[Editor's Note: Southwest Airlines improves Rapid Rewards program.] Natalie Avon - CNN Travel - 1/6/11 Southwest Airlines is taking its rewards program from what one industry expert calls "anemic" to competitive with the unveiling of an improved Rapid Rewards program.

"This is very big," Tim Winship, editor-at-large for SmarterTravel.com said of the changes, which are aimed at making it easier for members to earn and redeem points.

"This move by Southwest is going to prompt a lot of internal discussion at the major airlines about what it means to them, what their competitive response should be and then so on," Winship said. Read the full story.

[Editor's Note: Redskins Foursquare loyalty program results beat expectations.] Casey Hibbard - Social Media Examiner - 12/28/10 Washington Redskins fans are some of the most devoted when it comes to supporting their team, donning full Native American headdresses, painted faces and hog noses. ...

[Editor's Note: Facebook program is another way to keep customers happy.] Juan Martinez - DM News - 12/16/10 Multichannel retailer The Golf Warehouse launched a program December 15 offering 25 Facebook credits for purchases of gift cards. ...

[Editor's Note: Programs are becoming more flexible.] Dianna Dilworth - DM News - 12/1/10 Loyalty programs remain an important component in marketer's customer retention programs, but marketers today ...

[Editor's Note: Loyalty in an online world.] Amalia Agathou - The Next Web - 11/29/10 “I promise to cherish and buy you in richness and in debt till Groupon tears us apart.”

Is this what loyalty t ...

[Editor's Note: Safeway, PepsiCo, and Foursquare start pilot loyalty program to change how shoppers think about location-based rewards.] Jennifer Van Grove - Mashable - 11/19/10 Safeway and PepsiCo are teaming up with Foursquare to reinvent the way grocery store shoppers think about location-based rewards and checkins. As part of the deal, Safeway has integrated Foursquare into its VonsClub loyalty program for a three-month pilot program that kicks off today. ...

[Editor's Note: Turn customers into friends, advisors, and partners to build loyalty.] Yolando Brunow - EzineMark.com - 11/14/10 In my opinion, there's two ways to build a well-known, enduring brand:

...

[Editor's Note: Targeted content strengthens customer loyalty for vets.] Sherry Chiger - Direct - 11/15/10 When HealthyPet decided to segment its email database, it didn’t fool around. Today the publisher, which produces email and direct mail appointment reminders and educational content on behalf of more than 4,000 veterinarians nationwide, sends more than 130 versions of its enewsletter. Since launching the targeted emails in January 2010, HealthyPet has seen its unique click rate triple, and its click-to-open rate is now 2.7 times higher than a year ago. ...

[Editor's Note: "Localism" can be a powerful customer loyalty tool.] Steven Bisbee - DM News - 11/15/10 Consumers recognize that their money is power and, in increasing numbers, they are beginning to embrace the collective impact of spending it in their own backyards. They are often opting, for example, for family-owned restaurants over national chains, corner cafes over international coffee franchises and even grocery stores offering locally grown produce over the most price-competitive super-stores. ...

[Editor's Note: Loyalty-Card Apps that can ferret out marketing data.] Issie Lapowsky - Inc. - 11/1/10 Loyalty cards, those punch cards or those little plastic fobs dangling from countless key rings ...

[Editor's Note: Using e-mail to keep customers loyal.] Dianna Dilworth - DM News - 11/1/10 If you're a member of the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, you have probably received e-mails that confirm a booked flight. You might also notice that these e-mails contain suggestions for hotels near your destination. After the flight, it's likely that you'll receive another e-mail asking you to rate the experience. Other e-mails report the status of your frequent flier miles. ...

[Editor's Note: Columbia uses mixed media marketing to hit younger market.] Mercedes Cardona - DM News - 9/26/10 Columbia Sportswear is using a variety of direct and experiential marketing efforts to boost traditional media as part of its latest product launch. ...

[Editor's Note: Big brands spent big for different reasons.] Michael Learmonth - Advertising Age - 9/6/10 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Before BP could stem the oil gusher at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, it unleashed $100 million in ad spending, largely on network TV, to stem the damage to its image. But it also started spending heavily where it had never spent much before: buying ads in Google's search results. ...

