 Wunderman — considered to be the father of contemporary direct marketing — is behind the creation of the toll-free 1-800 number and numerous mail order based loyalty marketing programs including the Columbia Record Club, the magazine subscription card, and the American Express Customer Rewards program.On May 1, 1981 American Airlines launched the AAdvantage frequent flyer program, which accumulated “reward miles” that a customer could later redeem for free travel.Within a few years, many other travel industry companies launched similar programs.