Direct Response Marketing

Gaining a Direct Response Advantage

1 Oct, 2007 By: Courtney Beth Pugatch Response

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Advantage Rent A Car's Sean Buck and Michael Wilson say direct response plays an ever-expanding role in the growing company's marketing plans.

Advantage Rent A Car is aware that direct response marketing is rapidly becoming a part of most large companies' marketing mix.

Mary Jane Wells, Advantage Rent A Car's executive vice president, joins Michael Wilson and Sean Buck outside the company's San Antonio headquarters.

"Tracked results are extremely important to today's marketer," notes Sean Buck, advertising and marketing manager for the San Antonio-based car rental company. "The days of throwing out an ad on television or in a national magazine, not worrying and letting it roll, are no longer as prevalent. Branding is important, but showcasing the dollars that are directly brought in due to marketing efforts is central to growth and increasingly more important to CEO level executives."

Still, the Advantage team believes in blending direct response with branding in order to reach its goals. "Frequency means everything. If you are not top of mind, if you aren't providing the services needed, if you aren't advertising your current availability and rates, someone else will," explains Buck. "Since the competition is so closely grouped, those few who continually remind the customer of who they are, where they are located, and how much they can rent a vehicle for will get a majority of the business."

Buck and Advantage Rent A Car are aware that for the company to stay ahead of the competition, it really comes down to brand loyalty, contracted agreements and convenience for the consumer. While Advantage has been around for more than 40 years, the company believes it represents a new and growing company in both the automotive and travel markets.

"The rental car market is extremely similar, no matter which company is being analyzed. All companies offer similar vehicles and services," notes Buck, comparing Advantage to competitor services like Enterprise and Dollar Rent A Car. "We are currently creating programs and services that we hope will help build the loyalty that all companies, whether car rental or not, strive to achieve."

With recent growth in markets such as Orlando, Las Vegas and Hawaii, it can be said that Advantage is accelerating ahead of the competition to offer locations in high-demand tourist destinations.

Buck says that without frequently marketing Advantage's services and reaching out to the consumer, the only other method to achieve quicker growth would be to offer lower-than-desirable rates — which consumers can't help but take into consideration.

"This, however, lowers yield and is not ideal," notes Buck. "In the end, frequency does matter."

Building a Strong Team

Advantage Rent A Car got its start back in 1963 under the name "Three Ninety-Nine Car Rentals." The small San Antonio-based rental service grew quickly during the next 20 years and changed its name to Advantage Rent A Car in 1985.

The company, which initially began to service the government traveler, expanded by developing small rental operations in local retail and airport markets across the United States. Advantage continued its expansion for the next 15 years, launching an affiliate partnership program that has grown into an international network in more than 33 countries.

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