intelligence (AI) team—with members from across agency functions—takes a proactive response to...
What if marketers could create a highly personalized communications plan for every individual in a database? What if the personalization was reflected across more than just content, but also cadence, preferred channel, layout, offers, and more? Further, what if a marketing plan could adapt in real-time to meet each customer’s evolving preferences and needs? That’s infinite personalization.
Continue ReadingThe Lacek Group’s artificial intelligence (AI) team—with members from across agency functions—takes a proactive response to...
In a digital age brimming with communication channels, email remains a cornerstone for building brand devotion. In fact, 87%...
Imagine this: After months of caffeine-fueled meetings, focus groups, and data deep dives, your team rolls out innovative...
In an era of rapidly advancing technology and shifting customer expectations, brands are grappling with the challenge of how...
What if marketers could create a highly personalized communications plan for every individual in a database? What if the...
Emotional loyalty—the personal connections and sentimental bonds consumers have with certain brands—is not about how often a...
As the impact of social channels grows, the number of social media brand ambassadors continues to rise as well. Many brands...
Marketers put a lot of focus on connecting with Gen Z—who are sometimes called Zoomers—but older generations still drive...
Today’s brands are navigating extraordinary change at what feels like an accelerating pace. Consumer expectations are...
Strategically designed partnerships can create a revenue-enhancing synergy that boosts loyalty and devotion for the...
Marketers put a lot of focus on connecting with Gen Z—who are sometimes called zoomers—but older generations still drive...
Would you turn over your client’s brand creative to artificial intelligence, start to finish? For most marketing agencies,...
Strategically designed partnerships can create a revenue-enhancing synergy that boosts loyalty and devotion for the...
The Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 is proposed legislation, with bipartisan support, aimed at reducing credit card...
Loyalty programs build customer devotion and provide brands an array of financial benefits including incremental sales,...
Marketers put a lot of focus on connecting with Gen Z—who are sometimes called zoomers—but older generations still drive...
An estimated 20% to 70% of customer relationship management (CRM) projects either fail to improve company performance or...
Introducing a new series Developments in artificial intelligence (AI) dominate the zeitgeist. AI’s implications for...
Launch a community collaboration that delivers Corporate social responsibility (CSR) matters to consumers and employees. In...
From an early age, badges inspire us to set goals, motivate us to keep trying, and reward us for a job well done. Whether...
Positive brand perception—how customers and potential customers view a brand and its values—remains a vital component of...
Like it or not, influencers are here to stay. Fueled by the growing numbers of Gen Zers entering the workforce and the...
Marketers frequently refer to text messaging as marketing’s most underutilized channel. Brands use text messaging in many...
In software development, quality assurance (QA) plays a pivotal role in ensuring reliability and functionality of your...
Good intentions pave the way for marketers building and launching a loyalty program. Unfortunately, without loyalty...
Our experts dusted off their crystal balls (which is to say, they mined decades of combined insights and innovative...
Previously, in our series on tiered recognition, we explored why brands personalize perks and benefits for their...
Loyalty programs that reward customers for repeated and incremental spending are popular with consumers and brands—and for...
Listen to or read riffs on the latest topics and trends from our colleagues across the agency. We’d love to hear what you...
Love it or hate, dark mode appears here to stay. In fact, industry estimates show that one-third of emails (34%) are opened...
It’s a landmark anniversary around here, and we’re embracing it. Bring out the candles, the cake, and the list of...
Listen to or read riffs on the latest topics and trends from our colleagues across the agency. We’d love to hear what you...
Celebrating a Landmark Anniversary! For 30 years, The Lacek Group has been trailblazing, inventing, and designing...
Positive brand perception—how customers and potential customers view a brand and its values—remains a vital component of...
Second in a Three-Part Series on Tiered Recognition In the first installment of our series on tiered recognition, we...
Despite rapidly emerging technologies and post-pandemic societal shifts, customer loyalty is the lifeblood of successful...
Here’s our latest roundtable, an occasional series that gathers a group of Lacek experts and invites them to reflect on some...
As a summer intern at The Lacek Group, I’ve spent the past several weeks researching how Gen Z interacts with our favorite...
