Avanti West Coast has reappointed Havas Helia to handle its CRM and loyalty account following a statutory review run internally, which kicked off in August and triggered a five-way competitive pitch.
The result extends Helia and Avanti West Coast’s relationship, which began in 2020, by a further three years, with the option for an additional two-year extension through December 2030.
The account includes all CRM and loyalty programme delivery, spanning customer acquisition strategies, strategic and campaign planning, creative and tactical campaign delivery and other operational support.
In 2023, Helia – which appears to have quietly dropped it CX branding – helped to create and launch ‘Club Avanti’, Avanti West Coast’s customer loyalty programme. The scheme offers members rewards including early boarding at London Euston, First Class lounge passes and free Standard Premium and First Class tickets for frequent travellers. Members get a free hot drink and 10% off their next journey on sign-up, and an ongoing 10% off all items from the onboard shop.
Club Avanti is pivotal in the train operator’s goal to provide customers with great value for money and encourage them to choose the train over other modes of transport.
Since launch, the scheme has attracted over 800,000 members at a 70%+ retention rate, with more than £5m worth of reward journeys awarded.
It was named “Best Loyalty Initiative within Travel” at the International Loyalty Awards, with judges highlighting that Club Avanti stood out for moving away from a traditional points reward system, delivering a tiered programme that ‘truly provides a differentiated experience for loyal travellers’, and was a winner in the ‘Customer Engagement and Loyalty’ category at the Marketing Society Awards, which praised the train operator’s ‘dedication to putting customers at the heart’ of Club Avanti to deliver ‘new levels of engagement’.
Avanti West Coast head of CRM and loyalty Mark Murphy said: “The calibre of submissions was exceptionally strong, but Helia distinguished themselves through eye-catching ideas, innovative creative, and a smart, strategic use of data to drive engagement.
“Their collaborative and professional approach means they genuinely feel like an extension of our team. We’re excited to build on what has already been a highly productive partnership.”
Havas Helia chief executive David MacMillan added: “We are thrilled to retain Avanti West Coast in the face of strong competition. As defending incumbent, the odds are against you – so this is testament to both agency and client teams, the strong relationships we’ve built across creative, strategy and data, and to the huge and ongoing success of Club Avanti.”
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