Point Program Participant Segments / Personas
People participating in points-based programs take on
distinctive personalities. The emergence of these personas is
usually a lot of fun and contributes to the word-of-mouth and
the general goodwill created by a well-structured program.
Savers
Highly motivated to earn, these individuals hoard points. They rarely redeem them but brag heavily about their account balances. Like people who get pleasure from reading their financial statements, Savers appreciate what they’ve achieved and feel rewarded psychologically for what they potentially could get.
Junkies
Highly motivated to earn points, they spend them as quickly as they earn them. Earning and burning validates their effort and gives them bragging rights among their peers. They appreciate near constant activity and regular reinforcement and each new reward pushes them onward.
Junkies also have a hyper sub-set; people who aim for and then switch the rewards they are working toward frequently; almost daily. They repeatedly discuss or debate the appeal and the value of items in the reward catalog and get charged up celebrating the number and quality of the choices they have for redemption.
Marathoners
These are people who pick a tough goal and work toward it. The hard-to-get redemption motivates their day-to-day behavior. They are focused on playing by the rules and earning a great trip or high value merchandise, which they will talk about frequently. They are motivated by the challenge of doing something others will not. Doing the difficult task is as important as earning the reward. This individual will review and romance the features and functions of the home theater he’s working toward or endlessly discuss the possible side trip options during the trip to Italy she is pursuing.
Cool Cats
These people earn points by doing what they usually do. They are nonchalant about the program but secretly think that they are smarter and better than everyone else. But they are too cool to buy into the hype or get excited about the details of the program, though they will redeem points quietly for the rewards that appeal to them.
