4 Brands that Build Belonging

A round-up of brands that caught our attention for re-imagining loyalty.

Since 2022, Hellen has been on a mission to redefine loyalty, crafting modern membership experiences for some of the world’s most loved brands.

Have you seen our series of posts on the Within Sight newsletter? We highlighted four brands that inspire us by reimagining loyalty, recognizing the shortcomings of traditional loyalty programs focused solely on transactional benefits. These brands cultivate membership through emotional connections and a deeper sense of belonging:

• Topicals, an emerging beauty brand dedicated to transforming skincare perceptions with scientifically backed products and mental health advocacy. Topicals stands out among skincare brands, both for their disruptive product design and art direction, and for their commitment to de-stigmatizing the conditions their products treat. Instead of a conventional points-and-perks loyalty program, they’ve introduced The Spottie Sphere, a unique community where members actively collaborate in shaping the brand’s future and their own personal beauty experiences.
• Dis-loyalty, a travel and food membership program from Ennismore that actively discourages loyalty. The Dis-loyalty program (which they often style as DisLoyalty) rewards members for branching out and trying new things, connecting to a specific type of premium traveler: one that is spontaneous, adventurous, and leads an aspirational lifestyle.
• Blackbird, a loyalty platform that facilitates meaningful relationships between restaurants and patrons. Members earn perks and accrue $FLY, Blackbird’s native tokens, by dining at participating establishments. By allowing diners to track visits and earn rewards, and providing restaurants with valuable customer data, fan engagement, and fundraising opportunities, Blackbird empowers both parties to cultivate enduring relationships.
• Tia, a membership-based healthcare model with ambitions to create “a new standard of care for women.” Patients pay a membership fee for access to virtual and in-person care services, including pelvic exams, ultrasounds, acupuncture, and pelvic floor therapy, as well as online messaging and booking. They can also get referrals to specialists and invitations to community events.

We believe this is just the start: brands will continue to shift toward community-based platforms that allow fundamentally new and more collaborative relationships, experiences, and interactions with their truest fans, customers, and partners — many times via technologies like web3.

Read the full series on Within Sight, a newsletter from our sister company Zeus Jones, with interviews, essays and emerging perspectives on how emotion and imagination are subverting business as usual.