Leveraging Chance-to-Win Promotions Few things generate as much excitement as the prospect of winning a big prize. Though...
Entertainment juggernaut Taylor Swift has earned her reputation as arguably the world’s most successful singer-songwriter...
Customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives and loyalty programs, by their nature, include customer and member...
Listen to or read riffs on the latest topics and trends from our colleagues across the agency. We’d love to hear what you...
In recent years, it’s become common for organizations to advocate for diversity and inclusion. And that’s a cultural turn...
In today’s highly competitive market, the pursuit of customer loyalty has taken center stage as a pivotal driver of business...
Today, almost all businesses (90%) have some form of loyalty program. With that level of saturation, customers understand...
Since the early 1960s, TV viewers have been fascinated by the futuristic way of life depicted in Hanna-Barbera’s iconic...
The Lacek Group, and our employees, are committed to engaging with—and giving back to—the communities where we live and...
Being a person of color in the corporate world can be daunting. While that may not be news to many, it’s worth considering...
In the context of the internet, schema is a structured method of marking up data that makes it easier for machines to...
Loyalty programs are just one element driving overall customer loyalty. Well-executed customer relationship management (CRM)...
If you read the first installment of this series, you know that modern privacy regulations now cover the personal data of...
If you use social media, you’ve likely encountered influencers sharing advice on how to live, where to go, what to wear,...
You’ve probably already encountered this decision: Will you embrace the light or lean into the dark? In the context of...
Part One of a Two-Part Series Data breaches and the ripple-effect damage they initiate have consumers increasingly worried...
While promotions and discounts drive sales, genuine brand loyalty comes from a deeper connection and a sense of shared...
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an important focus in today’s workplace. In fact, companies are expected these...
While consumers prepare for a potential downturn, your brand could be finely tuning your loyalty program. Develop a plan to...
The Lacek Group lives our promise to support access to education for Minnesota students who identify as Black, Indigenous,...
Secrets to identifying, courting, and achieving success with “the one.” Brands understand the value of a great partnership,...
Does your customer loyalty program achieve its intended objectives? If you had to think twice about your response, it’s...
Finding true love with your customers takes emotion, anticipation and more. Your customers may not send bouquets to your...
Feeling the pinch of inflation, and under the shadow of a potential recession, experts expect consumers will focus more on...
Imagine you’re a marketing leader who’s spent months—and hundreds of thousands of dollars—preparing to launch a new or...
While we know that consumers value the opinions of their favorite influencers, attitudes toward traditional influencer...
This white paper uncovers opportunities to create long-term relationships across health sectors through proven loyalty...
Let the Loyalty and CRM Experts Help You Get Ahead of Consumer Expectations Looking ahead to the new year, we’ve identified...
Candy Crush Saga, Roblox, Pokémon GO, Wordle, League of Legends—there’s a good chance that you, or someone close to you, is...
The early days of e-commerce ushered in a debate that continues today: Is the future of retail brick-and-mortar stores or...
A staggering 3.5 million emails are sent per second worldwide—many of them painstakingly designed by marketers to inspire...
According to Richard Branson, “Take care of your employees and they will take care of your business. It’s as simple as...
Gen Z: Setting Trends & Showing the Receipts A digitally native generation with the world available at its fingertips, Gen Z...
According to prevailing sentiment, customer service is dead. While baby boomers lament the loss of the personalized...
Conducting consumer research is a time-tested and effective way to inform loyalty program decisions. Moreover, qualitative...
Winning the Inbox: Intro The Lacek Group has years of well-established expertise in loyalty strategy development, engagement...
How to maximize search results for your brand’s loyalty program It’s a pretty safe bet that you’ve used a search engine as...
For the past two years, supply-chain issues have frustrated suppliers and consumers alike. In October 2021, Adobe reported...
Few events affected Americans’ shopping habits as swiftly and profoundly as COVID-19. In the earliest days of the global...
Retail therapy—that little jolt of happiness we experience when we make a purchase (or two or three) online or in-store—is...
Expectations for corporate social responsibility (CSR), like so many parts of our social fabric, are evolving. Amid changing...
Grab your free Big Gulp (or perhaps a free Starbucks Venti iced coffee), thanks to your membership rewards, and buckle up!...
