Boost Brand Loyalty with Experiential Loyalty Programs That Inspire Year-Round Engagement

TL;DR: Loyalty Program ROI Starts with Real Data

Introduction to Experiential Loyalty Program Strategies with Brooks Running

Transactional loyalty programs are fading fast, and points alone won’t cut it anymore. Today’s customers want something real: experiential loyalty rooted in real life and deeper, more authentic connection beyond the checkout screen. 

Brooks Running is leading this strategic shift, proving that brand loyalty programs focused on real-world engagement are the future of growth. With Reward the Run and the Brooks Run Club, the brand created a customer rewards program that celebrates every stride, story, and finish line, not just transactions.

By uniting Capitalize Marketing, eCommerce, Product Innovation, and Data Teams, Brooks delivers loyalty program strategies that are emotionally resonant and operationally sound. 

The results? Scalable personalization, stronger community engagement, and a brand relationship that runners actually care about.

Why Transactional Loyalty Is Losing Impact

Unlike coffee shops or fast-food chains, Brooks customers buy shoes two or three times a year, leaving massive gaps between purchases that traditional points-based programs can’t fill.

"People may value performance running shoes twice a year." We really wanted to create a positive engagement with runners between those shoe purchase cycles,”

— Ryan Ngo, VP of North America Marketing & eCommerce at Brooks.

To solve this, Brooks flipped the model. Instead of waiting for purchases, they used zero-party data from wearable integrations to deliver personalized rewards, nudges, and product experiences in real time. Every mile became a chance to connect.

This isn’t about discount codes. It’s about building brand relationships between transactions, the kind that earn trust, relevance, and an authentic running community.

The Five Pillars of Brooks Running’s Experiential Loyalty Strategy

1. Build Authentic Community Through Experiential Engagement

Brooks Running launched the Brooks Run Club to redefine what a loyalty program strategy can be. It’s not transactional, it’s experiential.

“It’s not a transactional program. It truly is an experience. We want to support our members and non-members—be their cheerleaders—whether it’s to run farther, faster, for mental wellness, social wellbeing, or physical health.”

— said Ryan Ngo, VP of North America Marketing & eCommerce

The strategy? Meet customers mid-run, mid-goal, mid-life. Celebrate what they love doing, and build an inclusive, values-aligned community around it.

This is more than a customer rewards program, it’s a brand relationship strategy. One that reflects how people actually live and helps them feel seen, supported, and celebrated.

“We want to reward your run, reward you for doing the things they love, being active,”

— Ryan emphasized.

Brooks isn’t chasing loyalty. They’re creating a club people want to join, through fun, purpose-driven virtual running challenges.

Examples of virtual challenges:

• runDisney Sweepstakes: Complete a 10K while synced to DashLX to win race tickets.
• Quarterly Challenges: Achieve running goals for sweepstakes prizes or instant wins.
• Monthly Milestones: Celebrate consistent running with surprise perks.

Watch the video

Brooks shows up IRL too, at major marathons, events, and expos, turning events into relationship-building opportunities that elevate the BRC experience.

Examples of experiential events:

• Hyperion House access at NYC, Boston, and Chicago marathons
• Retail partner giveaways tied to real race participation
• IRL community meetups

This is experience optimization that turns community into lasting brand loyalty.

Every step counts. Literally.

With real-time fitness tracker data, Brooks delivers personalized rewards and celebrations based on actual performance.

Examples of experience-driven rewards:

• Instant wins for weekend runs, races, and personal bests
• Encouraging nudges mid-training

That’s next-level experience optimization.

Brooks chooses brand ambassadors based on lifestyle alignment that reflects real world runners.

“We choose influencers based on how running fits into their lives. It may not be their primary sport, but it supports their overall lifestyle.”

— Ryan

Their community-building strategy focuses on real people, not elite stats, making every runner feel seen, supported, and welcome.

Drive Loyalty Innovation by Making Opted-In Customer Insights Accessible Across the Organization

Break down silos to accelerate loyalty innovation ROI. When your customers trust you with their data, you gain a new level of customer insight into how they use your products, how they view your brand, and what needs are still unmet. Keeping that information in a single department slows brand growth and limits impact on the loyalty strategy.

Brooks solved this by creating a cross-functional team that made daily customer learnings accessible across the organization.

Smart loyalty program strategies don’t run on guesswork or gut instinct. Brooks uses zero-party data, collected with consent, to trigger rewards in real time and design experiences that feel human, not robotic.

“We always put the runner in the middle. It’s about doing the right thing—and making sure everything we build supports the running experience.”

— said Ryan

Translation: personalization without the creep factor and its core to improving customer experience at scale.

Turning Activity Into Insight, and Insight Into Better Product Innovation

Brooks takes experiential loyalty a step further by using activity data to inform product innovation. The surfaces runners train on, their biomechanics, elevation, the terrain all feed into the R&D machine.

