Uncovering Hidden Profits in Experiential Marketing With Wheels Up’s Kristen Lauria

On this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jenny Rooney sits down with Kristen Lauria, chief customer and marketing officer at Wheels U, to explore the evolution of luxury travel marketing and brand transformation. 

Wheels Up is revolutionizing private aviation through innovative membership models, strategic partnerships, and its marketing team has everything to do with it. 

From her unique journey from aerospace engineering to marketing leadership, Kristen shares insights on pivoting brands toward growth, building trust with high-net-worth clients, and creating exceptional customer experiences. 

This conversation serves as a critical reminder of a good marketer’s core responsibility: translating complex business ideas into powerful customer value. 

At Wheels Up, Kristen brings a unique blend of engineering and marketing expertise to the aviation industry. With a background as an aerospace engineer and extensive experience at IBM, Kristen specializes in transforming complex technical offerings into market-ready solutions. 

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Episode Highlights: 

[01:50] Building Trust Through Brand Translation — Kristen emphasizes that marketing success comes from effectively translating complex offerings into clear market value. She explains that building trust is paramount when serving sophisticated customers, particularly in luxury markets where significant investments are involved. The challenge lies in maintaining brand authenticity while simplifying complex services for different audience segments. CMOs should focus on developing a clear brand point of view that resonates across B2B, B2C, and B2B2C channels simultaneously. 

[08:20] Customer Centricity on Steroids — Customer experience must go beyond traditional service delivery to create truly differentiated value in luxury markets. Kristen details how every touchpoint must be carefully orchestrated to anticipate and exceed customer expectations before they arise. The challenge is maintaining consistent, high-touch experiences across all customer interactions, from digital to physical environments. CMOs (in this segment, especially) should implement what Kristen calls “customer centricity on steroids” — where personalization extends beyond basic preferences to creating completely customized journeys. At Wheels Up, this manifests in anticipating needs like ground transportation and dining preferences before customers need to ask. This level of service creates lasting brand loyalty and drives word-of-mouth growth in premium markets.

[14:38] The Renaissance of Experiential Marketing — Kristen reveals how experiential marketing has evolved from traditional event activations to become a core business driver. She notes that while digital transformation dominated marketing conversations for years, relationship-based businesses require meaningful in-person connections. The key is creating experiences that serve both existing customers and prospects simultaneously, maximizing marketing investment impact. This dual-purpose approach to experiential marketing delivers stronger ROI than traditional single-audience-focused events. 

[24:40] Transformational Leadership in Marketing — Kristen shares her philosophy on leading marketing teams through major transformations and pivots. She emphasizes that effective marketing leadership requires setting clear vision while remaining hands-on with execution details. Modern CMOs must balance strategic direction with day-to-day coaching and mentorship, especially when pursuing innovative approaches. The key is creating an environment where teams feel empowered to challenge leadership decisions and propose alternative directions. This collaborative approach drives innovation while maintaining team cohesion during periods of significant change.