VRMA's Greatest Hits: 2012 Edition

Since last year's Annual Conference, the VRMA's PR team secured coverage for the association and its Discover Vacation Homes initiative valued at more than $1.42 million, garnering publicity that reached more than 319.4 million people as measured through the combined print circulation, unique monthly online visitors and broadcast households.

Additionally, 32 VRMA members received direct publicity, with some having been spotlighted in multiple articles along the way!  

Our PR campaign also won its third Adrian Award in three years from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), this time for the extensive New York Times article cultivated in 2011, "Grabbing Vacation Rental Deals" - a terrific measure of success for the association’s ongoing "Discover Vacation Homes" PR initiative!  

Of course, the best measure of a successful PR campaign is affecting vacation rental professionals’ bottom lines. Stays with vacation rental professionals are currently booming, and nationally, bookings grew more than 30% in August vs. the same time last year, and bookings over the next six months already showing a more than 19% climb.   

Here are this year’s top coverage highlights:

• Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine: "Ready to Try a Vacation Rental?” Includes content and tips recommended by VRMA PR team, and features an infographic with a variety of vacation rental trends / statistics attributed directly to the VRMA’s Discover Vacation Homes initiative.  

• The Washington Post and Tribune Media Syndicate: "New Confidentiality Clauses Can Influence Vacation Rental Reviews” Features key insights from VRMA President Steve Trover. Syndicated online and in print to publications like the Chicago Tribune, Elliott.org, Seattle Times, Frommers.com, Orlando Sentinel and more.
  
  
• MSN Money: "20 Ways to Save on Vacation” Recommends vacation rentals for more travel savings and amenities than other lodging options, and links to info, tips and recommendations from VRMA’s Discover Vacation Homes initiative.
  
  
• Associated Press: "Fans’ Rite of Spring: Sun-Seeking Baseball Trips” Recommends vacation rentals in spring training destinations, including link to DiscoverVacationHomes.com. More than 133 online syndications reported, including CBS Money Watch, ESPN.com, SportsIllustrated.com, USA Today, ABC News, Yahoo! News and more.
  
  
• The Huffington Post: "World's 11 Wildest, Most Interesting Vacation Rentals” Included mention of VRMA’s growth data and a direct link to DiscoverVacationHomes.com.
  
  
• Lowe’s for Pros (Canada): "How to Make Your Vacation Property More Marketable” Worked with writer to secure quotes from VRMA President Steve Trover, as well as two VRMA-member vacation rental professionals in Canada, on the website – written for Lowes’ commercial customers in Canada.
  
  
• 8 Articles - National Geographic Traveler’s "Intelligent Traveler” Blog: Coverage from VRMA-supported "Away is Home” journey across the country by travel journalist Christopher Elliott and family.
1. "The Pros + Cons of Historical Vacation Rentals"
2. "24 Hours in St. Augustine"
3. "The Other Side of Anna Maria Island"
4. "Getting Lost on Florida's 'Forgotten' Coast"
5. "Sweet on Savannah: Traveling with Kids"
6. "Where are America's Best Bears? You Tell Us."
7. "Where are America's Best European Villages?"
8. "24 Hours in the Outer Banks"

• 3 Articles - The Huffington Post: Coverage from VRMA-supported "Away is Home” journey across the country by travel journalist Christopher Elliott and family.
1. "Would You Stay at a Historical Vacation Rental?"
2. "Finding the Bear Capitol of America"
3. "A European Village in America?"

Note: You may find that certain articles resulting from VRMA’s Discover Vacation Homes initiative resonate with you as a hospitality professional. Feel free to link to these stories on your websites, share them via social networks, send to owners, etc. to help your audiences understand the benefits of professionally managed vacation rentals!

Press Releases: Telling Your Story

The www.DiscoverVacationHomes.com Press Room is intended to provide journalists with information and resources, but it also contains a broad range of content, which may be used as a free resource for VRMA members. These releases, FAQs, planning tips and more can be great tools for marketing and publicizing your own business, and the professional vacation rental category as a whole. Get familiar with the various elements and you’ll find you return to the Press Room time and time again as a truly valuable resource!

