One of the last true brand builders
in an era where the art of crafting iconic brand mascots is rapidly fading
Karrie Fox stands as one of the last true brand builders in an era where the art of crafting iconic brand mascots is rapidly fading.
Think about it—since the year 2000, how many memorable brand icons can you name?
The greats like Tony the Tiger, Ronald McDonald, and the Michelin Man all hail from the last century. Modern brands are so focused on rapid agency switches and fragmented media channels that they rarely invest in creating enduring mascots.
Yet, Karrie Fox, through her work with the Travelocity Roaming Gnome, has proven that these timeless brand symbols still have a place and significant value.
$120M: Managed media production and creative budgets, growing from $60M across traditional and digital channels
$10M: Led brand extension initiatives in additional revenue
$10M: Directed Media Sales team to meet revenue goals
$7M: Negotiated media plans that surpassed cost metrics
$7M: Promotional thru campaigns, garnering media attention
300%: Canadian Market Penetration & 94% Brand Recognition
$250K: Launched new value brand & tripled quarterly growth
$200K: Developed merchandising and website for The Roaming Gnome, adding incremental revenue in the first year
10%: Developed product launch boosting new customers
6x: Supported marketing for Travelocity iPad app, resulting in a significant increase in downloads
Managed national advertising campaigns with a focus on LGBT and sustainability segments
These are a few examples of direct mail from Travelocity.
Each piece connects back to the loyalty assessment — clear value exchange, tailored messaging, urgency with purpose. They weren’t just designed to drive bookings; they were built to drive behavior.
To remind customers they’re seen, valued, and rewarded. Proof that when you pair data with storytelling, and strategy with relevance, you get something better than a campaign. You get results.
This deck is one I helped build with & for CMO Anthony Volpe, and it’s one I’ve come back to time and again. It’s centered around a loyalty assessment.
Anthony led the charge in shaping a framework that helps brands understand whether their loyalty strategy is actually moving the needle — financially and behaviorally. The assessment touches on core areas: customer segmentation, value exchange, communication cadence, and partner alignment.
My time at Travelocity was invaluable and I continue to reference. This is a drill down focus on customer loyalty. An assessment — a structured set of 19 questions designed to evaluate the true impact of a loyalty program, from ROI to lifetime value.
While it was built with the travel industry in mind, the insights apply across sectors. If you’re not measuring loyalty with intention and depth, you’re not managing it — you’re just hoping it works.
