When Disney decided to enter the cruise industry in the mid-90s, other cruise lines were skeptical that Disney could succeed, because how do you take the expansive experience of a theme park and plop it on the limited confines of a boat? What they failed to consider was Disney's previous experience disrupting the theme park industry and Disney designers' legendary attention to detail, which came together to create a brand-new cruising category: the family cruise that has something for everyone.

Colleen McDaniel of Cruise Critic and Joe Kleiman of InPark Magazine recount Disney's impact on family vacations with the launch of Disney Cruises while marketing consultant and Disney Institute graduate Arnold Tijerina describes the central role customer experience played.

How Disney Reimagined the Cruise Experience

Why do we have nothing but love for some brands—and, hate others with a passion? Repeat Customer is all about examining truly great customer experiences: How companies create them, and why superfans love them so much. CEOs, chief customer officers, and industry experts reveal the inside stories of how iconic companies rose to prominence by solving pain points, reimagining touch points, disrupting traditional business models, and staking their entire success on inventive, customer-focused approaches. And die-hard superfans share stories of their (sometimes) zany expressions of brand love. Hosted by Mio Adilman, produced by Zendesk. New episodes every other Monday.

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When SoulCycle co-founder Ruth Zukerman abruptly left her groundbreaking boutique fitness company, the question became whether she could strike gold a second time with a similar spin class concept called Flywheel Sports. But then the challenge doubled when Peloton entered the market with a radical new at-home fitness option.

Zukerman describes the early days of boutique fitness and how her continued emphasis on the customer experience paid off for Flywheel. Stacey Artandi Seldin explains the integral role technology played in that success. Matt O'Connor outlines Flywheel's adoption of the latest trend: at-home streaming fitness classes. And fitness industry analyst Dana Macke provides an overview of how fitness has moved from big box gyms, to boutique studios, to interactive classes in our homes, and what lies beyond.

How Flywheel Upcycled Boutique Fitness and At-home Classes

Chip and Joanna Gaines were stars of the hit home makeover TV show Fixer Upper on HGTV, but when they decided to launch a lifestyle brand called Magnolia, they couldn't rely on celebrity status alone. It required a much deeper customer experience.  

Brand strategist Adam Hanft describes the pitfalls of personality-based brands and how to avoid them. Chris Pullig at Baylor University deconstructs some of the secret sauce behind Magnolia's customer experience. And Magnolia's Director of Guest Services, Sam Goff, takes us into the Waco, Tex. call center where customer service reps connect with Chip and Joanna's devoted fans.

How Chip and Joanna Gaines Turned A Hit TV Show Into Magnolia

When SeatGeek set out to disrupt the live event ticket buying experience they went up against dominant players like Ticketmaster and StubHub, and a seemingly endless series of new pain points that kept cropping up around every corner. Would the startup be able to continue adjusting its mobile-first platform at the same time as it fought for space in a tightly controlled industry?

SeatGeek co-founder Russell D'Souza and CX Director Joe Gilgoff describe the murky world of ticket buying he sought to improve and the challenges his team had to overcome. Journalists Eric Fisher and Dave Brooks, and ticketing veteran Fred Maglione provide context to a complex industry. And sports superfan and podcaster Tim Daniel relates his experience scoring tickets with SeatGeek.

How SeatGeek Scores You Tickets To The Game

When dating app Hinge shifted its platform to mobile and adopted the swipe feature along with other apps like Tinder, its customer base soared along with its valuation. But as hookup culture gripped the Millennial demographic, founder Justin McLeod realized Hinge's new customer experience was working against its mission of helping people find lasting and fulfilling relationships.

Relationship expert Dr. Monica O'Neal outlines the rapidly changing landscape and impact of online dating and mobile dating; Chris Stegner, Founder, and CEO of Very Big Things, weighs in with the impact of UX; and Justin recounts Hinge's risky decision to confront the gamification of dating apps, as well as how his own romantic situation influenced that decision.

How Hinge Muted The Gamification Of Dating

Shake Shack's improbable rise from a hot dog cart in a New York City park to international hamburger chain seems even more unlikely when you consider the guy who started it: Danny Meyer. He's a Michelin-starred restauranteur with a reputation for exceptional customer service. How do you translate that kind of customer experience into fast food?

Food journalist Daniela Galarza, Danny Klein of QSR Magazine and Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant industry analyst, describe how Shake Shack and Danny Meyer benefitted from the emergence of a new restaurant category called "fast casual" while another NYC food writer, Chris Shott, explains what's between Shake Shack's buns.

How Disney Reimagined the Cruise Experience

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