• Here They Grow Again: Research Confirms Vacation Rental Industry’s Rapid Rise Within the Lodging Sector: Shared with writers the latest vacation rental industry growth numbers, according to the Ypartnership/Harrison Group 2011 Portrait of American Travelers(SM) (September 28, 2011)
  
  
• From Fall Foliage to Coastal Charms, Autumn Abounds with Vacation Rental Values: Features fall travel enticements and specials from VRMA members, providing seasonal travelers with reasons to discover vacation homes away from home in top locales (October 3, 2011)
  
  
• Vacation Rental Industry Gets in the Game with Milestone Annual Conference: Key announcements made during the vacation rental industry’s 2011 Annual Conference, which reached a milestone as one of the largest events in its 25-year history (November 3, 2011)
  
  
• Pegasus Solutions and the Vacation Rental Managers Association to Transform Online Vacation Rental Market in 2012: Shared with writers the latest information on our partnership to launch a groundbreaking Vacation Rental Switch (VRS) in the next 150 days (January 5, 2012)
  
  
• Top 10 Tips for Scoring a Stellar Vacation Rental Before Summer’s End: Provided to media in the wake of 20/20 piece, "Vacation Confidential,” including information about how to best plan a vacation rental stay with advice from in-the-know industry professionals (July 24, 2012)
  
  
• Second Homeowners Need Professional Help: Shared why "going with a pro” makes it easy to maximize a vacation rental investment (August 29, 2012)

Top 5 VRMA PR Campaign Highlights

On behalf of the VRMA's Discover Vacation Homes initiative, our MMGY Global PR representatives have been continually on the move…

1. Providing 40 media lead opportunities for VRMA member responses since last year’s Conference, and including submissions in targeted pitches to journalists.
   
   
2. Securing the opportunity for VRMA to support America's #1 Travel blogger, syndicated newspaper travel columnist and National Geographic Traveler columnist Christopher Elliott's "Away is Home" journey across the country. Coordinated the Elliott family’s lodging with 20 vacation rental professionals so far and counting, with resulting coverage appearing in social media coverage, on AwayisHome.com, Elliott.org and its e-newsletters, HuffingtonPost.com and on National Geographic Traveler’s "Intelligent Travel” Blog.
   
   
3. Following up with journalists who reported on vacation rental scams affecting travelers, including journalists with NBC’s TODAY Show, ABC’s 20/20, MSNBC.com, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and more. Shared reasons for travelers to stay with a professional, as well as planning tips, recommended questions to ask before booking and other insights / resources.
   
   
4. Attending the Society of American Travel Writers’ (SATW) regional and national conventions on behalf of the VRMA and its Discover Vacation Homes initiative. During the Marketplace, our PR team met with numerous writers, where relevant vacation rental editorial angles were introduced upon discussion of each journalist’s interests. DVDs containing our full press kit / story ideas were also provided.
   
   
5. Updating and sharing a comprehensive Crises Communications Plan with members, including recommendations for dealing with natural and manmade disasters, accidents, crime, public health issues, acts of terrorism and social media crises.

... and much more!

PR for Getting Away Together

Since the start of our PR project promoting Getting Away Together, your the PR team secured coverage valued at more than $186,965, garnering publicity that reached more than 44.4 million people as measured through the combined print circulation, unique monthly online visitors and broadcast households.  

 As we reported by Jerry Smith at PineRidge Film and Television, the series’ carriage numbers are up more than 10% overall since the first of the year. Penetration in the Top 25 markets has gone from 40 to 45%, meaning the Audience Potential has grown to nearly 105 million people! Getting Away Together is now in 67% of the country, including New York City, Washington D.C., Houston, Salt Lake City, Boston and all of Los Angeles. Here are the top five NEWEST markets the show was carried in this summer:

1. Oregon Public Broadcasting
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Reno and Lake Tahoe
4. Phoenix, AZ
5. Pittsburgh, PA

 The top 10 coverage highlights since last year's Annual Conference include:

1. New York 1 News (New York City) and YNN (Upstate NY) - TV and Online
2. Boston Globe (MA) - Print and Online
3. Huffington Post
4. ShermansTravel.com
5. Mobile Press-Register (AL) - Print and Online
6. Atlanta Journal Constitution (GA) - Online
7. Family Vacation Critic (Blog)
8. New York Post (NY)
9. The Morning Call (PA) - Print and Online
10. Florida Times Union "PilotGirl" Blog

Looking ahead, season two is underway, and has already filmed its first episode in Park City, Utah! Keep an eye out for new developments as Getting Away Together continues pre-production, and let us know if you’re interested in participating in this next season.