Thai Airways rewards passengers for...not moving?

In April, Thai Airways, Thailand's national carrier, rewarded Royal Orchid Plus members with free miles for staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic. To be eligible for the scheme, members had to download the Stay Home Miles Exchange app; the app used geolocation technology to determine if the user stayed at home, with one mile awarded for every four hours spent at home. The scheme was only open to Thai citizens and residents.   

Is it just us, or does the one mile/four hours at home rate feel a bit stingy? Nevertheless, there’s a core idea underlying the Thai Airways app that’s worth examining. How can you re-engineer your existing loyalty programs in light of this new normal? And to that end, what could your brand rejigg to meet consumers’ current lifestyle needs - even if those needs are far from what you usually address? Thai Airways, a company that exists to transport people, now rewards them for not moving. Brands like corporate card issuer Brex (which previously focused on business travel expenses) are now doling out points for at-home food delivery, tools for remote working, and more.

The world will open up again (maybe, one day, hopefully!). When that happens, what will you have done to ensure your customers are already loyal and engaged by the time it does?  

Stay healthy,

The TrendWatching content team