Louder, please In the crowded marketplace of our fast-paced, distracted world, it’s imperative for your brand voice to...
Buy now, pay later (BNPL)—a purchasing option that’s more than simply a contemporary version of layaway—is trending with...
Financial models are only as good as the educated guesses that inform them. If the underlying assumptions are on target, an...
The crisis and stress of the pandemic created a widespread reconsideration of individual priorities. That shift in thinking...
As copyeditors, we live under a cloud of misconceptions about our work. So we (Lacek’s five copyeditors, a team that boasts...
2020’s three largest forces—the pandemic, civil unrest, and divisive politics—continue to have far-reaching impacts on both...
And nurturing loyalty will help you build it. In today’s tumultuous world, trust is hard won. Overall consumer trust is...
The Changing Look of Loyalty No matter which side of your brain does the thinking about customer loyalty, you’ll find...
Four email campaigns to help marketers fill that gap Conventional wisdom says email marketing requires explicit permission....
Loyalty is an attribute we highly prize in our personal and professional relationships. And companies value customer loyalty...
Here’s the long version. A loyal customer isn’t a forever customer. Our global survey of more than 6,500 people shows that...
Partnerships continue to be an important tool for deepening customer loyalty. The right partners give users a reason to...
Loyalty programs have long been a popular marketing strategy, allowing brands to identify, recognize, and reward customers...
The future of loyalty is more human and more creative than ever. Why? Because the past year has accelerated changes in the...
Extended reality (XR) experiences first hit the mainstream as an innovation of video game technology. Now marketers are...
CHAPTER 1: Personalize Your Tech Stack (Whatever It Is) to Improve Customer Value Management CHAPTER 2: Data Curation: Four...
Now’s the time for loyalty marketers to take action Last year at this time, the business landscape looked promising with...
While rewarding profitable customers with experiential rewards isn’t a new concept, customers’ mindsets and commerce habits...
Young people today differ dramatically from the young people of even a few years ago in multiple ways: They’re diverse—and...
Experiential marketing aims to reach customers through branded sensory experiences that create a memorable impact. The...
After the long pandemic slowdown, travel is returning in fits and spurts. According to the U.S. Travel Association’s June...
Fresh off of being recognized by Forrester as a Leader in Loyalty, we sat down with CEO of The Lacek Group Bill Baker to...
Loyalty programs are good business—and they’re everywhere. They’re often free to join and begin with a simple and free...
Living a Fully Jewish Life Six months after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh where 11 people were killed...
Gamify to Boost Customer Engagement Every parent knows a contest or game can transform many situations by redirecting kids’...
Roundtable Discussion — Jon Fjalstad, Tyler Love and Courtney Wendell The Lacek Group is well into its third decade of...
Enjoy your vacation all the more when you earn and redeem loyalty points wherever you go. Grab your free Big Gulp (or...
Traditional annual performance reviews don’t cut it. Not only does no one like them—employee or supervisor—but they also...
When was the first time you realized your race? When was the first time you didn’t feel included? These are just two of the...
You don’t have to look too far to find racist and sexist advertising. Recent high-profile examples include a Dolce & Gabbana...
The concept of loyalty in healthcare started popping up in niche publications around 2016 and soon gained traction in more...
A successful loyalty program has three equally important parts: a compelling value proposition, operational feasibility, and...
Brand partnerships are often framed as business opportunities or a way to solve a pain point in the customer journey. Both...
Shifting consumer needs disrupted the retail status quo. In the direct-to-consumer (DTC) category, brands are adapting their...
Over the past year, we’ve experienced the most dramatic and sustained slowdown in travel in modern history. The pandemic...
Continuing the Long Journey to Becoming an Anti-Racist Agency Despite last year’s progress toward uplifting and amplifying...
Developing strong relationships with customers has always been critical for brands to build a successful business, and this...
Digital marketing needs to accommodate consumers’ post-pandemic outlook. During the first few months of the COVID-19...
Customer experience as a topic has dominated thought leadership in trade magazines, blogs, and consulting publications the...
Zero-party data is heating up. Google the term and you’ll find thousands of results, from simple definitions to “complete”...
