PLANO, Texas, Sept. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliance Data
Systems Corporation (NYSE: ADS), a leading global provider of
data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions, today announced its
Columbus, Ohio-based card services
business, a premier provider of branded private label, co-brand and
business credit programs, has signed a new long-term agreement to
launch a credit card program and provide co-brand credit card
services for Viking Cruises (www.vikingcruises.com). Headquartered
in Los Angeles, Viking Cruises is
the world's leading river cruise line and was voted the No. 1 ocean
cruise line in Travel + Leisure magazine's 2016 "World's
Best" awards. The company provides upscale, destination-centric
cruising along the rivers and oceans of the Americas, Europe, Russia, Egypt, China
and Southeast Asia, through a
fleet of 61 vessels.
Torstein Hagen, founder, chairman
and chief executive officer of Viking Cruises, said, "The Viking
Cruises brand reflects a heritage of exclusive quality and
unsurpassed customer service, and our new credit program with
Alliance Data will encompass a customer-centric approach that
creates a personalized experience for every traveler and delivers
on our distinguished brand promise. We believe Alliance Data's
credit marketing experience and robust insights and analytics will
help us build and grow our base of loyal guests and drive sales by
offering a high level of customer service and flexible credit
options to our cruisers."
Alliance Data will create and implement a marketing-driven
co-brand credit program to keep Viking Cruises top of mind with
guests as they make everyday purchases, explore cultural and
culinary adventures, and travel. The loyalty-driven program will
encourage guest engagement with Viking Cruises both before and long
after their cruise, while inspiring repeat bookings. Cardmembers
will receive rewards for dollars spent using a tiered approach for
purchases with Viking Cruises, high-frequency spend categories and
through all other transactions.
Alliance Data's Analytics and Insights Institute will apply its
powerful marketing and data toolset to provide data-driven insights
and a 360-degree view of existing and potential guests. These
insights will influence targeted marketing, communications and
campaigns to increase visits back to Viking Cruises while
positively impacting purchase frequency and brand advocacy. Viking
Cruises will have access to Alliance Data's innovative mobile
marketing solutions, including mobile card acquisition via phone
and tablet and robust SMS marketing platforms.
"Viking Cruises is truly in a class by itself, and we could not
be more proud to partner with this industry-leading, visionary
company as we bring our loyalty and credit marketing expertise to
the cruise line market," said Melisa
Miller, president of Alliance Data's card services business.
"We are like-minded in that we deliver the premier level of
customer service that Viking Cruise travelers have come to expect.
We are confident that our expertise and unique data and analytics
capabilities will help Viking exceed its goals for increasing
repeat guests while delivering a cardmember experience that is
second to none."
About Viking Cruises
Viking Cruises, the leader in
river and small ship ocean cruising, offers destination-focused
itineraries designed for experienced travelers who have an interest
in geography, culture and history. In its first year of operation,
Viking Ocean Cruises was rated the #1 ocean cruise line in Travel +
Leisure's 2016 "World's Best" Awards, which came on the heels of
being rated the highest of all cruise lines in the 2015 "World's
Best" Awards. Viking currently operates a fleet of 61 vessels,
offering scenic cruising along the rivers and oceans of the
Americas, Europe, Russia, Egypt, China,
and Southeast Asia. By 2019, the
company will operate six 930-guest ocean cruise ships and will sail
itineraries in Scandinavia and the Baltic, the Western and Eastern Mediterranean,
Asia, Australia, North
America and the Caribbean.
For additional information, contact Viking Cruises at
1-855-8-VIKING (1-855-884-5464) or
visit www.vikingcruises.com.
About Alliance Data's card services business
Alliance
Data's card services business is a leading provider of tailored
marketing and loyalty solutions, delivered through branded credit
programs that drive more profitable relationships between our brand
partners and their cardmembers. We offer private label, co-brand,
and business card products to many of the world's most recognizable
brands across a multitude of channels.
We uphold our Know more. Sell more.® promise by
leveraging unmatched customer insights, advanced analytics, and
broad-reaching innovative capabilities. It's how we deliver
increased sales to our partners, build enduring loyalty to their
brands, and provide more value to our cardmembers. Alliance Data's
card services business is a proud part of the Alliance Data
enterprise. To learn more, visit www.knowmoresellmore.com or follow
us on Twitter @Know_SellMore.
About Alliance Data
Alliance Data® (NYSE:
ADS) is a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and
loyalty solutions serving large, consumer-based industries. The
Company creates and deploys customized solutions, enhancing the
critical customer marketing experience; the result is measurably
changing consumer behavior while driving business growth and
profitability for some of today's most recognizable brands.
Alliance Data helps its clients create and increase customer
loyalty through solutions that engage millions of customers each
day across multiple touch points using traditional, digital, mobile
and emerging technologies. An S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company
headquartered in Plano, Texas,
Alliance Data consists of three businesses that together employ
more than 17,000 associates at approximately 100 locations
worldwide.
Alliance Data's card services business is a leading provider of
marketing-driven branded credit card programs. Epsilon®
is a leading provider of multichannel, data-driven technologies and
marketing services, and also includes Conversant®, a
leader in personalized digital marketing. LoyaltyOne®
owns and operates the AIR MILES® Reward Program,
Canada's premier coalition loyalty
program, and Netherlands-based
BrandLoyalty, a global provider of tailor-made loyalty programs for
grocers.
Investor information about Alliance Data's businesses may be
found here.
Follow Alliance Data on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and
YouTube.
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements give our expectations or
forecasts of future events and can generally be identified by the
use of words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate,"
"intend," "project," "plan," "likely," "may," "should" or other
words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements that
describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans,
intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements.
We believe that our expectations are based on reasonable
assumptions. Forward-looking statements, however, are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from the projections, anticipated results or
other expectations expressed in this release, and no assurances can
be given that our expectations will prove to have been correct.
These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to,
factors set forth in the Risk Factors section in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year, which may be
updated in Item 1A of, or elsewhere in, our Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q filed for periods subsequent to such Form 10-K.
Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made,
and we undertake no obligation, other than as required by
applicable law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, subsequent events,
anticipated or unanticipated circumstances or otherwise.
Contact:
Alliance Data
Tiffany Louder – Investor
Relations
214-494-3048
tiffany.louder@alliancedata.com
Steve Balet
FTI
Consulting
212-850-5721
alliancedata@fticonsulting.com
Shelley Whiddon –
Media
214-494-3811
shelley.whiddon@alliancedata.com
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SOURCE Alliance Data Systems Corporation