Vacation.com has announced 160 distinct email and direct mail promotions are scheduled for 2013 as part of its Engagement program. That translates into approximately 75 million supplier-funded pieces, Vacation.com said.
Nearly half of those promotions will incorporate Vacation.com’s recently launched retargeting initiative: retargeting allows Vacation.com suppliers to maximize exposure to their offers to consumers.
The 2013 Engagement program builds upon the record number of direct mail promotions and email offers (over 70 of each) Vacation.com will send to its participating member agencies by the end of this year.
Engagement is Vacation.com’s targeted marketing program that delivers relevant and timely specific supplier offers to clients through professionally-designed brochures and targeted emails.
Vacation.com says it has negotiated travel offers with more than 40 cruise lines and tour operators. The the organization will identify which of a member agency’s clients are most likely to respond, and then target those clients on the agency’s behalf.
Among Vacation.com’s top suppliers, Viking River Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, the Globus Family of Brands and Funjet Vacations account for over 62 percent of all Engagement offers.
“Participating in our Engagement marketing program is one of the easiest decisions our members ever have to make. Our Engagement program continues to grow on an annual basis and is truly valued by our members and preferred suppliers alike,” said Vacation.com President John Lovell.
“We had tremendous success with the program this year and next year will be even better. We are continuously working to negotiate the most attractive offers to be able to provide to our members and their clients," Lovell said.
For Vacation.com’s TRAMS ClientBase users, Engagement Select offers the highest level of targeted marketing, utilizing a client’s past purchasing records and marketing preferences. Nearly 25 percent of Vacation.com members participate at this level.
Recent analysis showed that clients – selected using past-purchase data available through Engagement Select – were three times more likely to book with the member agency than those using Engagement, based solely on demographic and lifestyle data, Vacation.com reports.
The newest addition to Vacation.com’s Engagement program is the retargeted marketing initiative announced in May. Retargeting allows Vacation.com suppliers to maximize exposure to their exclusive travel offers. This technology keeps each supplier’s offer in front of the traveler as they surf the Web during their daily activities – with the ads linking directly back to the agency-branded supplier promotion landing page – and, in turn driving more business through each participating agency’s door.
“Within the first few months of our launch, we have already seen success with this program and we expect that to continue into 2013,” Lovell said. “The response we have received from our preferred suppliers wanting to participate is a true testament to the value they find in this initiative.”
The 2013 Engagement calendar is available for members to download now on Vacation.com’s Agent Universe Web portal at www.agentuniverse.com.
Vacation.com's program has also earned support from member agencies.
“Every mailing generates new calls,” said Vacation.com member Barbara Ford, owner of Country Day Travel, Inc. in Fort Worth, TX. “Very often people keep the literature and up to a year later they come in with the literature and say they’ve been waiting to call us for their next trip.”
“I am pleased at the response we have gotten from the Funjet mailers Vacation.com sent on our behalf,” said Gayle Zielke, owner of First Choice Travel and Cruise in Waukesha, WI. “We’ve had tons of calls and bookings as a result.”
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