Highlighting people, research and events that are making a difference in Loyalty Marketing

Kelly Mahoney Appointed CMO Ulta Beauty

Many of you know Kelly Mahoney from her presentations at CRMC. I’ve had the pleasure of presenting on the same agenda with Kelly in private client events and she is a powerhouse in person.

Kelly has been on a roll lately. First, we read about her participation at the “big game” this past February 9. Ulta kicked off the weekend hosting exclusive events designed to celebrate the incredible women of sports. The immersive and experiential events came complete with styling services & swag that honored the wives and girlfriends of players (WAGs) who have become entrepreneurs, influencers, and media personalities in their own right. To “seal the win,” Ulta Beauty was SZA’s partner in glam to help her get ready for her big moment. During the prep, she took to her socials to reveal the sneak peek look to her 22M+ followers before the show!

And this week, we see the announcement that Kelly will be stepping into the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Ulta Beauty! As she notes in this post, she is celebrating her 10th “Ulta-versary” with this incredible company, saying “I’m inspired by our commitment to harness the superpowers of beauty to unleash limitless possibilities and empower every beauty enthusiast. From building iconic brands and creating unforgettable experiences, our guests have always been at the heart of everything we do. I’m excited to shape the next chapter of this extraordinary brand.”

Strong Connections between Happiness and Customer Loyalty Inspired by Arthur Brooks

If you’ve never listened to the Rich Roll podcast, you might be missing out. Rich not only talks with world class athletes and thought leaders of all types but connects with academics who have lots to say impacting the business of Customer Loyalty. A recently released podcast had Arthur Brooks as the featured guest.

Arthur is a Harvard professor and behavioral scientist who has reshaped our understanding of human happiness. Brooks teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School and has created the Leadership and Happiness Laboratory. He provides happiness training and professional development to businesses, academia, government, and faith communities.

We like his statement that “At the Leadership and Happiness Laboratory, we believe that all great leaders should be happiness teachers. We share the science of happiness with leaders in academia, government, and business, and empower them to embed this knowledge in their work.”

Through our work studying human behavior theory at The Loyalty Academy, we believe that incorporating findings from research in behavioral science is key to reaching greater heights in Loyalty Marketing. Maybe it should be also said that “All great Loyalty Marketers should be happiness teachers.”

Comparing CEOs to Elite Athletes – The Future of Leadership

McKinsey has a new report out that caught our eye titled The CEO as elite athlete: What business leaders can learn from modern sports. Using Babe Ruth, LeBron James, Eliud Kipchoge, Mark Tuitert, Cristiano Ronaldo, Novak Djokovic, Bryson DeChambeau, Manny Pacquiao, Simon Biles and Muhammad Ali as examples, the paper cites key attributes that characterize elite athletes, and which form a framework for the modern CEO to follow for success.

You should read this article, but here is the outline of the structure that McKinsey wisely recommends:

• Use your time purposefully
• Perfect the art of recovery
• Always keep learning
• Embrace data and analytics
• Be adaptable and resilient

You don’t have to be a CEO to benefit from this article, but the framework in here could help you accelerate your path to success.

In Memory of Chris Jacobs

We lost one of the OGs of customer loyalty. Neeta Dhorajiwala posted, with deep sadness, the passing of Chris Jacobs last week. As she shared, “Chris was more than just a loyalty expert—he was a mentor, a visionary, and above all, a true believer in me. His guidance, wisdom, and unwavering support shaped not only my journey but also the way I approach business and loyalty innovation.”

Chris worked in business systems for over 35 years, the last 15 of which have been exclusively in consumer-focused marketing applications. He was a well-respected figure in the loyalty and payments industry, known for his deep expertise, strategic thinking, and passion for building meaningful customer engagement. He was personally involved in the design and implementation of over 80 programs including Boots, Barclaycard Freedom, BP, Nectar, Vodafone, O2, Oscar and others in the UK and Europe.

Chris graduated in Computational and Statistical Science and held a number of Board positions at Thorn EMI Software before forming his own retail consultancy company, subsequently acquired by a UK plc. He founded Loyalty Logic in 1997 and remained as Managing Director until it was merged within The Logic Group in January 2006.

He will be missed by many. RIP Chris Jacobs.