Toronto, Ontario, Canada � November 10, 2004 � VFM Interactive released
PhotoFlicks today, the latest and -- most innovative -- product in its
portfolio of rich media for the hotel and lodging industry.
PhotoFlicks uses a hotel�s current photography to create moving slide
shows enhanced by music and voice-over narration. By using existing images,
PhotoFlicks are exceptionally cost-effective, making it now possible for
any hotel property to leverage multi-media marketing to influence potential
guests researching online and increase its bookings.
Development of PhotoFlicks began earlier this year when VFM saw the
need to develop an economical product that made rich media more widely
accessible as a marketing tool. Up till now, hotels interested in rich
media have had to invest larger amounts in shooting full-motion videos
or 360° virtual tours. Now with the launch of PhotoFlicks, a property
requires only a modest library of good-quality images to enter the era
of rich media. VFM then uses these photographs to create a moving slide
show of softly-transitioning images, adding music and voice-over to promote
features and amenities.
�We are very excited to launch this new product,� says Paolo Boni, President
and CEO of VFM. �Not only does PhotoFlicks make the acquisition of rich
media as a marketing tool entirely easy, but it also is as relevant to
large brands as to small independent properties. Using PhotoFlicks, management
companies and brands can roll out rich media to 100% of their portfolio
due to the affordability of this product. Likewise, small properties no
longer have to be held back by small marketing budgets to enter the era
of rich media.�
A key benefit to PhotoFlicks is its flexibility. Unlike full-motion
video or virtual tours, images and sound clips in PhotoFlicks can be easily
replaced or substituted. If a property undergoes renovations to any of
its facilities or adds additional features, it�s a very simple process
to change images to keep the PhotoFlicks current.
As well, PhotoFlicks is exceptionally poised for targeted marketing.
Because it is so economical to produce, hotel properties can create several
versions of PhotoFlicks to customize messaging to specific audiences. For
example, if a property has a primary business focus on conferences, one
version of PhotoFlicks can utilize appropriate images and voice-over to
highlight features most relevant to meeting organizers, such as business
amenities and destination appeal. For the leisure traveler, a separate
PhotoFlicks can be created to highlight recreational facilities and special
services. Even different seasonality can be addressed. For a resort who
offers both summer and winter recreation, it�s a simple matter to create
a PhotoFlicks for each season addressing the skiing enthusiast in one case,
the golf aficionado in the other.
Key to the impact of PhotoFlicks as a marketing tool is powerful distribution.
As with its other rich media products, VFM distributes PhotoFlicks to a
hotels� individual site and brand site, as well as to a network of more
than 5,000 travel sites such as Travelocity, TripAdvisor and Travelweb.
This powerful distribution ensures that VFM�s hotel clients stand out and
motivate consumers on the sites where consumers are researching and booking
travel.
Because of proprietary technology, PhotoFlicks offers the same tracking
benefits as VFM�s other rich media. Hotel clients can track how often their
PhotoFlicks is viewed and which websites are receiving the most playbacks.
PhotoFlicks joins VFM�s portfolio of other powerful rich media tools for
the hotel industry including Premium Video Tours, Photomontage Video Tours
and Premium 360�s.
About VFM Interactive
VFM
Interactive is the leading producer and distributor of rich media content
for the lodging and travel industry. With a focus on distribution strategy,
VFM produces a variety of multimedia content including video and 360°
images and distributes this content to its clients� websites as well as
its network of partner online travel agencies including Travelocity, Orbitz,
Travelweb, TripAdvisor and thousands of others. Through effective distribution
and flawless on-demand streaming, VFM helps clients maximize their presence
on the web, turning consumer research into revenue by offering travel consumers
the ability to visualize their travel purchase. VFM provides content distribution
services for more than 1,000 individual hotels and resorts from brands
and management companies such as Choice, Crowne Plaza, Hilton, Holiday
Inn, Interstate, Marriott, MGM, Outrigger, Radisson, Regent, Sheraton,
W, Westin, and Wyndham properties. VFM Interactive�s head office is located
in Toronto, Canada.
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