New year, new opportunities. The pandemic isn’t over yet, but the end is in sight. Consider focusing on five pivotal trends...
An agile marketing leader shares her insights into the popular approach. After attending an agile marketing boot camp a...
Starting the Long Journey Toward Being an Anti-Racist Agency Last summer employees at The Lacek Group, like people around...
Trust, but verify. You’re likely familiar with the phrase. It’s a translation of a Russian proverb that boils down to the...
A recent report from Forrester* rated The Lacek Group and 13 other agencies across 22 different criteria. Our total score...
When we think of how optimization can enhance loyalty programs, its impact can be significant—ensuring the best design,...
The global and digital nature of modern commerce means consumers have more choices than ever. Almost no brand can count on a...
Customer Relationship Management has been around for decades, making a big impact on countless organizations’ bottom lines....
Discover opportunities with advanced analytics to turn your current loyalists into advocates. Brands today face...
Over the past couple of years, a surge of lawsuits has targeted business websites that weren’t compliant with the American...
No one knows with certainty how the retail landscape will shake out over the next several months. Despite that, our team of...
Creating relationships that offer a true sense of belonging Visit a new website and the brand likely welcomes you to its...
Demonstrate loyalty to your customers by supporting them in new ways and showing them compassion. When will things return to...
You’ve likely already sent out a communication to customers, acknowledging the pandemic; recognizing their worries; and...
There's more than one option to drive loyalty. It depends on your brand, your customers, and their needs. Check out these...
1 - Create emotional engagement Personalize communications and experiences by leveraging data. Data can provide deep...
Understand and enable personalization in your business via cooking. Personalization is a topic that can strike fear in...
Do your loyalty program members clamor for surprise benefits? Or valuable basics like exclusive discounts? Today’s...
A Gen Zer shares marketing insights on forging meaningful connections with her influential generation. Young adults who make...
It’s common practice in the marketing communications world to use paid ads—social, video, display, and search—to generate...
The top five reasons loyalty programs fail, and what to do about them. The initial structure and design of a loyalty program...
A loyalty marketing expert shares her wisdom on building a powerful social media strategy for retailers. Just when you think...
Operationalizing marketing's bigger role in ag Ag business, like many B2B industries, is feeling the disruption from the...
Forrester Research included The Lacek Group among its featured providers in a Now Tech report, Tools and Technology: The...
What if marketers could create a highly personalized communications plan for every individual in a database? What if the...
An estimated 20% to 70% of customer relationship management (CRM) projects either fail to improve company performance or...
While consumers prepare for a potential downturn, your brand could be finely tuning your loyalty program. Develop a plan to...
This white paper uncovers opportunities to create long-term relationships across health sectors through proven loyalty...
Let the Loyalty and CRM Experts Help You Get Ahead of Consumer Expectations Looking ahead to the new year, we’ve identified...
Gen Z: Setting Trends & Showing the Receipts A digitally native generation with the world available at its fingertips, Gen Z...
2020’s three largest forces—the pandemic, civil unrest, and divisive politics—continue to have far-reaching impacts on both...
Here’s the long version. A loyal customer isn’t a forever customer. Our global survey of more than 6,500 people shows that...
The future of loyalty is more human and more creative than ever. Why? Because the past year has accelerated changes in the...
Traditional annual performance reviews don’t cut it. Not only does no one like them—employee or supervisor—but they also...
Customer experience as a topic has dominated thought leadership in trade magazines, blogs, and consulting publications the...
New year, new opportunities. The pandemic isn’t over yet, but the end is in sight. Consider focusing on five pivotal trends...
Over the past couple of years, a surge of lawsuits has targeted business websites that weren’t compliant with the American...
No one knows with certainty how the retail landscape will shake out over the next several months. Despite that, our team of...
Do your loyalty program members clamor for surprise benefits? Or valuable basics like exclusive discounts? Today’s...
It’s common practice in the marketing communications world to use paid ads—social, video, display, and search—to generate...
The top five reasons loyalty programs fail, and what to do about them. The initial structure and design of a loyalty program...
Operationalizing marketing's bigger role in ag Ag business, like many B2B industries, is feeling the disruption from the...