“This allows us to reward their run and create even better product to make runners achieve their long term goals,”

— Ryan shared

The takeaway for brand executives? When you connect your customer rewards program to product innovation, you’re not just building loyalty, you’re building better products that drive retention and revenue.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: The Fusion Group Behind the Magic

Brooks didn’t stumble into success with a slick app and a few badges. It took 11 pitches, consistent storytelling, cross-functional buy-in, and a vision that loyalty isn’t just marketing, it’s a company-wide growth strategy.

Enter the Fusion Group: a six-person team spanning UX, product, engineering, and marketing. Together, they're owning the roadmap, shaping the strategy, and making sure Brooks’ brand loyalty programs stay aligned with what real runners actually want.

“We’re building the Brooks Run Club roadmap together, with full ownership and accountability,”  “All of us will be successful if we have common goals.”  

— Ryan said

This is cross-functional collaboration at its best. Not just operational, but transformational. And it’s what turns experiential loyalty from a nice-to-have into a scalable, revenue-driving engine.

Scale a Successful Loyalty Program Globally with Localized Execution

Brooks operates on a global scale, but their loyalty feels local. That’s the magic of experience optimization done right.

“The overall fundamentals of Brooks Run Club are consistent… but there’s global direction and regional nuances,”

— said Ryan Ngo, VP of North America Marketing & eCommerce

Whether you’re lacing up in Berlin or Boston, the vibe is the same: personalized, relevant, and runner-first. 

Their approach? Keep the north star, Reward the Run, consistent, but give local teams the freedom to flex based on culture, climate, and community.

And it’s working.

They’re even sharing best practices across regions. Distance-as-currency models from EMEA are now informing strategy in North America.

Proven Strategies for Improving Customer Loyalty

Want to ditch the snooze-worthy loyalty program and build something people talk about? Try these loyalty program strategies that actually work:

• Be consistent with your story. Tailor it, but don’t lose the heart.
• Back it up with real data. Prove value, not vanity.
• Celebrate individuals. Celebrate runners, buyers, superfans and make them the heroes.
• Make it interactive. VIP marathons, surprise prizes, shoutouts, it all counts.
• Choose tech that personalizes without creeping. DashLX integration is 🔥.

Watch the Experiential Loyalty Strategy livestream with Brooks Running

FAQs – What Executives Are Asking About Experiential Loyalty

What is experiential loyalty and how does it actually work?

Forget stale points. Experiential loyalty is about creating real connections, rewarding the run, not just the receipt. It keeps your customers engaged year-round through challenges, emotional milestones, and in-real-life activations. It's brand loyalty… with sneakers on.
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How does DashLX deliver real-time personalization for loyalty programs?

With Lived Experience Data (LX Data), DashLX captures movement, achievements, and habits from wearables and fitness apps. This data powers real-time rewards, encouraging behavior that builds loyalty and boosts engagement.
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Is this approach scalable for big brands?

Absolutely. Brooks scaled to over 1.4 million members by keeping the message consistent and the experiences personal. It’s a model that balances global strategy and local execution.
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How does Brooks handle data privacy in an always-on loyalty model?

With zero-party data, ethical design and transparency. Customers opt in, share what they’re comfortable with, and Brooks uses it to improve their experience. As Ryan Ngo puts it, “We always put the runner in the middle… and do the right thing.”


What makes experiential loyalty better than the usual points-based programs?

Instead of gamifying purchases, Brooks rewards real life. Think: mental wellness runs, 10Ks with friends, or weekend streaks. These emotional moments build stronger, longer-term customer loyalty.


Can I launch an experiential loyalty program without a big budget or complex technology?

Good news: you don’t have to. DashLX makes it easy to launch an experiential loyalty program, scale smart and drive serious loyalty outcomes. Their product overview lays out exactly how brands of all sizes can activate experiential loyalty without blowing the budget.


Does experiential loyalty actually move the needle?

Yes—engagement, lifetime value, and referral metrics are climbing fast. Brooks backs it all with monthly KPIs and internal “Run Club report cards.”


What’s the best way to launch an experiential loyalty program?

Start with behavior. Sync real-time data with a platform like DashLX, run a challenge, and make your customers the heroes. For the full playbook? Grab the Experiential Loyalty Guide, your roadmap to customer loyalty.

Wrap-Up: Loyalty Doesn’t Live in a Spreadsheet

If your loyalty program only exists in your CRM… you’re missing the point.

Real loyalty is built on memories, emotions, and shared wins. It’s built when you celebrate your customers for who they are, not just what they buy.

“We really do believe a run can change a day, a life, the world,”

— Ryan said

Brooks Running proves that experiential loyalty is more than a trend—it’s the future of brand building.