Marriott Room TV "promo" videos...

[TUGBrian]

so we just checked in to harbour lake and my wife kids abandoned me to unpack/work for a bit as they immediately ran to the pool....dadlife!

the TV here in the living room is on and tuned to the default promo channel rotating thru all the various ads and such for the resort and marriott and while im not actually paying attention, my TUG spidey senses unconsciously picked up on one particular promo where the owners are being interviewed in what appears to be an effort to convince people to buy abound points. The problem is the guy being interviewed says they have been members for years...and the line that got me was:

"we bought 8 years ago and since then have made 2 additional purchases and now we finally feel we have enough points to take advantage of everything marriott has to offer"

am i just completely out to lunch in thinking this if anything would convince me to NOT buy into a program? underlying the fact that you have to keep buying more and more just to "use it correctly"? or am I just hardened to the usual timeshare marketing thanks to all we encounter here regularly on TUG?

would a normal person watch that and think "man i really should go buy more points" vs "the salesperson who sold me my points didnt tell me i didnt get enough to do everything!"

anyway, just an interesting observation as I start my vacation! Side note, this is the 6 or 7th trip in a row to various resorts where i have yet to be pressured (or even asked in the case of the marriott stays) to attend a sales presentation!

 

[JIMinNC]

I certainly think the interpretation you heard could come across the same way to others, but probably not everyone. We on TUG probably do tend to be more experienced and cynical in evaluating Sales pitches than the average prospect. Having said that, the "you don't have to buy it all at once" pitch has been an element of MVC sales pitches for as long as the points program has been in operation.

It's been almost six years since we have been to an MVC presentation, but I know that, in the past, Sales has often sold new buyers on a smaller purchase in order to "test drive" the system. Then, in later presentations, the pitch becomes "now you need to top off your points so you can book more vacations."

Selling more to existing owners has also been a long-time focus of MVC, so testimonials like you saw that encourage people to buy more would seem to be consistent with that sales strategy.

 

[davidvel]

Anyone that has bought from them before is ripe to be fleeced again. They know this and capitalize on it.

 

[pedro47]

If you are not a regular on this website, this could sound liked a great opportunity.

 

[cubigbird]

This is basic sales. One of the largest sources of sales is existing customers because they’ve already said “yes” to your product. It’s much easier to get a sale from an existing customer than an a prospect, and it requires fewer asks.

 

[dioxide45]

I don't think most people would interpret it that way. They would see that the person is so happy with what they own that they want more. As another mentioned, we here on TUG are more cynical. I did watch a shortish video on YouTube talking about how little Marriott thinks about their product. When you buy a small point package and then go back for another presentation, the pitch is that what you own isn't good enough. Crap, and that you need to buy more. This may be true, but even Marriott Vacation Club looks at their own product in a negative light. What you own is never good enough. They were, perhaps unfairly, comparing it to Disney but you would never go to Disney and them try to tell you what you own isn't good enough.

 

[Ken555]

LAW & DISORDER: Owner Services Unit

Cold open. Dim timeshare presentation room. Detective Kowalski stares through the two-way mirror.

“Eight years on the force. Eight years chasing the same ghost. The Hendersons. Bought in 2017. Two more buys since. And they still don’t have enough points to take advantage of everything Marriott has to offer.”

Her partner sets down a cold coffee. “You think they’ll buy again?”

“They always buy again. The points don’t run out. The wanting does.”

Interrogation room. Mr. Henderson, sweating, smiling, terrifyingly serene. “We just feel like we’re almost there, Detective. One more purchase and we unlock the full experience.”

She slams a folder down. “That’s what you said in 2019. And 2022.”

Long silence. He leans in. “…Have you heard about Abound points?”

She closes her eyes. Roll credits.

LAW & DISORDER. Tuesdays after the resort orientation video. Volume slightly too loud. Remote sold separately.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[jp10558]

Yea, I could see it as "I liked this so much that I wanted to do more". I'm thinking about the Hilton Credit Cards - I had Surpass and I upgraded to Aspire. Not because I couldn't "do enough" with the lower card, but that I liked Hilton Honors enough to want to get additional FNCs via spend.

Or there are things like Tool battery platforms. Buying more Bosch / Dewalt / Milwaukee tools that all use the same battery isn't the first tool not doing enough, it's liking one enough to keep buying in their system.

I'd say the important question I'd have from that promo is - was the issue I was sold something that didn't do what I need, or was the issue I have been growing my use over time?

 

[CPNY]

It's not a bad ad, to the random marriott timeshare owner, this ad plants the seed of "I need more". To a non owner, this ad goes right over their head and all they see is a family that are happy with their purchases so much they keep buying more and more so It must be that good! To the rest of us, "You've got to be kidding me".

 

[Dean]

so we just checked in to harbour lake and my wife kids abandoned me to unpack/work for a bit as they immediately ran to the pool....dadlife!

the TV here in the living room is on and tuned to the default promo channel rotating thru all the various ads and such for the resort and marriott and while im not actually paying attention, my TUG spidey senses unconsciously picked up on one particular promo where the owners are being interviewed in what appears to be an effort to convince people to buy abound points. The problem is the guy being interviewed says they have been members for years...and the line that got me was:

"we bought 8 years ago and since then have made 2 additional purchases and now we finally feel we have enough points to take advantage of everything marriott has to offer"

am i just completely out to lunch in thinking this if anything would convince me to NOT buy into a program? underlying the fact that you have to keep buying more and more just to "use it correctly"? or am I just hardened to the usual timeshare marketing thanks to all we encounter here regularly on TUG?

would a normal person watch that and think "man i really should go buy more points" vs "the salesperson who sold me my points didnt tell me i didnt get enough to do everything!"

anyway, just an interesting observation as I start my vacation! Side note, this is the 6 or 7th trip in a row to various resorts where i have yet to be pressured (or even asked in the case of the marriott stays) to attend a sales presentation!

On the surface it would make many think that buying more is a good thing, however, once you have the details, that answer should, and likely would, change. I've seen that or similar before, DVC runs a similar piece on their TV system, one that the TV opens to consistently.

 

[dioxide45]

Perhaps the comments about buying twice more is kinda like Stockholm Syndrome. Perhaps they were pressured to buy more because the salesperson told them they didn't have enough. They need to justify it somehow.