How Scene+ Captured over 11M Canadian Loyalty Members

Purpose of This Research

To identify the structure and marketing strategies that played a pivotal role in driving Scene+'s success in the Canadian market by:

• ‍Evaluating the inception and roll-out of Scene+
• Identifying key elements that contribute to Scene+’s continued growth
• Deconstructing Scene+'s strategic marketing approach

Key Takeaways

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Scene+ is a program made by Cineplex, Scotiabank, and Empire Company (from the Sobey's chain). Members can earn more points with partners like Expedia and Rakuten, and spend points at places like Apple and Best Buy.

• Actionable Recommendations

          Team up with invested partners to boost the perks and reach of your program.

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Scene+ members can collect and spend points on things like groceries, movies, travel, retail, dining, entertainment, banking, and pharmacy.

• Actionable Recommendations

          Give members lots of options to earn and use points.

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Scene+ has an easy point system: 1 point usually equals 1 cent. You can use points to get discounts, like using 500 points to get $5 off movies.

• Actionable Recommendations

             Keep your points system easy and offer discounts that can be bought with points to encourage people to buy certain things.

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Scene+ spent $7.1 million on digital ads. 94% of this went to Facebook.

• Actionable Recommendations

          Don't just use Facebook for your ads. Spread out your ad budget on different platforms, including TikTok to reach Gen Z.

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Scene+ put more money into ads during peak shopping periods such as Black Friday in November.

• Actionable Recommendations

            Align your ad campaigns to key shopping periods throughout the year such as Black Friday, or Boxing Day.

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Scene+ makes personalized ads to target specific audiences like movie buffs or grocery shoppers

• Actionable Recommendations

            Try splitting your audience into different groups, and create ads that would appeal specifically to each group.

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Apart from people who come directly or from search engines, most visitors to Scene+ came from other websites that linked to them.

• Actionable Recommendations

          Get more people to visit your site through referral links by working effectively with partners, like Scotiabank and Cineplex.

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‍Scene+ is a Canadian loyalty program, originally known as Scene, that was established in 2007.‍

• Scene+ is a versatile rewards program, allowing members to earn points through shopping, dining, entertainment, and banking. 
• Points can be redeemed for a wide range of rewards, including merchandise, gift cards, entertainment, travel, and even credits towards Scotiabank accounts.
• The rewards program boasts over 11M members.

Scene+ History

2007

Scene was launched as a partnership between Scotiabank and Cineplex Entertainment. 

Members could earn points for ticket and concession purchases at Cineplex-owned cinemas and purchases made with eligible Scotiabank debit and credit cards. 

Scene introduced branded Visa and debit cards, allowing members to earn points on purchases outside of Cineplex properties. The debit card was the first in Canada to enable cardholders to earn rewards.

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2012

Scene offers members an extra 10% off Tuesday movie tickets.

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2014

Scene announces a partnership with Sport Chek, enabling customers to earn and redeem points in store. Partnership lasts until 2017.

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2015

Scene announces partnership with Cara Operations (Recipe Unlimited).

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2021

Scene merges with Scotiabank's Scotia Rewards program and is renamed Scene+. 

Scene+ includes partnerships with more retail partners, integration with Rakuten for cashback offers, and the option to redeem points for hotel and travel bookings through Expedia. Additionally, points can be credited to Scotiabank debit and credit card accounts.

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2022

Empire becomes the co-owner of Scene+, allowing points to be earned and redeemed at Empire's grocery store, pharmacy and convenience store chains. 

Rollout is staggered across the country and amongst Empire’s banners.

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2023

Home Hardware joins Scene+ and is set to launch for Summer 2023.

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Since its rebrand from SCENE Rewards to Scene+, the website has been increasing in web traffic by an average of +8% MoM. 

*In Canada, mobile and desktop traffic

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Scene+ has had a steady upward trend in both its acquisition and retention efforts, with an average of 139K new monthly visitors and 71K monthly returning visitors.

*New Users are visitors that were not spotted visiting the site for at least three months

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 Additionally, the Scene+ app has seen a growth of +4.7% in its install penetration, with 10.7% of Canadian Android users having the app on their devices as of May 2023.

*In Canada, Android users only. Install Penetration: % of devices in Canada with the app installed (average).

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The Scene+ app has exhibited a consistent upward trend in downloads, maintaining an average of 

12K downloads per week.

*In Canada, Android users only.

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When Grocery Scene+ launched in Western Canada, Ontario and Quebec, it led to notable download boosts.

*In Canada, Android users only.

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Search interest for "Scene+" has been on an upward trend, with consistent interest over 50, reaching its highest point the week Grocery Scene+ was introduced in Quebec.

*A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score of 0 means there was not enough data for this term. 

