As I watched my 401K slip into non-existence over the last few weeks I started thinking about the bootleggers during prohibition. Basically, these businessmen/gangsters were servicing a clear need in the market. People were generally down and out due to the depression and having a goodtime was still on their list of things to do.

While the depression might be an extreme analogy (I hope), there is still a strong desire for people to enjoy themselves and relax. Certain new approaches and technologies in resort marketing tap into this trend. Bob is still going to take his wife on vacation down in Myrtle Beach, he just wants to make sure he gets a good deal in the process.

Timeshare marketing pioneers like Vacation-offer.com are positioning themselves to fill the need. The concept is simple. Present packages in comfortable formats that mimic the big travel sites like Travelocity or Orbitz and educate people about vacation ownership in the process. David Rothschild, the head of creative, summarized the company’s philosophy, “we provide a familiar looking travel portal for mini-vacation packages and we introduce people to vacation ownership.”

The business model relies on internet know-how and a strong emphasis on targeted marketing to drive the initial traffic to the site. I looked over the Orlando Getaway, the Myrtle Beach Golf Escape and the Romantic New Hampshire weekend, and I must say they had peaked my interest. As a resort marketing insider, I suggest keeping an eye on this trend. Driving targeted traffic and letting the consumer play a more active role in their involvement in the sales process sounds like the recipe for success to me.

The 1960′s represented times of radical change. The brittle status-quo exoskeleton was shed, making way for spongy new ideologies to be soaked up by the populous. While counter-culture youth lashed out against the establishment and the cold war ignited a race to the moon, an equally profound change began to simmer in a small ski-town in the French Alps.

The story goes: a French family who loved to ski wanted to fulfill their lifelong dream of owning a beautiful Alps Chalet. Unfortunately, such an expensive purchase was well beyond the modest means of this family. Their dream would not be denied: the father brilliantly concocted the strategy of petitioning their large extended family to split the Chalet’s ownership based on calendar months. This way, each part of the extended family could enjoy ownership of the Chalet for a different portion of the year. This event marked the conception of timeshare ownership, soon to be promoted and popularized by nearby resort developers Hapimag of Switzerland and SuperDevuloy of France.

This original premise of the father reaching out to his ‘extended family’ is what peaks my interest. It must have been quite easy for the father to convince his extended family to buy- after all, he probably knew a bit about them. Elise, the old matron of the Boulangers, was notorious for her love of soaking in hot tubs. Therefore, the Chalet had two luxurious, state-of-the art jacuzzis. The Petain family were known as food-connoisseurs (snobs), and so one of France’s great eateries conveniently resided at the foot of the Ski slopes. This must have been how the father sold them, based on each family’s personal desires and preferences.

In today’s world of timeshare sales, the ‘extended family’ is getting harder and harder to come by. A phone room operator doesn’t know that Marcy from Topeka loves golf or Bill from Cleveland has a sweet spot for back massages. This is why the internet has become so important.

Using the newest lead generation technology, a timeshare developer can collect vital geographic, psychographic, and demographic information about prospective buyers. This valuable data can be directed through mini-vacation packages that are adeptly marketed to the right people. The times of picking a needle (or prospect) out of a haystack are gone. Lead generation for timeshare tours need to be honed and on-point as if it were directed towards an old friend or family member. The web provides the tools to bridge this gap and make all sales prospects a part of your ‘extended family’.

- The Guru

I’m starting this blog because I see the vacation ownership industry changing. I’d like to share my thoughts and hear your thoughts about what this means for all of us. To learn more about my past check out the about page.