February Newsletter
2016
Message From the President
Greetings Members,
With all the storms, snow, and cold weather does anyone remember the summer? Well, it won’t be long now; let’s all hurry up and get our planning game on!
It’s that time of the year to plan the parks’ opening dates, to plan the opening kickoff gatherings, to plan other activities that members would like to see happen at the parks.
As you continue reading this newsletter you will find many opportunities to assist in this planning. You can join a board committee, participate in our photo contest or the name the mascot contest to name just a few. Many other opportunities will be coming along too. You will see communications coming out in emails, newsletters, etc. letting you know all about them.
I personally challenge all our members to get more involved this year. Pick an area that interests you and just “go for it”. If you have suggestions on how to help that are not yet posted please contact the office at 801.255.8166 or via email at memberservices@retrailia.com and let us know of them.
We are always happy to hear from our members.
Sincerely,
Diane Williams
The Story of How Retrailia RV Resorts was Developed
Last week Camperworld, Inc. initiated a rebranding, and as an ongoing effort to keep our members informed, we want to tell you a little about how we arrived at the new brand “Retrailia RV Resorts”. You may recall that we previously asked for suggestions from our membership body. Before we moved forward with one of the suggested names we had to combat 5 mistakes that are common in renaming a company in today’s business environment.
1) Using a literal or descriptive name. This is perhaps the most common mistake of all. The thinking is that the customer won’t understand the business unless it’s described in literal terms. This leads to all sorts of short-term and long-term problems. Not only are the names common and uninspired, but they offer no clue or insights about the company. They read like Yellow Page headings and can reduce a company’s brand to a seeming commodity.
Retrailia RV Resorts had to take this problem very seriously due to the fact that we needed to get the absolute biggest bang for our dollar. The ambiguous nature of the name “Retrailia” allowed Camperworld, Inc. to secure the website, copyright and trademark for a very low price in comparison to something more classic. The fact that the name Retrailia is new and has been contrived as an amalgamation of many names sent in to us allows us to be ranked much higher and easier on search engine results than if we were to select a more literal name. The new brand will allow us to create a new and stronger company reputation that sets us apart from our competition.
2) Basing the Company Name on a Product or Service. Companies evolve and adapt to meet customers’ demands. This means that the initial business offering will often change. If the product is the centerpiece of the company name, that often spells problems. CompUSA built their company name around their then-hot product line, only to then fight the perpetual notion that they only sell computers. RadioShack has struggled for years to overcome an outdated image and stay relevant. Better to go with an attribute-based name, such as Best Buy or a more timeless name such as Target. For a while, Burlington Coat Factory spent their ad dollars proclaiming “We’re more than just coats!” Midas was able to transition away from selling just mufflers by using a metaphor for their brand name, King Midas, with the proverbial “Midas touch.” (Much better than Mufflers & More or Muffler City USA.) Avoid pigeon-holing your company right out of the gate by naming it based on temporary offerings.
Retrailia is in the business of RV Resorts however we may someday want to expand into other related areas of business and we don’t want to create barriers to this growth from the inception of the new name. For example we may someday be more focused on the cabin market or even expand into the storage industry. Who knows what the future may bring but we want to be able to capitalize on opportunities that may or may not present themselves.
3) Letting the Map Determine Your Company’s Future Direction. The default company naming strategy is to go the geographic route…using a city, area name or geographic marker as the business moniker. This decision is rife with pitfalls. First, it provides no clue as to why any customer would ever want to buy from you except that you are close by. Second, if our company were to ever expand (which successful companies tend to do), then the name becomes restrictive. What starts off as a competitive advantage (Hey! We’re local!) Can often end up creating roadblocks to future growth. We wanted to base our company name on our core strengths.
The Board and staff liked many of the names that were associated with our beautiful state and the great geographic features which reside in it. However this presented many of the same problems that were discussed in the 1st bulleted section. Beyond these aforementioned hurdles we don’t want to hinder our success in markets outside of Utah. Our company in the past was quite successful at marketing to members that may have never even used our parks, live outside of Utah and mainly used their membership for the travel benefits presented through our affiliate programs with Coast to Coast, Resort Parks International and Adventure Outdoor Resorts. We certainly did not want to hinder this potential sales avenue in any way.
