The
most conspicuous intersection of consumer travel magazines and
travel transactions wasnt where I thought Id find it. I thought it
would be where American Express meets Travel + Leisure -- published
by American Express Publishing, a partnership between Amex and Time
Warner.
American Express
Publishing has experience connecting media with transactions. In
its stable is Departures, a magazine sent to Platinum and Centurion
card members. Departures forges transactional links between select
advertisers and its readership through Platinum Travel Service
agents and Platinum Card Concierge counselors.
T+L, which can be
purchased by Platinum, Centurion or Green card holders as well as
anyone with $4.50 to spare, has put its brand on a transactional
vehicle: the Travel + Leisure Elite Traveler Club. Perhaps, I
thought, it was intended to direct business to Amex call centers or
agencies.
Leafing through the
March issue of T+L, I couldnt find any mention of the club. On the
clubs Web site, www.tlelitetraveler.com, I saw no reference to any
component of Amexs Travel Related Services division. The only clue
as to who might be involved in some aspect of the clubs commercial
processes was a disclosure statement that seemed to tease as much
as enlighten: American Express Publishing is paid a percentage of
each sale by Amazon.com and America Online.
In contrast to the
low profile of T+Ls club (and the unheralded provider of its
services), Town & Country Travel magazine, published by Hearst,
also has a travel club and is trying to make some noise with
it.
The name of the club
is somewhat unwieldy -- the top half of the logo looks as if its
about to crush the bottom half -- but the Town & Country Travel
Club by Virtuoso telegraphs that this entity is a marriage of
brands.
In separate
interviews, both parties spoke about their arrangement in terms of
brand and image rather than dollars and cents.
Part of our branding
strategy is to establish the Virtuoso name in collaboration with
luxury brands that consumers know intimately, said Virtuoso CEO
Matthew Upchurch. This alliance grew out of that
strategy.
The magazines
publisher, Blair Schlumbom, said, We and Virtuoso were already
aligned with affluent travelers and suppliers. We saw this as a
huge opportunity to deepen those relationships by doing what we
each do best, together. Our editors write about an experience, then
Virtuoso packages it and delivers it to club members.
From a commercial
standpoint, its easy to see what Virtuoso has to gain: All
club-member purchases are booked through Virtuoso agencies, and all
components of the trip must be provided by Virtuoso preferred
suppliers. The magazine does not share in the proceeds of any
travel purchased, but Virtuoso gets a portion of the $195
membership fee.
Schlumbom says the
benefit for Town & Country Travel is to provide a value-add for
advertisers, primarily for ones that are
Virtuoso suppliers. Other advertisers benefit to some extent
because a subscription to the magazine is one of the clubs
benefits.
The publisher is also
leveraging the club to build her circulation story. She recently
signed a deal providing club membership to holders of UBS
premium-level credit cards (paradoxically, including ones
co-branded with American Express) whose demographics will add to
the attractiveness of her audience; all have at least $2 million
invested with UBS. It will also build membership numbers, which
Schlumbom hopes will reach 20,000 in a year.
But this isnt really
a volume play, she said. Its more important that we reach the
absolutely right people.
Upchurch, while
expressing satisfaction with the arrangement, apparently isnt ready
to close the door to other media opportunities.
I wasnt able to find
any reference to the Travel + Leisure Elite Traveler Club in the
March issue of T+L, but there, on Page 177, was what appeared to be
a full-page, co-op ad for Virtuoso specialists and three of its
preferred suppliers.
To contact Arnie
Weissmann, send comments to [email protected].