[Editor's Note: Growers use integrated campaign for baby carrot market.] Ryan Chatelain - DM News - 9/3/10 The baby carrot industry is conducting an integrated marketing campaign to convince consumers that the vegetable isn't just for health nuts. ...

[Editor's Note: Don't create a divide between you and your customers.] Ryan Chatelain - DM News - 8/25/10 If you're looking for one of the worst examples of customer relationship management, look toward Columbia, SC. ...

[Editor's Note: Campaign promotes the benefits of low-fat chocolate milk.] Shahnaz Mahmud - DM News - 8/23/10 The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) launched a mobile rewards program targeting teens as part of its overall campaign to promote the benefits of low-fat chocolate milk. ...

[Editor's Note: E-mails aim to get fans in the seats.] Shahnaz Mahmud - DM News - 8/12/10 Major League Soccer and the New York Red Bulls franchise sent out an e-mail blast August 9 to increase ticket ...

[Editor's Note: Orbitz uses mixed media for new marketing campaign.] Ryan Chatelain - DM News - 7/16/10 Orbitz Worldwide launched an integrated marketing campaign July 15 that aims to assure traveler ...

[Editor's Note: Customer survey leads to program change.] Shahnaz Mahmud - DM News - 7/2/10 JetBlue Airways launched a campaign June 30 to acquire new members for its customer loyalty program, “TruBlue.” ...

[Editor's Note: Personalized customer engagement will be rewarded.] Christopher Petix - DM News - 6/30/10 The American businesses that have the strongest bottom lines right now are those that enjoy the strongest brand loyalty. More and more organizations have come to this realization and as a result are looking at how their online marketing activity can help to gain visibility for and engagement with their brands. ...

[Editor's Note: Use online loyalty promotions to reward your customers in real-time.] Brady Brewer et al. - DM News - 6/21/10 Marketers are finding new ways to improve their customer loyalty programs ...

[Editor's Note: Voice of the customer. engagement. loyalty...what are we talking about?] Mark Johnson - Destination CRM - 6/17/10 Voice of the customer. Engagement. Loyalty.

What do these buzzwords mean? How do we use them to drive value? Where are the best practices? ...

[Editor's Note: Some people just like to compete, Make it work for your business.] Rajani Baburajan - TMC - 6/11/10 Social media tools like Facebook (News - Alert) and Twitter are bringing revoluti ...

[Editor's Note: Good customer service means loyal customers.] Windsor Pennicott - JOBS & BUSINESS - 6/14/10 1. Customer service is all about customers’ needs first and your needs second.

If your customers expect a response from you in 24 hours and you always respond much later, that’s putting your needs first and their needs second. ...

[Editor's Note: Two companies are looking to former customers in marketing plan.] Iris Dorbian - DM News - 6/14/10 Cable television network A&E has partnered with bookseller Barnes & Noble to promote the July 11 premier of crime mystery series The Glades. The companies are mailing the book version of the show's pilot episode to Barnes & Noble customers. Agency Fathom Communications created the effort, which began June 9. ...

[Editor's Note: Hospitality guests put high value on other customer reviews when making decisions.] Jennifer Macera - Cornell School of Hotel Administration - 5/28/10 The hospitality industry continu ...

[Editor's Note: Customers today want genuine concern in exchange for their brand loyalty.] Don Roy - Marketing DR - 5/24/10 One of the most significant effects of the recession (which may be over acc ...

[Editor's Note: Customer communication is key.] Adriana Noton - Local Marketing Ideas - 5/18/10 As a business owner or anyone who works with customers, your main goal is to get customer loyalty. You want those customers to keep coming back for more. While many different places are creating cards that gives those who have them incentives to practice this, many of these places have forgotten the old fashioned things that creates this. What are some of those things? ...

[Editor's Note: Loyal customers make introducing new products and services easier.] Julie Ann Ross - ArticleSnatch - 5/16/10 Customer loyalty is one of the most elusive goals in business. If a company is able to develop a loyal, happy customer base, they're able to differentiate their brand, introduce new products and services with little risk, and greatly increase their profits each quarter. Without customer loyalty, however, it's almost impossible to survive in competitive business markets. ...

[Editor's Note: Trend likely to persist.] - MarketingProfs - 5/5/10 Driven by the need to save money during the economic downturn, consumers have been revoking their allegiance to brands in the past two years, and many have opted for cheaper brands across a variety of product categories, according to a new study from comScore. ...