4) Using an Acronym to Spell out our Identity. In an effort to shorten a long name, or as a way of including past concepts in the company name, business owners will often resort to acronyms. These sound-a-like names quickly become painful conversation (and business) stoppers as clients repeat “Is it G-J-N RV Resorts or J-G-M RV Resorts?” This can trigger an awkward explanation such as, “No, it’s J***, G***, M***, RV Resorts, based on the names of these three attributes.” Nowhere in these cryptic acronyms is there a place to move the conversation forward about our products and services, or the benefits of doing business with our company. Resorting to military shorthand is a bad way to start off a new client introduction. And once again, search engine ranking becomes a major issue as we compete with millions of other “alphabet soup” company names.
Our company had some very clever Acronyms submitted; however, the constraints behind using one showed themselves to be very expensive and hard to secure an audience among the crowd of similarly named RV-based products.
5) Relying on a past name as our first alternative. For a number of businesses, the obvious choice is to simply use the old company name. On the surface this appears logical, but this naming strategy can backfire as well. Past names are in many circumstances rife with past meaning. This can be a good thing; however, in our case-sadly due to past history-our previous name is associated with an image that we wish to not portray to new potential members. We all have to remember that new members don’t have the “good old days” memories that many of our long-term members have; therefore, creating a name that is very different beyond many other reasons will give us the opportunity to start our conversation on a level playing field instead of always just describing how we aren’t like the old company and management that proved so detrimental to the health of the company.
We as a company understand that our past name was not always synonymous with a company that is not a good value. The truth of the matter is that we do find ourselves in just such a situation. So we felt a drastic change of the name was appropriate and was necessary to reflect the great deal of innovations our company has gone through in the past few years.
Once we had addressed these issues we were better able to visualize what was required of our new name and how we were to go about conceiving it. We did employ the help of a professional branding agency to help with the name change. We told them that we felt like we had many great names to choose from but we needed to make sure we could secure them at a low cost and have the maintenance costs, such as search engine optimization, low as well, while still giving us the opportunity to capture new business.
They commended us on taking time to get as many name suggestions collected as we did, but due to our budgetary and time constraints it would be best to choose a compound name around which we could create meaning. Retrailia was derived from elements of names that were submitted by members and that we felt embodied themes that represented values and ideas that our company holds dear. As such, Retrailia RV Resorts will need to build value in the name/brand over a period of time. We fully understand that the name will only reflect the way we treat our members and how we maintain our parks. For that very reason we are focused on giving the very best experience possible in our campgrounds every time someone stays with us.
Building a long lasting, attribute-based company name will add value to our business and reduce customer confusion. By creating a clear, compelling and creative brand name, we can put the odds of success in our favor, while avoiding costly marketing mistakes.
We have had some wonderful feedback from our partners and business affiliates. Here are just a few:
“Congratulations! I love it! The new name is very creative and gives a very positive first impression. I wish the best of luck to you all.”
- Amy Riser-CEO, Adventure Outdoor Resorts
“Wow! I love the new name! It is very fun and youthful sounding. I’m sure you will find people are just as excited as we are about the new name.”
- Eileen McKee-National Sales Director, Coast to Coast
“Great new name! This should really give you a leg up on your competition.”
- Amy Roberts-Executive Director, Outdoor Industry Association
“Awesome new logo! This logo looks to be very marketable and relevant to today’s market place.”
- Steven Chai-CEO, Dining Reputation and Digital Design Studio
“Although the journey to reach these new beginnings may have been arduous, getting to the destination has been worth the effort. Best of luck and love the new branding!”
- Keely Bradshaw-VP/Loan Workout Officer, Zions Bank
Help Us Name the Mascot
Our new brand - Retrailia RV Resorts - was recently released to our members and the general public last week. The article titled “The Story of How Retrailia RV Resorts was Developed” covers how we arrived at the name. At the same time Retrailia released a fun new logo. You may have noticed the cute little bird in the “R” of the logo. We wanted to give you some insight into why we chose a bird to play such a prominent role in our new logo. Aside from the bird being cute and friendly in appearance the bird was chosen for the following reasons: 1) The bird is generally thought to symbolize freedom; 2) they can walk on the earth and swim in the sea as humans do but they also have the ability to soar into the sky; and, 3) Birds are free to roam the earth. You might say they are “Born to Roam.”
