Brittany Hodak: Build Superfans through Experience, Not Transactions

Day 1: General Session Keynote

During her keynote address at the 2026 MUFC, Brittany Hodak didn’t start with strategy; she started with a treadmill.

When a deliveryman installed her new machine, he offered a running commentary about weight, treadmills, and who should use them. Then, on his way out, he added one more remark.

“You ain’t that fat,” he told her. “I bet you got a fat husband.”

The moment had nothing to do with the product. But it was the part of the experience she couldn’t forget.

“It’s a reminder that no matter what industry you’re in, you’re in the experience business,” Hodak said.

Hodak is a customer experience expert and author of Creating Superfans. She works with major brands, drawing on lessons from the entertainment world, including early work with artists like Taylor Swift, to help businesses turn customers into loyal advocates.

When working with Swift, she noticed a different approach to building loyalty. At the time, Swift was spending hours on MySpace. She wasn’t promoting her music; she was connecting directly with fans.

“I want to sell a million copies of this album,” Swift told her. “And I know that if a million people are going to buy my record, they have to care about me first.”

Hodak said Swift’s example extends far beyond music. Before customers care about what a business sells, they need a reason to care about the business itself. That’s why “story” is the first step in her S.U.P.E.R. Model framework.

Start with your story

Swift was telling her story, creating a connection with fans before ever asking them to buy the product. The same principle applies to franchise operators. Customers may come in for a transaction, but they come back for a reason. The brands that stand out are the ones that clearly communicate who they are and why they exist.

Hodak advised franchisees to look beyond marketing and consider every interaction. Whether it’s how a team member greets a guest, how a space is designed, or how a problem is handled, each touchpoint reinforces the story.

“Does everyone who works with you understand why you are doing this?” she said.

When that story is clear and consistent, customers begin to see the brand as something more than a place to buy. They see it as a place they want to return to and recommend to others.

Understand their story

The next step is understanding each customer’s story.

“The moment you start treating customers like numbers is when they start treating you like a commodity,” Hodak said.

She advised operators to recognize that every guest walks in with a specific need, context, or expectation. Some are in a hurry. Some are celebrating. Some just want the process to be easy.

The brands that stand out are the ones that train their teams to pick up on those cues and respond in the moment, Hodak said. When customers feel understood, they are far less likely to see the business as interchangeable. Instead, they begin to see it as the place that understands them.

Personalize

The next step is making that understanding visible. Hodak pointed to Chewy as an example of how small, thoughtful touches can turn a routine transaction into something memorable. After ordering prescription dog food for her dog, Bear, she received a personalized email from a customer service rep that referenced Bear by name and used a tone that felt human, not automated.

“The best marketing doesn’t cost anything. It’s about showing up in the places that you already are differently,” Hodak said.

Later, the company sent a portrait of her dog, an unexpected gesture that had nothing to do with the transaction itself but everything to do with how it felt.

She said the scale of the gesture isn’t as important as the intent behind it. Personalization does not require a large investment. It requires paying attention and finding small ways to make customers feel like more than just another order.

Exceed Expectations

Exceeding expectations does not always mean doing something big. Often, it means rethinking the moments that frustrate customers in the first place.

Hodak encouraged operators to identify what she called “slow elevators,” the friction points in a customer journey that can be improved or reimagined.

During a family trip to Legoland, she noticed the hotel elevator was unusually slow, but instead of trying to hide it, the experience was transformed with music, lights, and visuals.

“My kids love this every time we’re in the elevator,” she said. “It’s like a dance party. The Bee Gees or ABBA play. It wasn’t until probably the 10th time I was in the elevator that I realized this is the slowest elevator on the planet.”

She urged operators to look beyond the transaction and examine the full experience. Long waits, confusing processes, or small inconveniences are opportunities. When those moments are handled creatively, they can shift from a source of frustration to a point of differentiation.

Repeat

The final step is consistency. Great experiences are not built on one-off moments. They are built through repetition, systems, and a culture that reinforces them every day, Hodak said. That’s not just the role of franchise operators. Team members need to understand their role in delivering the experience, not just completing the task.

Over time, small, repeatable actions add up. They turn positive interactions into expectations and expectations into trust. That creates superfans.

“If your customers aren’t telling their friends about you, you’re in trouble,” Hodak said.

MUFC BY THE NUMBERS