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Buddy up. Collaborate with invested partners to enhance rewards and broaden the reach of the loyalty program.

Scene+ is a joint effort by Cineplex, Scotiabank and Empire Company (a subsidiary of the Sobey’s chain). 

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Amplify with partnerships. Engage with diverse accrual and reward partners to boost member engagement.

Scene+ members can accrue additional points with partners like Expedia and Rakuten, and can redeem their rewards through brands like Apple and Best Buy.

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Offer a variety of rewards and ways to earn points.

Members of Scene+ have the flexibility to amass and use their rewards across various domains, including grocery, cinemas, travel, retail, dining, entertainment, banking, and pharmacies.

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Adopt a fixed-point earning rate to keep the program simple.

There are no complicated rules or varying rates to navigate, making the program feel more straightforward and trustworthy to customers.

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‍Boost purchases by offering tailored discounts through point redemption.‍

Scene+ stimulates customer engagement and steers particular buying behaviours by offering incentives like $10 off on selected products, $1 off on movie tickets, or $5 off on food and beverages.

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Points are redeemable at 1 point to $0.01*.

It's easy for members to understand. They know exactly how many points they'll earn for every dollar spent, which can help to motivate their spending and participation in the program.

*With the exception of Apple & Best Buy merchandise (0.8), gift cards (0.7) and statement credits (0.7). Source 

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Share exclusive loyalty program loadable offers.

Additionally, Scene+ offers the feature of "Personalized Offers," enabling members to accelerate their point accumulation.

• Offer exclusive offers to differentiate your loyalty program, incentivizing customer loyalty with unique rewards. Enhance program value and appeal by providing benefits that are not easily replicated by competitors.
• Implement personalized offers based on preferences, purchase history, and demographics to increase engagement and conversions. By tailoring incentives to individual needs, customers are more likely to actively participate and act on the offers.

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‍In December 2021, Scotiabank and Cineplex unveiled the revitalization of SCENE, introducing Scene+ as an upgraded loyalty program.‍

• This revitalized brought significant enhancements to the millions of members, introducing exciting new features and opportunities to earn and redeem rewards.

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Merge programs to create a stronger base. 

By merging Scene and Scotiabank's Scotia Rewards program in 2021, they were able to combine their customer bases and resources, resulting in a stronger and more comprehensive loyalty program.

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Leverage a trusted brand to boost your program and widen your audience. 

• ‍Leveraging the Scene Brand: The decision to maintain ties to the Scene brand is strategic, as it was already a beloved and well-known loyalty program in Canada.
• ‍Tradition Meets Vibrant Modernity: The rebrand showcases a revitalized look with bright colors, maintaining Scene's traditional black and white as primary shades. The updated branding blends a friendly, modern font with a contemporary uppercase secondary typeface, adding a fresh and dynamic aesthetic to the overall brand image.

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Offer more earn & burn opportunities.

This strategic merger allowed the program to become a broader lifestyle program with more ways to earn and redeem points through partnerships.

• ‍Flexibility: Members no longer have to choose between loyalty programs, as Scene+ offers more flexibility in earning and redeeming points. 
• ‍Broaden Appeal & Flexibility: The addition of Rakuten and Scene+ Travel, powered by Expedia Group, aimed to broaden the appeal of the program and provide more opportunities for members to find value. 
• ‍Understand Member Experiences:  Scene researched member experiences to understand how the program facilitated quality time with loved ones. This insight was pivotal for repositioning and rebranding. They shifted focus from entertainment to promoting togetherness, aligning their brand with members' meaningful experiences.

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Next to Direct and Organic Search, Scene+ drove the most traffic through Referrals (2M).  

Maximize referral traffic by leveraging program partners to obtain high-quality backlinks.

*In Canada. Based on web traffic from December 2021 to May 2023.

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Utilize partnerships to drive referral traffic.

Though an independent brand, Scene+ is deeply tied to both Scotiabank and Cineplex's digital realms, generating 67% and 15% of its referrals from each entity, respectively.

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Highlight the program on partner homepages.

Scotiabank's menu bar features Scene+, offering an introduction to the program, point earning and redemption details, Scene+ debit and credit cards, program partners, tips, and a link to download the Scene+ App.

• Place the program prominently on the website's navigation structure to enhance visibility.
• Use strong CTAs to drive users towards exploring program-related products and services.
• Include direct links to the program's app on Apple Store and Google Play, simplifying access for users.
• Offer helpful tips and guides on maximizing the program's benefits to encourage more active user participation.

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Leverage the trust and authority of other established websites.

Scene+'s organic traffic grew by +365% from December 2021 to May 2023, in line with a +2854% rise in its backlinks, showcasing their relationship to one another.

*In Canada

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Prioritize and invest in optimizing mobile user experiences.

