Palto Alto, Calif. (May 14, 2009) – The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council has launched a new authority leadership campaign, sponsored by Ricoh/IBM InfoPrint Solutions, to evaluate the degree to which loyalty and rewards program investments are contributing to business performance in today's recessionary environment. Getting a Business Lift from Loyalty will audit and assess the levels of utilization and yield among loyalty programs, the best practices employed by loyalty leaders, and the most common problems besetting loyalty laggards who are not realizing the true value and potential of their programs.

The six-month campaign will audit and benchmark innovation and operational best practices in loyalty club programs, the value and utilization of customer data to drive response rates and revenue, and the mobilization of loyalty club members as active agents and advocates for acquiring new or repeat business. Interactions with leading marketers and operators of loyalty programs will seek to understand:

• Lifetime value, profitability and influence of members


• Level of active participation, predisposition and feedback


• Channels, methods, quality and regularity of communication


• Intimacy and knowledge of customers; use of personalization technologies


• Retention, attrition, churn, recovery and renewal of members


• Uptake of offers, deals, discounts and add-on sales


• Referral, recommendation and advocacy levels among members


• Creative activities and programs for growing community and affinity

The program will also include an in-depth analysis and pilot program that will leverage existing communication channels within loyalty club programs to create more precise and targeted engagements. These pilot programs, executed in partnership with the TransPromo consulting group of InfoPrint Solutions Company, will test, measure and quantify the efficacy of targeted, personalized communications leveraging customer data and personalization technologies to drive retention, growth, value and maximize business opportunities. Sectors to be targeted include retail, airline, hospitality, car rental, foodservice, grocery, financial services, insurance, communications, fitness/health, leisure, auto services, and business services.

For more information about Getting Business Lift From Loyalty, please visit www.loyaltyleaders.org.

About the CMO Council
The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior corporate marketing leaders and brand decision-makers across a wide-range of global industries. The CMO Council's 4,000 members control more than $120 billion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures and run complex, distributed marketing and sales operations worldwide. In total, the CMO Council and its strategic interest communities include over 17,000 global executives across nearly 100 countries in multiple industries, segments and markets. Regional chapters and advisory boards are active in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The Council's strategic interest groups include the Coalition to Leverage and Optimize Sales Effectiveness (CLOSE), Customer Experience Board, Marketing Supply Chain Institute, and the Forum to Advance the Mobile Experience (FAME). More information on the CMO Council is available at www.cmocouncil.org.

About InfoPrint Solutions Company
InfoPrint Solutions Company, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, is a joint venture between IBM and Ricoh built on IBM’s nearly 50 years in the production print space and Ricoh’s excellence in technology innovation. Together, the two companies are bringing to market a portfolio that includes solutions for production printing for enterprises and commercial printers, as well as office workgroup environments and industrial segments.

Operating in 36 countries worldwide, InfoPrint holds more than 200 technology patents in the printing and output related industry including the invention of the Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) Architecture, which is a de-facto industry standard for production printing environments. In 2010, InfoPrint will become a fully owned subsidiary of The Ricoh Company, joining an extensive portfolio of innovative technology brands in the Ricoh family. Ricoh Company Ltd., is 72-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2007 sales in excess of $22 billion, a 7.3 percent increase over the previous year.

Visit www.infoprint.com for more information.