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Advertising 101
-- by Lisa Ann Schreier
Scenario #1- ABC Resort in Orlando runs a full page ad in a pocket sized tourist
publication found in thousands of kiosks in and around town advertising luxurious condo rentals for $79.95 a night,
or only $29.95 per night if you take "an informative sales presentation", complete with a "breakfast".
The ad looks just the same as the other 126 ads in the publication and says nothing about what they will be offered
to purchase.
Scenario #2- Same resort in Orlando runs a quarter page ad in a newspaper targeting lawyers in Boston advertising
a 6 day/5 night stay at their resort for $599 as well as offering a $300 "rebate" with the purchase of
a timeshare. The ad is the only one of its kind in the paper and even has information about the type of units available
for sale as well as a brief overview of why timeshare makes good economic sense.
As the developer of the resort, which do you choose? Which will do the best for you? Which will generate more interest?
Which will generate more tours? Most importantly, which will have the greatest positive impact on your bottom line?
According to worn out timeshare strategies, Scenario #1. It's a numbers game…if there are 51 million people
coming to Orlando every year, the resort can and will generate a lot of tours off of that ad. A lot of tours with
people who are only interested in the least expensive accommodations.
According to proven advertising strategies, Scenario #2. It's called target marketing, and truth in advertising.
Lawyers in Boston have far more disposable income than the average person looking for a cheap hotel room.
Sure, you're going to get a lot of lawyers looking closely at your ad seeing if all the legal bases are covered.
But, assuming you've hired a good advertising consultant who words the ad properly, shows the right photos and
hits on the benefits of owning a deeded piece of property, in the long run, you're going to be more successful
with Scenario #2.
So why are there no timeshare ads in lawyer publications in Boston? Because most timeshare developers and project
directors don't understand consumer advertising and are scared to change things from the way they've always been
done. Time to wake up…why are timeshare resorts so far behind the times? Why do you not see any catchy, clever,
or down to earth ads for timeshares?
We in the industry always tout the long-term advantages to the thousands of people who tour our resorts each year.
Its time we realize the long term advantages of good, targeting advertising as opposed to bland, slightly deceitful
advertising, or worse, mailing thousands of "cheap" offers to people who don't have the money or the
inclination to buy timeshares.
Yes, timeshares have certain attributes that make them different from most other consumer products. But tried and
true advertising, tried and true GOOD advertising works. Why aren't resorts running radio ads? Radio is the most
intrusive media…and yes that's a good thing. 98% of the US market listens to a radio station during any given day.
Can you tell the entire timeshare story in a 60-second radio commercial? Of course not. You aren't telling the
entire timeshare story in a mailer, or through an OPC or in a publication offering rentals for $29.95 a night either.
That's what the presentation is for. Will your legal department need to work overtime with your advertising consultant?
Yes. Will you need to re-think your advertising strategy? Yes. Will you garner more scrutiny? Absolutely. Will
you raise some eyebrows? Yes, and that's a good thing. Will you make a name for yourself as a forward thinker,
as a resort finding a better way of doing something, as a resort that is significantly increasing their bottom
line by touring people who (gasp) actually have an interest in purchasing timeshares? Yes, yes and yes. You'll
be happier, you'll have a sales staff that is thrilled with the results and you'll be more than happy to pay your
advertising consultant (me) a huge bonus.
Stay tuned folks…this is just the beginning!
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| Lisa Ann Schreier
is a dynamic, outspoken, devout believer in the power of advertising done correctly. Lisa brings a wealth of advertising,
marketing and promotional knowledge to her many business interests. She is the director of her own marketing/advertising
agency, a full-time timeshare salesperson, a contributing writer and a part time Cast Member of the Walt Disney
World Resort. After one too many long cold winters in Chicago, she now happily lives in the Orlando area where
she is known for her consumer insights and "back to basics" style of business. When she is not working,
sharing insights with the best bartender on Disney property (you'll be famous soon!) or learning the hard way that
the sun really is much stronger in Orlando than it ever was up north, she occasionally runs back to Chicago to
catch up on the best radio station in the world and see some incredible concerts. Lisa can be reached at GRQ1@aol.com. |
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