Vitality once set the gold standard for loyalty schemes in insurance in the United Kingdom: rewarding customers for healthy habits with perks like discounted Apple Watches, free coffees, and cinema tickets. I was one of those customers, drawn in by the tangible value and, more importantly, the brand’s promise: a smarter, more rewarding way to live well.
But last month, everything changed.
Vitality introduced gamified elements into the experience. It was no longer enough to live healthily; members were now expected to engage weekly with a cartoon-style game (“Find Stanley”) to unlock rewards. A layer of chance replaced the certainty of earned benefits, and customers, myself included, began to feel something was off.
Despite reporting a 53,000-person uptick in physical activity, Vitality is facing a wave of public backlash, visible across Twitter replies, subreddit threads, and Trustpilot reviews, which prompted the publication of an article by The Telegraph this week. Whether or not this translates into churn is anyone’s guess, but from a Customer Experience perspective, the signals are hard to ignore.
So where did it go wrong? Let’s explore this through the lens of The CX Academy Framework, which outlines six emotional drivers behind lasting customer loyalty.
I TRUST YOU
The shift from a transparent, effort-based rewards system to a gamified, chance-based mechanic (finding cartoon dogs hidden in bushes) eroded customer trust. Instead of receiving guaranteed rewards for being active, users must now “play” a game to unlock perks, with the odds undisclosed.
Vitality claims that over 53,000 additional members are now more active, but trust isn’t earned through KPIs. Customers are questioning the company’s intentions. Was this about wellness or quietly cutting costs?
CX Lesson: Trust is built on clarity. If you’re reducing value, be honest. Customers respect transparency more than gamified obfuscation.
YOU KNOW ME
The new system may boost engagement metrics, but it shows little empathy for the customer base. Adults with careers, families, and busy lifestyles don’t have the time to chase cartoon mascots once a week.
Customers have left comments on Reddit, Trustpilot, and Twitter using words like “childish”, “infantilising”, and “patronising.” Clearly, this isn’t how customers want to interact with a serious health insurance brand.
CX Lesson: Understanding your customers means understanding their emotional context, not just their digital behaviour.
YOU DELIVER ON YOUR PROMISE
Vitality’s brand promise was simple: reward healthy living. That contract has been broken. Two members with the same number of steps, workouts, or Parkruns now may receive different rewards based on luck, not effort.
Customers no longer feel that outcomes are tied to actions. That shift damages credibility.
CX Lesson: Consistency isn’t just operational, it’s emotional. A broken promise, however subtle, breaks loyalty.
YOU MAKE IT EASY
The previous system was intuitive. Customers earned points through physical activity, and then they earned and redeemed rewards. The new experience requires members to learn a game mechanic, understand (but never see) odds, and tolerate randomness.
This isn’t fun. It’s frustrating.
CX Lesson: Ease of use is a cornerstone of loyalty. Design should simplify, not confuse. Opacity is the enemy of trust.
YOU GET ME
Vitality clearly got it right before by appealing to health-conscious customers motivated by improving their health wellbeing and getting value in return. It was a win-win situation.
However, the new programme missed the mark emotionally. In trying to inject novelty, Vitality overlooked what made the original system so simple yet effective: effort = reward.
CX Lesson: Emotionally intelligent design begins with listening. Don’t abandon what your customers value for a trend they didn’t ask for.
YOU FIX THINGS
Thousands of members have voiced dissatisfaction via Trustpilot, subreddit threads, and replies to Vitality’s social media posts. The brand’s response? A blanket statement that no immediate changes are planned. Members now feel misunderstood. Or worse, dismissed.
That’s not listening. That’s retreat. That is not how you fix things.
CX Lesson: Responsiveness signals care. Silence communicates indifference. Great CX brands acknowledge feedback and co-create solutions.
Key CX Takeaways:
- Don’t sacrifice predictability and fairness for novelty.
- Gamification is not a silver bullet. Respect your audience’s emotional context.
- Loyalty isn’t just earned, it’s maintained through consistent delivery on your brand promise.
- When making changes, co-create with real customers. If it’s “childish” to them, don’t roll out the changes.
- When backlash happens, listen and act. Don’t double down.
Customer Experience isn’t about driving metrics. It’s about building trust, delivering on purpose, and respecting the emotional contract with your customers.
Vitality’s mistake wasn’t gamifying its rewards, it was ignoring the emotional blueprint that made the original programme work: simplicity, fairness, and purpose.
CX is not a game of chance. It’s a deliberate, disciplined act of designing with empathy. When innovation solves real problems for real people, loyalty follows.
