Episode 646

#646: Bridging Academia and Industry: Exploring the Future of Loyalty with Darron Kirkley

Published on: 25th February, 2025

The Wiser Loyalty podcast series is produced in partnership between Let’s Talk Loyalty and The Wise Marketer™. Throughout 2024, Wise Marketer Group's (WMG) CEO, Bill Hanifin, and CMO, Aaron Dauphinee, shared their insights on topics inspired by courses from the Loyalty Academy's™ Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ (CLMP™) curriculum.

In 2025 we shift from this academic focus to seek out insights from practitioners of the trade from the C-Suite. Twice a month, we will bring you an interview with a C-level executive who has transformed strategy into practical application to generate business results.

In this episode Aaron speaks with CLMP™ and loyalty academic, Darron Kirkley from the University of South Carolina (USC). Darron is one of less than a handful of instructors in the USA who have created a university level class focused on the discipline of loyalty. His course, Hospitality Loyalty Strategy, is taught through USC's College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management and Darron is a steward of the hospitality sector.  

Darron shares his unique perspective into the mindshare of the next generation of loyalty marketers. We also discuss the drivers of loyalty in hospitality and the go-forward state for the loyalty industry.

Show notes:

1) Darron Kirkley

2) USC's College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

3) University of South Carolina (USC)

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This episode is sponsored by Phaedon.


Visit their website to learn more about how they're powering the world's most beloved loyalty programs at www.wearephaedon.com

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About the Podcast

Let's Talk Loyalty
“Let’s Talk Loyalty” is an industry podcast for loyalty marketing professionals.

If you work in loyalty marketing, join us every week to learn the latest ideas and marketing insights from loyalty specialists around the world.

Check out our website on: http://www.letstalkloyalty.com/

About your host

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Paula Thomas

Paula Thomas is the Founder and CEO of Let’s Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV

Paula Thomas is an award-winning podcaster who founded the “Let’s Talk Loyalty” podcast and business in 2019, and Loyalty TV in 2023.

She has over twenty-five years blue-chip marketing experience, including almost a decade leading consumer loyalty programmes in multiple sectors including telecommunications, the energy sector, banking and airline loyalty programmes.

She is from Ireland and lives in Dubai.

Paula is a former judge for the “International Loyalty Awards”, and the author of the book “Driving Loyalty in Convenience Retail”.

She holds an Executive MBA from Smurfit Business College, one of Ireland’s top universities, and is a “Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional”.