I’ve been focused on brand and communities this week.

Yesterday, we talked about internal customers (the people who work for your company) and how brand can be developed from the inside out.  Today, let’s look at external brand loyalists and an example of a loyalty program that, at the very least, keeps me coming back.

Here’s what I mean:

Treats vs. Staples

My office is a block down the street from Katzinger’s, a very well-known and wonderfully tasty delicatessen with great service.  That last link will show you some of the reviews that local spot has received on Yelp.  I’ve even written about the Katzingers before and some of the great experiences I’ve had as a customer.  It’s one of my favorite lunch spots in Columbus, and it’s closeby.

Yet Katzingers has become a lunch treat, not a staple.

The loyalty program at Subway, coupled with their $5 Footlong program is why I go back regularly.  It’s the extra hook that keeps my attention and places Subway at the top of my mind around 11:30 a.m. each day.  What’s more is that I’m not alone.  Go to your local Subway at lunchtime and check out how my people order from the $5 menu, and if yours is a franchise that buys into the card program, take notice of how many people approach the counter with their card in hand.  While I don’t have the actually statistics, it always appears to be a solid majority of the customers in line.

Make Loyalty Easier

Mobile is everywhere.  Apps are everywhere.  How could Subway enhance the customer experience of brand loyalists using an iPhone or Droid?  What type of functionality would be helpful to carry around with you in your pocket, in terms of visiting your favorite lunch spot?

I’d love to see a Subway iPhone App that not only let me check my reward points, but also allowed me to place my order in advance.  Building on the fact that I get the same sandwich from Subway on almost every visit (as brand loyalists often do), developing functionality that allows me to set up my order preferences would be huge.  What would be even cooler is if the iPhone App could tie into my Foursquare check-in data at the location and send the pre-populated content of my order preference to a monitor behind the counter – so that my sub was ready by the time I walked into the store.

Subway probably isn’t going to find a way to build a better tuna melt.  In my mind, there doesn’t seem to be much room to improve the product and keep the price in check.  Where they might be able to improve, however, regards the delivery of their product and the customer experience around receiving it.

What do you think?

nateriggs

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