Top Points to Share with Media, Hint: Lead with the Good News
A few weeks ago, ARDA President Jason Gamel spent the day at the International Media Marketplace, which is considered the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with journalists, editors and influencers. The centerpiece of the event is a “speed-dating” event that matches industry representatives with journalists who have been preselected as a potential match.
At the end of the day, he was somewhat surprised by the tone and tenor of the conversations he had. What he found was most of his contacts had no opinions about the timeshare industry. “The journalists I spoke with were mostly uninformed about our industry,” Gamel said. “I was prepared to talk about both the positives aspects of the industry as well as some of the negative perceptions, so in some ways it was gratifying to see that were starting with open minds.”
Although almost all had some idea what timeshares are, they didn’t know about the major hospitality brands in our industry, the nature and quality of our resorts, the unique experiences for owners, and the flexibility and options afforded by new product offerings. Here are a few of the insights we hope they gained about today’s timeshare industry.
- The travel writers were most surprised by the amazing experiences that are now available to timeshare owners. These include the opportunities to meet celebrities, attend events as VIPS and to access once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences such as safaris.
- They were unaware of the youth movement that has taken place (57% of timeshare owners today are GEN Z and Millennials vs. 39% in 2012), which ARDA attributes to the fact that this younger population probably enjoyed timeshare vacations as children and thus realize the benefits of ownership. The experiential nature of the product also appeals to a younger population as do the newer urban locations.
- They also didn’t know that many resorts have rental programs for non-timeshare owners. “This has perhaps the biggest downside as these travel writers may want to cover timeshare resorts but don’t because they believe they are closed to a portion of their readership,” Gamel say. “This is a lost opportunity as many new owners fall in love with timeshare through a rental stay at one of our resorts.”
So, what does this mean for media relations going forward? “We are focusing our efforts on the basics of our industry as it stands in 2023,” says Sarah Conroy, ARDA’s Senior Director of Marketing and Communications. “We can grab their attention with new amenities, resorts and programs, then turn the conversation to the core value proposition and features of the modern-day timeshare product. We have a great story to share.”
Judy Kenninger is principal of Kenninger Communications and has been covering the vacation real estate industry for nearly two decades.