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Target Marketing... A Compromise
-- by Lisa Ann Schreier
For a long time now, I have been advocating target or niche marketing for timeshare resorts.
You know; one size does not fit all, create your own owner base, advertise to people who are prone to travel with
disposable income, etc.
And for a long time, my advocating has fallen on deaf ears. So, I've come up with a compromise of sorts, and one
that perhaps will open the door to true target marketing.
Sitting in a Sales 101 class last week (I recently changed jobs), the concept of different personality types was
introduced. The class spent the better part of a day learning about, talking about and role-playing selling the
four different personality types. Most sales training involves these four types: Driver, Expressive, Analytical
and Amiable.
The gist of the sales training that day was that you approach selling a Driver in a totally different fashion than
an Amiable. The message is still the same, but the approach, the words, the method differs.
This got me thinking… timeshare resorts and the industry in general are slow to make changes in marketing and advertising
methods, but they grasp and even advocate one-on-one selling in different styles to different people.
With only a slight change in perspective, why not use that philosophy in marketing and advertising? Why not advertise
your product to the drivers, the expressives, the analyticals and the amiables out there in a different way which
translates to USING DIFFERENT MEDIA?
There, that wasn't so difficult was it?
So, today we look at Advertising To Drivers. Drivers want choices. They want to be the first "kid"
on the block with the newest toy. They want flash. A driver wants to be on top, in control.
Drivers read magazines like Conde Nast Traveler. High-end stuff, an annual "Gold List" which tells about
the best (and yes, sometimes priciest) places to stay. A driver would be prone to read Car and Driver (no pun intended).
They want the flash and the "power" of a Jaguar or a fully loaded Explorer, but want to read how to customize
their vehicle. Drivers will appreciate a magazine like O, because Oprah Winfrey is the classical driver. Drivers
want to be affiliated with something new, something different, the next thing. Advertise timeshare in a magazine
tied in with Harley Davidson, and you got a winner.
Drivers don't want magazines like Good Housekeeping. People is way too mainstream for them. Give the driver the
information that they need, options, prices, terms, etc. in an easy to read format in a magazine that is cutting
edge, power driven and technology driven.
Again, always remember… the medium is only one step. Make your ad or your offer tie into the medium. I cannot stress
enough the importance of having a good media planner/buyer on your side who is involved in the creative aspect
as well. If you advertise in a "driver" magazine, but your message is targeted to an "amiable"
you just wasted your media money.
Questions, comments? Always welcome. Next time, advertising to Expressives. And on a personal note: Thanks
for the invaluable personal enrichment training!
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