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How Can I Deliver High Value Experiential Rewards With The Budget I Have?
Consumer GoodsRetailArticle
August 24, 2026
And in a world craving the antidote to AI, why is this more important than ever?
By Pren Munian, CEO of TLC Worldwide APAC
Today, brands understand their customers better than ever before. With ever-advancing technological progress – not least in the realms of AI – marketers can personalise communications at scale, predict behaviours, automate campaigns, and optimise performance in real time.
Yet despite having more data, more tools and more insight than ever before, loyalty remains one of the hardest metrics to influence.
At the same time, marketing leaders are being asked to achieve more with finite budgets. Gartner's 2025 CMO Spend Survey found that 59% of CMOs don't believe they have sufficient funds to deliver their marketing strategy. There is a pressure to create more value from every penny invested.
So, how do you deliver rewards that feel genuinely valuable without significantly increasing your budget?
Today, brands understand their customers better than ever before. With ever-advancing technological progress – not least in the realms of AI – marketers can personalise communications at scale, predict behaviours, automate campaigns, and optimise performance in real time.
Yet despite having more data, more tools and more insight than ever before, loyalty remains one of the hardest metrics to influence.
At the same time, marketing leaders are being asked to achieve more with finite budgets. Gartner's 2025 CMO Spend Survey found that 59% of CMOs don't believe they have sufficient funds to deliver their marketing strategy. There is a pressure to create more value from every penny invested.
So, how do you deliver rewards that feel genuinely valuable without significantly increasing your budget?
The more digital our lives become, the more valuable real experiences feel
Consumers today spend much of their lives connected. We work online, shop online, socialise online, and increasingly rely on AI to help us make decisions.
Yet, psychologists are increasingly exploring how this shift is changing human behaviour. Rather than rejecting technology altogether, people are becoming more intentional about how they use it.
Growing interest in digital detoxes and healthier screen habits reflects a broader desire to rebalance life online with meaningful real-world experiences – a shift that's making authentic experiences more valuable than ever.
British book retailer, Waterstones has experienced a resurgence, opening new stores as consumers rediscover the pleasure of browsing physical books and spending time in bookshops rather than simply buying online. At the same time, digital-first giant Netflix is investing in immersive “Netflix House” venues where fans can eat, play, and experience their favourite shows in person.
Amazon also continues to expand its physical retail footprint alongside its online business. Even the companies that spurred the digital age recognise that people still crave places and experiences they can't get through a screen.
So what does this mean for brands keen to drive deeper customer engagement?
Yet, psychologists are increasingly exploring how this shift is changing human behaviour. Rather than rejecting technology altogether, people are becoming more intentional about how they use it.
Growing interest in digital detoxes and healthier screen habits reflects a broader desire to rebalance life online with meaningful real-world experiences – a shift that's making authentic experiences more valuable than ever.
British book retailer, Waterstones has experienced a resurgence, opening new stores as consumers rediscover the pleasure of browsing physical books and spending time in bookshops rather than simply buying online. At the same time, digital-first giant Netflix is investing in immersive “Netflix House” venues where fans can eat, play, and experience their favourite shows in person.
Amazon also continues to expand its physical retail footprint alongside its online business. Even the companies that spurred the digital age recognise that people still crave places and experiences they can't get through a screen.
So what does this mean for brands keen to drive deeper customer engagement?
Brands can change how a customer feels
While discounts and points sometimes influence what people buy in the moment, it's meaningful experiences that leave a lasting impression and shape how consumers feel about a brand.
Think about it. You probably don’t remember the last time you saved 10% on a purchase, or how many points you picked up during that transaction. But you do fondly recall a great meal, a family day out, a weekend away, a memorable concert.
Because, if there’s one thing we absolutely know, it’s that experiences create emotion, emotion creates memories, and memories are what builds brand connections. And according to Forrester's 2025 Total Experience research, organisations that successfully connect brand experience with customer experience significantly outperform their peers in growth, customer retention, and advocacy.
Think about it. You probably don’t remember the last time you saved 10% on a purchase, or how many points you picked up during that transaction. But you do fondly recall a great meal, a family day out, a weekend away, a memorable concert.
Because, if there’s one thing we absolutely know, it’s that experiences create emotion, emotion creates memories, and memories are what builds brand connections. And according to Forrester's 2025 Total Experience research, organisations that successfully connect brand experience with customer experience significantly outperform their peers in growth, customer retention, and advocacy.
The question is, if experiences are so powerful, why aren't more brands using them?
Experiential rewards are often perceived as something reserved for premium brands with premium budgets. And when immediate commercial pressure arrives, it's easy to default to what feels familiar. Discounts, cash offers, prize draws, bonus points.
But creating high-value rewards doesn’t always require a bigger marketing budget. The key is understanding the difference between cost and perceived value. Consumers don't judge a reward by what it costs a brand to provide – they judge it by what it's worth to them. A £10 discount is worth exactly £10. By contrast, an exclusive dining experience, a discounted family day out, a hotel upgrade, or travel benefit can feel far more valuable to the customer, even if it costs the brand considerably less through the right partner ecosystem.
That's the difference between cost and value – and it's why experiential rewards allow brands to compete on emotion rather than price.
So, instead of asking, "How much does this reward cost?", marketers should ask, "How valuable does this feel to my customer?"
