RCI TV makes small-screen debut

Among impressive introductions at this year's ARDA Convention were two new Apple iPhone applications destined to create a buzz among the RCI member community.

The RCI TV application aggregates and optimises all the content from RCI's YouTube channel for a fantastic and absorbing audio-visual experience.

And the RCI SnapBook tool lets members upload photos and videos captured during the holiday to a website where they can share highlights from the trip with friends and family.

Both create the sort of stir that should get guests talking - and generate essential word of mouth marketing.

“Since inventing the concept of vacation exchange more than 35 years ago, RCI has been devoted to providing innovative technology and marketing solutions that add value to our affiliated developers and members,” said Geoff Ballotti, CEO of RCI.

“From our new YouTube site with rich high-definition video which is creating marketing leads for affiliates to these two new Apple^® applications, which we believe our members will love, we are committed to developing great content and the best social media applications we can to drive member engagement and lower our customers’ marketing costs.”

RCI TV in pocketable form offers a list of featured Destination Channel videos, easily navigable by thumbnail image, video title and video length. Once users view the video, they can email the video link to a friend or save it for themselves. RCI plans to provide additional functionality and more videos for download in future releases.

The RCI SnapBook application allows users to capture pictures, videos, voice memos and texts on their iPhone during a holiday, with the application automatically logging when and where the event took place. The assets can then be loaded to RCISnapBook.com where they will be published in either a scrapbook, timeline or map display.

“As the inventor of the vacation exchange business, we continue working to develop fresh and new ideas that will improve our members’ experience and exceed the expectations of our affiliates,” said Ballotti.

“These new applications bring an exciting and dynamic element to RCI and we’re planning to expand these channels and make our ever-growing travel and resort content more widely available across our social networks.”