Just fired off the below letter to the Caravan Club. It would seem they want the best of all worlds.
Are they a club or a Commercial Organisation.?
Dear Sir etc
I have today received the May Edition of the magazine and have noted the article on Page 7 titled 'Advertising Clarification'
It would seem that in a previous edition, a two page spread clearly labelled "Advertisement" from Purpleline Ltd. had 'created confusion' (your words) because it would seem that there was a suggestion that the "Advertisement" (clearly labelled) represented itself as an independent test etc etc.
In the light of the above would you please explain what the Caravan Club intends to do about the advertisement masquerading as an article entitled "Insurance Special" on Page 53.
To publish three letters from satisfied members after woe had befallen them is admirable but did you ask other Insurance Companies to provide similar letters from their customers. I think I know the answer.
Surely, in the spirit of even handedness this 'Article' should have had, like the Purpleline motormover spread before it, the words "Advertisement", especially as there was a full page advert for Caravan Club Insurance only two pages away on Page 51.
I would add that I have no connection to Purpleline Ltd or any of their associated Companies.
Your comments would be welcome.
------------- How come when some people visit the fountain of knowledge, they only gargle!!!
In fairness to the Caravan club the clarification article was posted on the CC website a few weeks ago following complaints made to it by members as regards whether the club was endorsing the claims of the advert which included details of a motor mover test by Purpleline.
As regarding the publishing of three members experiences following incidents requiring them to claim on their insurance, I see no need for the club to canvass the opinion of members with insurance outside of the clubs scheme. After all why should the club advertise another insurance companys "happy" claimees when those insurance companies are not paying for the privilage. I feel sure that other insurance companies could place adverts with details of claims they have settled etc in the CC magazine provided they pay the "going" rate for the advertising space!
I might add I have no connection with the CC other than being a member who happens to have their caravan and breakdown insurance and someone who has an EGO mover which is marketed in the UK by Purpleline.
If you don't like the article / advertisement then don't read it.
As for whether they are a club or a commercial organisation, the two are not mutually incompatible. Any club that charges for membership is a commercial organisation.
The really grey area is when you get into the centres. Should a centre be profit making?
There are those that say it should make a profit and those that say any profit a centre makes is made at the cost of the centre members. Where does the centre's responsibility lie, in making a profit or in looking after the members. That's a whole new can of worms there!
Quote: Originally posted by LegsDownKettleOn on 04/5/2011
Quote: Originally posted by David Klyne on 03/5/2011
I would encourage the Caravan Club to be as commercial as it can because that is the only way we will get new Club sites and top notch services.
David
That depends on whether the profits are invested back into the sites and services or just used to give big bonuses to those at the top.
Every member is entitled to attend the AGM and ask that question. Overall pay costs are in the annual accounts. I am sure if asked the answer would be that Caravan Club pay rates reflect current market rates for similar jobs elsewhere.
Commercial organisation or not, I think there is still merit in the OP's question regarding the "article" on insurance. It should be clearly stated that it is an advert as it does lead to confusion as other articles are (I hope) independant reviews of products\services.
In the light of the above would you please explain what the Caravan Club intends to do about the advertisement masquerading as an article entitled "Insurance Special" on Page 53.
As has already been said, if you don't like an article, ad, whatever, don't read it. If the magazine was not riddled with advertising material, I expect we would be required to pay for it. That doesn't suit me. Some months, after a quick shuffle through it, the thing goes straight into the recycling bin. I don't think much more than 5% or so of the contents are of any interest to me.
Yes, I also agree with the comment that the C.C. should be a commercially viable organisation. What does occur to me is that the annual membership cost could come down significantly.
The Club has its fingers in many lucrative ventures, and the C.C. sites' pitch fees are on a par with commercial caravan parks, and are well subscribed to.
On this point, although it doesn't affect us (being retired), whilst I consider it correct to charge a premium for non-member pitch fees, I think members should not have to pay more at peak times. Those with children are forced into these holiday periods, making it more difficult for those hard-pressed for cash to get the family away on holiday. Here, I cannot help but feel that the C.C. is cynically following the trend of organisations like travel companies to frisk the holidaymakers vulnerable to these limited vacation times.
Quote: Originally posted by The 2 Tops on 04/5/2011
As has already been said, if you don't like an article, ad, whatever, don't read it. If the magazine was not riddled with advertising material, I expect we would be required to pay for it. That doesn't suit me. Some months, after a quick shuffle through it, the thing goes straight into the recycling bin. I don't think much more than 5% or so of the contents are of any interest to me. ...
Bertie.
Bertie - the objection is not to advertising, it is to making it look like editorial or a feature report.
Quote: Originally posted by The 2 Tops on 04/5/2011
I think members should not have to pay more at peak times. Those with children are forced into these holiday periods, making it more difficult for those hard-pressed for cash to get the family away on holiday.
That is a bit of a glass half full or half empty comment. The way I look at it is that there is a discount for going off peak to keep the sites ticking over rather than a surcharge for peak periods. At some stage the organisation has to maximise its potential to stay viable and if encouraging people to go off peak is one way of doing it so much the better. Not may sites would be viable just being open during peak periods and not only that I doubt many people would want to work on the sites for such a short period of time.
------------- 'A sure cure for sea-sickness is to sit under a tree'
I wrote many 'Feature Advertisements' and 'Advertisement Features' and 'Advertisement Articles' when I was a freelance writer. These would read like a feature article and were good to read, but the ultimate aim was to advertise a product or a service. There is still (as far as I know) no law against this. They should somewhere though, usually after the title, or at the end, include the word advertisement or feature advertisement.
As I see it this is all very simple, if the CC writes an article and places it in their own magazine then they are endorsing that product, so by placing the bits about CC caravan insurance in their own magazine they are simply promoting their own product which is what the CC magazine is all about.
If another company wants to place an article in the CC magazine they have to enter it as an advertisement, unless they can persuade the CC to endorse it. So they pay to have the advert placed. If the advert gives the impression that the CC endorsed its point of view and the CC did not do so then the CC is quite right to say so.
One advert ( their own ) they endorse, the other (the advert ) they do not endorse and say so. I don't see what the problem is.
------------- Bill
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Topic: Caravan Club.is an advert an article