By combining consumer insight with carefully curated partner ecosystems, brands can deliver experiences that feel highly valuable to customers while remaining commercially sustainable.
But creating high-value rewards doesn’t always require a bigger marketing budget. The key is understanding the difference between cost and perceived value. Consumers don't judge a reward by what it costs a brand to provide – they judge it by what it's worth to them. A £10 discount is worth exactly £10. By contrast, an exclusive dining experience, a discounted family day out, a hotel upgrade, or travel benefit can feel far more valuable to the customer, even if it costs the brand considerably less through the right partner ecosystem.
That's the difference between cost and value – and it's why experiential rewards allow brands to compete on emotion rather than price.
So, instead of asking, "How much does this reward cost?", marketers should ask, "How valuable does this feel to my customer?"
By combining consumer insight with carefully curated partner ecosystems, brands can deliver experiences that feel highly valuable to customers while remaining commercially sustainable.
What this looks like in practice
Take Kinder.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Kinder worked with TLC to create “Make a Wish”, turning childhood dreams into real-life experiences by giving children the chance to live out their dream careers for a day across more than 500 partner locations in France.
The campaign delivered a 5.7% uplift in sell-in and 6.4% uplift in sell-out, while creating memorable family experiences rooted in Kinder’s brand values of joy and imagination.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Kinder worked with TLC to create “Make a Wish”, turning childhood dreams into real-life experiences by giving children the chance to live out their dream careers for a day across more than 500 partner locations in France.
The campaign delivered a 5.7% uplift in sell-in and 6.4% uplift in sell-out, while creating memorable family experiences rooted in Kinder’s brand values of joy and imagination.
In the UK, VodafoneThree recognised that loyalty isn't built through occasional surprises but through consistent, everyday value. Rather than offering another telecoms benefit, the brand introduced weekly £1 barista-made coffee across thousands of independent cafés.
The reward became part of customers' routines – a small ritual people genuinely looked forward to rather than another voucher sitting unopened in an inbox.
The result was a significant uplift in engagement and industry recognition, including International Loyalty Program of the Year.
The reward became part of customers' routines – a small ritual people genuinely looked forward to rather than another voucher sitting unopened in an inbox.
The result was a significant uplift in engagement and industry recognition, including International Loyalty Program of the Year.
In the US, Tommy Hilfiger wanted to maximise Black Friday footfall without joining the race to the bottom. Instead of eroding brand equity with heavy discounts – and armed with its history of successful travel campaigns – the retailer rewarded qualifying purchases with a $250 travel credit.
The program delivered an 86% increase in sales, generated a 16x ROI, and saw almost a third of qualifying purchases come from new loyalty members.
The program delivered an 86% increase in sales, generated a 16x ROI, and saw almost a third of qualifying purchases come from new loyalty members.
Across Europe, MediaWorld shifted away from rewarding transactions and instead rewarded customer behaviours, increasing purchase frequency by 61%.
Meanwhile, Singtel in Singapore decided to think bigger than traditional telecom rewards like more data or short-term discounts. Instead, it introduced experiences customers genuinely wanted – particularly travel – helping double app engagement and encouraging repeat participation.
Ride-hailing platform MOVE IT replaced regular discounts with a gamified experience where every fifth journey unlocked opportunities to win travel, entertainment, and lifestyle rewards. The campaign generated millions of engagements and strong repeat behaviour, proving that relevance often outperforms price.
AI should strengthen human connection, not replace it
AI will continue to transform our lives, both as consumers and the marketing profession. It will help brands become faster, more efficient, and better informed, enabling marketers to develop a deeper understanding of customer behaviour, personalise communications and optimise campaigns at a scale that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. That's something every marketer should embrace.
But while AI is changing how we market, it doesn't change why people connect with brands. In fact, it means most consumers want to connect more.
Creating relevance, influencing behaviour, and building genuine emotional connection remain the real challenges. Our advice is to use AI to better understand what matters most to your customers, and then turn those insights into experiences that feel meaningful, memorable, and genuinely valuable.
At the end of the day, while AI can predict behaviour and personalise interactions, only real experiences create emotion. And it's emotion that creates memories, shapes brand perception, and ultimately establishes lasting loyalty.
But while AI is changing how we market, it doesn't change why people connect with brands. In fact, it means most consumers want to connect more.
Creating relevance, influencing behaviour, and building genuine emotional connection remain the real challenges. Our advice is to use AI to better understand what matters most to your customers, and then turn those insights into experiences that feel meaningful, memorable, and genuinely valuable.
At the end of the day, while AI can predict behaviour and personalise interactions, only real experiences create emotion. And it's emotion that creates memories, shapes brand perception, and ultimately establishes lasting loyalty.
The future belongs to brands people remember
The pressures facing marketing teams aren't going away. Budgets will continue to be scrutinised, AI will keep redefining customer expectations, and competition for attention will become even more intense. Against this backdrop, success won't necessarily belong to the brands spending the most, but the ones creating the greatest perceived value.
Because in this digital world, people may forget the discount they redeemed or the points they earned, but they'll remember the experiences that made them feel something.
Because in this digital world, people may forget the discount they redeemed or the points they earned, but they'll remember the experiences that made them feel something.
Ready to get in touch?
If you'd like to explore how experiential rewards can help your brand create greater perceived value, stronger customer engagement and deeper loyalty – without requiring a bigger marketing budget – we'd love to start the conversation.
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