[ FROM THE EDITOR ]
HOW TO FARM
T
he first brand-loyalty experience
I ever had involved John Deere.
I grew up on a dairy farm that relied
on the green and yellow tractor –
was Mr Deere a Springboks fan?
I always wondered – to plough the
fields, pull my mother’s old Datsun, or rescue an
unfortunate cow from the mud (the two are
not to be confused), drive the silage maker,
and raise the dam wall.
I carried lunch to my father in the fields as he
toiled back and forth on the machine, tilling soil,
slashing hay or planting seeds. I loved the sound
and smell of it. For as long as the John Deere kept
gunda-gundaring (“gunda-gunda” is the Zulu
name for a tractor), all was fine on the farm.
I hadn’t thought about my childhood love
for John Deere for many years, but, as I have
worked through the articles for this, the first
edition of Rewards & Loyalty SA, the brand has
been on my mind once more. What was it
about John Deere that won my loyalty?
Winning or earning a customer’s loyalty is, as
you’ll learn on the pages that follow, not an
easy thing to do. It requires strategies, data,
analysis, technology and often complex
initiatives with many layers, tiers and provisos.
As is explained on page 46, it depends
on a brand’s ability to provide excellent
customer service and, as is described on page
30, careful management and application of
technology, data and customer engagement.
Just because it is possible to learn more about
customers than ever does not guarantee that
a company understands exactly what inspires
them. If you’re going to reward people, you’ve
got to be sure they’ll want what you offer or
your efforts and money will be wasted. And
then there are the millennials (page 80),
soon to constitute the largest group of
consumers … what is it they want?
My father – and grandfather before him –
did not earn points or win prizes for buying
John Deere tractors. And that’s not just because
they could only afford second-hand models.
There were no promises of free holidays or even
a complimentary cup of coffee for remaining
true to the tractor. We were loyal to John Deere
because the tractors were robust and reliable.
They did what the manufacturer promised
they would do. Of course, we were also
loyal to John Deere because, at the time,
there weren’t many (any?) other marques
to choose from.
Indeed, things have changed a great deal
since. Consumers can choose from vast ranges
of products, services and brands. We can buy
from anywhere in the world without leaving
home. Our phones and computers ping
incessantly with offers. Everyone wants to
be your brand. Loyalty is no longer a muddy
green and yellow tractor in the field. It’s a
quagmire of an industry that is as fascinating
as it is complex.
We hope you’ll find Rewards & Loyalty SA
as interesting to read as it has been to write.
Penny Haw
Editor
8
R E WA R D S & L O YA LT Y S A
PIcasso Headline (Pty) Ltd
Times Media Building
Central Park, Black River Park
Fir Street, Observatory 7925
Tel: +27 21 469 2400 | Fax: +27 86 682 2926
EDITORIAL
Editor: Penny Haw
Content Manager: Raina Julies
Copy Editors: Lynn Berggren, Lauren Smith
Contributors: Katy Chance, Mandy Collins,
Bas de Vos, Georgina Guedes, Joyce Monson,
Tamara Oberholster, Babalwa Shota,
Gus Silber, Stephen Timm
DESIGN
Head of Design: Jayne Macé-Ferguson
Design Team: Anja Hagenbuch, Archie Ndzo,
Nichole Liedeman
Cover Image: rawpixel.com/shutterstock.com
SALES
Project Manager: Andrew Green
[email protected] | +27 21 469 2469
Sales Team: Stephen Crawford, Merryl Klein,
Andre Potgieter, Alec Rompleman,
Andre Theunissen, Debbie Zokufa
PRODUCTION
Production Editor: Shamiela Brenner
Advertising Co-ordinator:
Merle Baatjes
Subscriptions and Distribution:
Shihaam Adams
MAN AGEMENT
Senior Bookkeeper: Deidre Musha
Business Manager: Lodewyk van der Walt
General Manager: Magazines:
Jocelyne Bayer
Copyright: Picasso Headline. No portion of this
magazine may be reproduced in any form without
written consent of the publishers. The publishers are not
responsible for unsolicited material . Rewards & Loyalty
SA is published by Picasso Headline Reg: 59/01754/07.
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of
Picasso Headline. All advertisements/advertorials and
promotions have been paid for and therefore do not
carry any endorsement by the publishers.
LOYALTY
PUBLISHED BY: