Executive Interview with Emily Rugaber, VP of Marketing, Thanx

Emily Rugaber, VP of Marketing at Thanx is an expert in digital transformation, loyalty, and data-driven restaurant marketing. She wrote the definitive guide on Restaurant Digital Maturity and authors the Loyalty Disrupt newsletter.

I met Emily through a PR outreach, and our quick introductory call opened the window to a deeper conversation. Emily has been VP Marketing at loyalty provider Thanx for the past six years. Prior to joining Thanx, Emily consulted Fortune 500 clients such as SAP, Nestle, and Target on business intelligence, marketing, and AI projects.

In this interview, you’ll benefit from her immensely relevant take on the state of the restaurant industry as we discuss the challenges which originated during the pandemic, many of which remain open today.

We talk about the current effectiveness of loyalty programs in the restaurant industry – specifically QSR and Casual Dining – and Emily shares findings from current research that shows 80% of restaurants are frustrated with their existing loyalty program.

Emily also notes that about 60% of her current new client work is oriented towards loyalty technology replacements and that many clients are seeking to invest further in guest engagement and loyalty solutions. The need for change is evident and the restaurant industry is embracing a customer loyalty renaissance in response.

We also talk about loyalty program performance and how too many marketers are focused on “vanity metrics.” Emily maps out the critical elements of a loyalty program dashboard, showing why “Reach, Impact and Cost” are the centerpiece of the dashboards that Thanx is building for its clients.

This is an opportunity to get an insider’s view on restaurant loyalty and to benefit from insights that will help you chart a course for success in your organization.

A guide for the time-starved

1:07 – Who is Emily Rugaber?

2:10 – The Biggest Challenges in the Restaurant Industry

5:01 – Third Party Marketplaces & Customer Data

7:06 – Current State of Restaurant Loyalty Programs

9:53 – Vanity Metrics and Loyalty Program Performance

11:43 – What Should be on your Loyalty Program Dashboard?

17:02 – The Role of Customer Experience in Loyalty

18:52 – How Thanx Solves the Customer Loyalty Riddle for Restaurants

23:16 – Brand Power and Customer Loyalty