Brand Purpose & Relationship Marketing

This meeting is presented in partnership with the ANA’s Relationship Marketing Committee.
Learn more about the Relationship Marketing Committee by visiting the committee’s page: https://www.ana.net/committee/profile/id/BAAREL

Welcome Remarks (11:00 – 11:05 a.m. ET)

Session I. (11:05 – 11:40 a.m. ET)
Purpose and the Path Forward for an Iconic Nonprofit Brand

At United Way Worldwide, purpose is the heart of all we do. Our reason for being is to mobilize the caring power of communities so that all can thrive. Omoiye Kinney, CMO of United Way Worldwide will walk you through the journey of refreshing a 137-year-old brand so that it can be more relevant, touch even more lives and deeply connect with people around the globe. She also will give an insightful look ahead during a unique time for purpose-based brands everywhere.

Presenter:
Omoiye O. Kinney
EVP and CMO
United Way Worldwide

Session II. (11:40 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. ET)
Building Emotional Loyalty with Team Members to Create Meaningful Careers and Deliver World-Class Guest Experiences

Customer-facing employees are the ambassadors of your brand and are critical to delivering a differentiated guest experience.

Join us as we dive into the innovative approach Hilton, in partnership with Phaedon, has taken in reimagining its global Hilton Honors Champion program. The program is being redesigned to empower loyalty experts in its hotels and customer care center to educate, influence, and engage fellow Team Members—increasing emotional loyalty to the brand and delivering on Hilton Honors brand standards before, during, and after every stay.

Attendees will discover how leaning into emotional loyalty is integral to the Champion program redesign—helping to build stronger connections between Hilton and its Team Members and elevating the experience for Hilton guests.

Presenters:
Katie Berndt
VP, Strategy, Experience and Research
Phaedon

Liliana Minjares
Senior Manager of Hilton Honors Engagement
Hilton

Session III. (12:15 – 12:50 p.m. ET)
How to Build Brand Beacons: The Evolution of Purpose

Brands like e.l.f. Beauty, Patagonia, Athleta and Liquid Death might seem to be very different. But at their core they are Brand Beacons. These are brands that consumers want to buy into because of what they stand for and the values they represent. ‘Beacon Brands” set the next standards in business and will outshine others in the years ahead. Ruth Bernstein, CEO of independent agency Yard NYC will talk about how Brands can become Beacons and why this approach represents the evolution of purpose.      

Presenter:
Ruth Bernstein
Co-founder and CEO
YARD NYC

Closing Remarks (12:50 – 1:00 p.m. ET)

**Schedule subject to change

About Our Speakers

Katie Berndt’s guiding principles include listen generously, seek clarity, and live life to the fullest. She brings more than 20 years of marketing, loyalty program design, and CRM strategy experience to her role at Phaedon. She is known for successfully leading and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams (including analytics, technology, creative, and operations) to design and enhance best-in-class loyalty programs and CRM strategies to improve the end-to-end customer experience. Katie has worked on loyalty and CRM strategy, journey mapping, and research projects for a wide range of verticals, including airlines, airports, consumer lifestyle, energy, financial services, grocery, hospitality, transportation, restaurants, and retail.
 
Prior to joining Phaedon (previously known as ICF Next), Katie spent nearly 10 years with Transamerica, which specializes in insurance, investments, and retirement. She led marketing teams responsible for driving acquisition, engagement, and retention strategies for the consumer retirement division. Outside of work, Katie enjoys traveling, running, biking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

As a Senior Manager of Honors Engagement at Hilton, Liliana Minjares helps execute the loyalty learning and development strategy for the 178,000 Hilton employees above-property and on-property. In her role, Lili is responsible for developing and implementing learning strategies focused on elevating the customer experience and driving acquisition and retention for Hilton Honors.

Lili proudly holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management from Texas Tech University. With a background in hospitality, learning and development, and loyalty she is able to leverage her professional experience to make data-driven decisions that grow Hilton's customer base and company revenue. This journey has fueled her passion for loyalty, as she is enthusiastic about driving business goals while also connecting with customers.

Ruth Bernstein is Co-founder and CEO of YARD NYC, an award winning independent creative company that turns brands into cultural beacons. Ruth is a pioneer and champion of female voices and leadership in an industry traditionally dominated by men. Her reputation as a brand and business transformer has been built on the signature pillars of Brains, Beauty and Bravery.  

Understanding early on that brand purpose is the key to unlocking the emotional connection with consumers, Ruth has helped build cultural platforms that have moved business, culture and teams - Athleta's Power of She, Crocs Come as You Are that spawned their meteoric comeback, Olly Happy Inside Out, NYRR It Will Move You, Walmart We Dress America to name just a few. When women's reproductive rights went under attack, Ruth put her agency's talent and dollars into ensuring abortion rights stayed top of mind as the "ROEvember" midterms approached. YARD's STOP THE HORROR OOH and digital campaign spun six iconic horror films to reflect the real-life horror of a nation stripped of its right to choose, reimagining titles like "Rosemary's Abortion," "Carrie to Term," and "The Texas Female Massacre." 

Ruth has successfully developed YARD into an agency that services clients on a global scale.  From the rapidly growing brand consultancy Front Yard to the award winning activations and communication of YARD she has built a team of highly innovative, modern marketers who are able to seamlessly service clients across all stages of business growth life-stages. 

Ruth is a partner of Private Equity Firm Firelight and served as a board member for their first acquisition Three Dog Bakery. She is an Adage Leading Woman 2023 and under her leadership YARD has been a 3 x Adage small agency winner and 5 x Clio Awards winner. Prior to co-founding Yard, Ruth served as Robert Redford's Brand Officer for his Sundance portfolio.