Another compelling reason why we chose a bird is well embodied in the idiom “Birds of a feather flock together.” It is said that people who have similar qualities or interests often enjoy spending time with each other. As we all know, the number one thing that makes our campgrounds great are the members and guests that treat each other with respect and foster lifelong friendships. I’m sure many of you out there have struck up an unlikely friendship simply fostered on your shared love of camping and the outdoors.
Our bird is still in need of a name and we are reaching out to our members to help us find the perfect name for our new mascot. Please submit your name (up to three entries per member) by clicking on the button below and entering your suggestions.
Detailed contest rules and prizes will be announced shortly.
PUBLICITY RELEASE:
Unless prohibited by law, participation constitutes permission for Retrailia RV Resorts, without any further obligation to the contest participant, to use participant’s name, biographical data and likeness for promotional purposes.
DISCLAIMER:
By participating in this contest, entrants agree to the specific rules, terms and conditions provided. No purchase is necessary to win.
Important Park & Reservation Information
- Apple Garden Park - opens May 1st
- Echo Island Ranch - opens April 1st
- Knotty Pine Resort - opens April 1st
- Lakeside Park - opens April 1st
- Pleasant Creek Ranch - opens April 1st
- Zions Gate - open year-round
Reservations:
- Cabin members may start booking cabins starting March 8th at 9am.
- Single Park, Multi-Park, Explorer and Family Benefit memberships may start booking campsites starting March 8th at 9am
- Non-Cabin members may start booking cabins starting April 8th at 9am.
Note: Reservations may now be booked up to 12 months in advance, as long as the departure date of the reservation does not go beyond the 12-month date. If you have questions about this or other reservations-related policies, please review the 2016 Member Policy Guide or contact the corporate office at 801.255.8166.
Contact the Board
This form is not to be used for your regular customer service related questions, such as: account status, reservations, policy guide questions, volunteering in the office, etc. Those inquiries still need to be directed to the office via phone 801.255.8166 or email memberservices@retrailia.com.
The Contact the Board form is located in the Protected: Members' Area under "Contact the Board". Freely use this form for all issues you feel need to be brought directly to the Board of Directors. All communications will be reviewed and responded to as soon as possible. Help us to help you.
Utah sportsman, vacation and RV show, Feb 18th - 21st
Please come visit us in booth #400 if you are attending this year’s show. We would love to say hi!
Please click the button below for further details on the show
Camperworld, Inc. Photo Contest
We are still accepting submissions for the photo contest. If you would like to have your photos considered please click the button below to find out how.
Family Benefit Memberships (FBM) Are Still Available
For more information on how the Family Benefit membership works, click here.
Don't Forget to Pick Up Your Guest Booklets!
Guest Pass booklets are a great deal at $100 for 4 passes. These passes will give you the opportunity to share the parks with your friends, family and loved ones. If you’re interested in receiving more information, or buying a Guest Pass Booklet, please click the button below and we will contact you immediately.
There are only a limited number of booklets that were printed for the 2016 season so call now (801.255.8166) to purchase one (or more) before they're gone.
* Each guest pass is good for one site for one night. Expiration date is 60 months from the date of issue.
Please Contact Us With Any Questions
For any of our current or past members with questions regarding the conversion please email us at Memberservices@Retrailia.com or call our corporate office at #801.255.8166.
Public Service Announcement
To obtain additional information, please click on the link below.
http://www.nacba.org/bankruptcy-filers-beware-con-artists-posing-as-attorneys/
Recipe
Makes 12
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cup whole bran cereal
- 1 cup apple cider or juice
- 1 beaten egg
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 medium apple, cored and finely chopped (approx. 1 cup)
PREPARATION
In small bowl combine bran cereal and apple cider; let stand 3 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the egg, oil and maple syrup; set aside.
In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center. Add the bran-apple cider mixture all at once, stirring just until moistened (batter will be thick). Fold in the chopped apple.
Grease muffin tin or line with paper cups; fill 2/3 full. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from pans; cool.
Submitted By
Diane Williams
Just For Fun
Submitted by: Vaughn Williams
Retrailia RV Resorts Est. 9.17.2015
Retrailia RV Resorts
Email: Memberservices@retrailia.com
Website: http://retrailia.com/
Location: 411 West 7200 South, Midvale, UT, United States
Phone: 801.255.8166
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retrailia/