Dirk Wilson of fractionalownership.co.za has just produced a series of educational Q&A videos featuring a panel of key leaders from all sectors of the fractional and vacation ownership industry, and posted them on the fractionalownership.co.za website.
He says “From a marketing point of view, we want to be very interactive. We believe in forums where people can have input and interaction, and we see video as the next step. Internet video offers a convenient way to learn – would you rather watch a 5-minute video or read half a book? “One of the aims of fractionalownership.co.za as an independent platform is to clear up confusion in the marketplace, especially in terms of the various shared vacation ownership products – for example, the difference between timeshare, fractional ownership and Private Residence Clubs. The way that we chose to do that is through a selection of informative Q&A videos with a panel which includes Alex Bosch, Executive Director of the Vacation Ownership Association of South Africa (VOASA); Deon Viljoen, Director of Operations of Southern Sun Lifestyle Resorts; David Clifton and Darren Ettridge from Interval International (which is based in the UK but moving into Africa with their exchange programmes); and Henry Greyling, CEO of Seeff Fractional Ownership. The sessions are debate-style and the viewer is a fly on the wall.”
This first series of Q&As addresses the broad question ‘What is shared vacation ownership?’, and includes topics such as ‘How has the shared vacation ownership market evolved over the past 5 years? Do we have a new generation of consumers that are dictating future products based on their usage requirements?’, ‘What makes conventional fractional ownership and private residence clubs different from conventional timeshare products?’ and ‘What is happening in the South African fractional ownership resales market, and what channels and methods can fractional owners use to resell their fractions privately?’ Wilson says consumers who want to understand the difference between fractional and timeshare and how all the various products really differ should watch the videos. “Here they will hear it from the horse’s mouth. This new resource will allow them to become better informed in order to make the right purchase which fits in with their lifestyle and investment objectives. We also endorse that promoters shouldn’t dictate to the consumer, who are very savvy and able to cut straight through the marketing speak. Consumers should have the power, and this is our way of helping them to have more power. They are also able to comment on the videos, so that it becomes a community forum as well as a resource centre.” You can view the videos at http://www.fractionalownership.co.za/videos/listings