Prior to founding Liga Masiva, Emily brought her skills to First Manhattan Consulting Group and NYC Greenmarket, among others.

FORBES: Emily Kerr of Liga Masiva on Creating A Global Farmers' Market

Gifts can more than double the number of people who respond to bank offers, which, in turn, reduces the cost of acquiring these customers, according to Robert Tetenbaum, executive vice president of First Manhattan Consulting Group, which advises financial-services companies.

WSJ: In Lieu of Toasters, Bank Customers Burned

Bigger competitors often match prices of discount carriers like Virgin America, which had 20% of all passengers flying between JFK and LAX in the first quarter, according to consulting firm Oliver Wyman Group's PlaneStats database.

WSJ: Decoding Airline Ticket Costs