At the Big Ten basketball championship final at New York’s Madison Square Garden earlier this month, four rows of seats and dedicated space at Delta’s Sky360° VIP lounge were reserved for event sponsor SoFi. Most people using these facilities were not SoFi employees, but its customers, who occupied the front two rows and enjoyed complimentary cocktails and food at the lounge.
It’s all part of a VIP approach to keeping customers and adding new ones — a strategy the company said is worth the investment.
“Even for someone who has a great job and makes a nice living, it’s hard to imagine [customers] spending discretionary income on that — we want to treat our members,” said Libby Leffler, vice president of membership at SoFi. “The best way to build trust is through these community events; we’re seeing those members are referring people from their networks like their workplace or where they went to school.”
More in Marketing
Pitch deck: How Amazon is recasting Twitch as a core part of its CTV pitch
Amazon is positioning Twitch as a defining asset in its CTV ambitions.
Netflix transforms former mall department stores into experiential venues
The location in Dallas opens this week, and one at the King of Prussia mall near Philadelphia opened last month.
Future of Marketing Briefing: AI has created a new talent paradox in programmatic agencies
The job isn’t execution anymore. AI handles that. The job is judgement.