Although Scene+'s web traffic is on the rise, the diminishing share of desktop visits implies a growing preference among users for a mobile experience.

*In Canada

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Implement a responsive design approach.

Scene+ prioritizes a mobile-centric experience, utilizing many design elements to improve user experience.

• Optimize mobile interaction with touch-friendly, well-spaced, and clickable elements.‍
• Prioritize mobile design over desktop, ensuring clear and user-friendly navigation for smaller screens.
• Implement a vertical drop-down menu for effortless access to information through minimal taps.
• Enhance user experience by employing contrasting colors that captivate viewers and draw attention to interactive elements.

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Capture the Gen Z audience.

Scene+'s web traffic is primarily driven by users aged 25 to 44, comprising 46% of their visitors. This demographic has an equal distribution of males and females. However, Scene+ struggles to engage with Gen Z users, as the 18 to 24 age group only accounts for 11% of their web user base.

*In Canada. Based on web traffic from December 2021 to May 2023.

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Simplify and secure the onboarding process.

Minimize the number of steps required to sign up or log in, and implement user-friendly two-step verifications to increase trust and security.

• Give your members the flexibility to log in to your app using their existing partner accounts. This option saves users the hassle of creating new credentials, making the login process more convenient and seamless.
• ‍Simplify the sign-up process for new users. With Scene+, registration only requires an email address and password, eliminating unnecessary fields and reducing friction. 
• Implement user-friendly two-step verification processes such as touch/face ID or a text or call security code. 

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Make the app as simple and intuitive as possible. 

Scene+ app is extremely user-friendly with a convenient feature bar at the bottom, providing quick access to rewards, offers, digital card, and account information.

• Display member’s points on the login homepage and the app’s top right corner for immediate visibility upon sign-in.
• Display the member's name prominently on the homepage for a personalized user experience.
• ‍Content Chunking: Break content into sections with clickable icons for improved navigation and easier access to desired information or rewards.
• Provide easy access to the  program card at the bottom of the screen, featuring a scannable barcode and option to add to Apple Wallet.

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From December 2021 to May 2023, Scene+ invested $7.1M in digital advertising.

Digital Advertising Data Source Caveat

*Monthly spend in Canada, in USD. Total spend includes Facebook, Display & YouTube. Scene+ not active on paid search.

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Scene+ saw spikes in its ad spending in July and November 2022, as well as April 2023, due to the following campaigns:

Digital Advertising Data Source Caveat

*Monthly spend in Canada, in USD. Total spend includes Facebook, Display & YouTube. Scene+ not active on paid search.

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Scene+ focuses its advertising efforts on Facebook, with 94% of its budget being dedicated to the platform.

Digital Advertising Data Source Caveat

*Total spend in Canada, in USD. Scene+ not active on paid search.

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July 2022 — Summer City Activities

Partner with local events such as Vancouver's Celebration of Lights, Montreal comedy shows and the Calgary Stampede to elevate brand visibility and foster community engagement.

• Ads utilized the “Book Now” CTA, directing viewers to the Scene+ Travel site. 
• Ads highlight location-specific events happening across Canada in July, leveraging these events to promote their travel rewards.
• The ad creatives include the Scene+ watermark and the Scene+ logo beside the "Powered by Expedia" logo.

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November 2022 — Rakuten Cash Back & Scene+ Travel 

Promote cash back incentives during prime shopping times like Black Friday and feature travel rewards with exclusive, limited-time offers to instill a sense of urgency.

• ‍Rakuten and Scene+'s partnership offers a unique portal where members can gain up to 20% additional cash back in Scene+ points. 
• ‍Exclusive Membership Benefit: The ad emphasizes the exclusive offer for Scene+ members who link their Rakuten account, enticing potential customers to join and enjoy the exclusive benefits.

Spend: $601K | Impr.:145M | CPM: $4.14

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• ‍Limited-Time Offer: The ad urges immediate action with a deadline of November 13, driving a sense of urgency for potential members to seize the offer before it ends.
• ‍Incentive-Based Promotion: The ad promotes earning 10% back in Scene+ points for every $1 spent on hotels, motivating potential travelers to book accommodations through Scene+ for rewarding benefits.

Spend: $365K | Impr.: 88M | CPM: $4.14

Digital Advertising Data Source Caveat

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April 2023 — Make it Rain Rewards

Implement A/B testing for different creatives and audiences, such as movie lovers, grocery-shopping parents, English/French speakers, etc.

• The campaign aims to generate excitement for the "new Scene+" rewards program by emphasizing abundant rewards, expanded earning and redemption options, and a variety of benefits. 
• It serves as a brand awareness campaign with the objective of driving viewers to the Scene+ homepage to learn more about the new program. 

Digital Advertising Data Source Caveat