July 2022 - September 2023
A Travel Credit Card Rewards Center
Art directed the product development of a new travel rewards platform for a credit card program.
My role started as support and ended as a lead
I was originally put onto this project to support as part of a team reshuffle. Our partner had hired IBM to see this project through execution and our Digital team was hired as support. My role was to work with the IBM designer and ensure the design met our CIBC design standards. I had spoke to our product manager about my concerns with some of the outputs provided and recommended we bring the project in-house. Eventually I was given a chance to pitch 3 design options to our internal team for estimates. We were able to quote a price 75% the cost of our vendor; the project came in-house.
Problem Statement
The majority of our clients were unaware of the myriad benefits available to them as part of the Aventura travel credit card program.
To summarize without nuance, half of our card holders had habitual redemption behavior and the other half didn’t utilize even a fraction of their benefits.
We wanted to educate our clients on how to use their points to give them the power to use their rewards for the best value. But behind every experience is business value. The challenge here was to marry opposing objectives into one seamless experience.
Our goal: amalgamate key benefits and redemption options in a centralized place that connected our diverse backend into a seamless front-end experience.
Navigating the global markets through market research and conversation
The journey began with relationship building. I connected with individuals in each market who had previously managed customer marketing to explore their unique strategies. Understanding the market nuances was crucial, especially as global marketing was a new venture for our brand. This involved market research, behavioral analytics, and cultural analysis, which were integral to our approach.
As part of the international merger, job losses occurred. It was imperative to approach relationship management with sensitivity, transparency, and empathy.
A template for every goal
In the competitive inbox environment, we prioritized grabbing our customers' attention in seconds. Our overarching design objective centered on establishing a clear hierarchy with concise, valuable, personalized messaging, and compelling visuals.
The brand caters primarily to an older demographic, known for a more deliberate digital pace. To align with this audience, we strategically front-loaded the email with captivating content while building a narrative that gradually unfolded as readers scrolled down.
I led the development of the UX strategy for these email templates while collaborating with a creative agency for visual design. My role involved managing and communicating with the agency throughout the design process.
Continuous Improvement
Nearly every email deployment featured audience-specific A/B tests for ongoing enhancement. This approach validated and fine-tuned our design choices, aligning them more closely with our objectives. Additionally, I held regular leadership updates to disseminate insights and facilitate cross-departmental learning.
The marketing strategy
Our global email marketing strategy was centered around engagement, personalization, locationalization, and frequency. We established a weekly cadence for promotions and engagement content, optimizing audience segmentation to prevent email overload. Additionally, we introduced a customized loyalty feature to enhance personalization and track customer status.
As we launched this project, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, prompting a significant shift in our strategy. We had to remain agile and adaptable. Fortunately, our design strategy enabled us to respond swiftly, maintaining engagement and bookings with only a minor dip.
Key Metrics
Our email marketing campaigns consistently outperformed industry benchmarks, with above-average open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, resulting in increased engagement and revenue.
I led the creation of a global analytics dashboard for performance tracking. I collected historical data from all markets and collaborated with our business intelligence team to construct this dashboard for comparative analytics and performance metrics, including the development of an automated data tagging structure to populate future deployments.
View Dashboard Snapshot
42.9%
Increase in yearly revenue
Total revenue from direct click to purchase over $1,000,000.
15.1%
Improved clickthrough rate
Overall click through rate for multiple audience groups increased.
-3.4%
Reduced unsubscribe rate
Retention of customers improved as engagement increased.
25%
Improved efficiency
Time to market improved because of defined templates.
Personal
Reflection
This project highlights my qualities as a proactive, resilient, and patient worker. I identified an issue, advocated for it, and eventually led the effort to address it while managing a creative agency through challenging times. After launching the solution, I proactively created an analytics dashboard to automate reporting and improve cross-team visibility. This project demonstrates my ability to take initiative, adapt to changing circumstances, and deliver results.
Professional
Reflection
This project taught me the value of effective communication, relationship management, and audience targeting. This project was funded four months before the pandemic and became one of the only projects that continued through because of the project's continued success. This highlighted the importance of understanding your audience and reinforced the value of visually compelling content that stands out in a crowded inbox.