The Virtual Family

I’ll be joining you on December 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET for a Trades Lunch Bunch. Hello! I’m Annie Tumlin, Director of Creative + Digital Marketing at Global Connections, Inc. (GCI). Here is a snapshot of what I’ll be sharing!

With over a decade in the world of marketing, my team and I were given our most unique challenge yet: marketing travel during a pandemic. You’re likely well aware of the vacation industry being named one of the largest industry casualties of the pandemic. During the December Lunch Bunch, I’ll expand a bit on some of the things that have (and have not!) worked for GCI during … here it comes, marketing’s favorite buzz phrase … these unprecedented times.

GCI is a conglomerate of all things travel and leisure. Started in 1996 as a travel club fulfillment provider servicing the members of its Global Discovery Vacations (GDV) club program, GCI has morphed over the years to become one of the most unique businesses in the vacation industry. GCI is also the developer and owner of resorts in California, Colorado, Florida and Tennessee as well as owning and leasing numerous resort condominiums throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The GCI umbrella of products and services has always been one of evolution, and that fluidity has provided a sense of preparation for whatever should come next … even COVID-19.

GCI’s most notable product, GDV, is a travel and leisure membership designed to help families make frequent vacationing an affordable reality, with over 200,000 members vacationing around the world today. The GDV sales distributor network represents sales offices throughout the continental U.S. and Hawaii, bringing this unique travel club product to families more and more each day.

As the vacation industry continues to evolve due to COVID-19, GDV’s travel and leisure benefits are more important than ever and Annie’s team has been diligently working to increase member use, trust and satisfaction.

In May, 2020, my team and I launched a digital marketing campaign, the ‘Great American Road Trip,’ to encourage members to travel affordably and safely, and to enjoy their member benefits with their family and friends even amidst the trying times. Social media has been a huge outlet for members to find information, share tips with each other and chat about their road trip experiences. GCI’s blog, emails and social media channels continue to fill with fun family activities, recipes to make in a condo, trip itineraries and destination suggestions, just to name a few.

GCI has also implemented COVID-19 safety protocols at resorts and other managed vacation properties, giving Annie’s team additional member communication touch points and opportunities to engage across GCI’s digital outlets. Additionally, we’ve ensured strong communication through employee departments to craft educational digital materials for members based on customer service feedback, inventory specialist tips and more.
The dedicated team of employees at GCI keeps the products and services on the forefront of evolution; ensuring reliability to meet the needs of members. Though times are changing, GCI has and will continue to rise to the challenge. As GCI’s CEO loves to say, “the comeback is always greater than the setback”.

Annie Tumlin is Director of Creative + Digital Marketing at Global Connections, Inc. (GCI). Annie and her team are based in Overland Park, Kansas.