The folks at National Car Rental asked if I would blog over on their Facebook page for the next couple of weeks, beginning April 21. Posts here at View from the Wing will appear as part of National’s site as well, as part of their effort to highlight the trials and best tips of the road for their customers.
And the crazy thing? It’s a corporation that isn’t asking me to tailor my writing, I’m going to write what I always do and they’ve just asked if they could feature it. So a pretty genuine effort on their part.
For me, hopefully some of their customers will decide to come on over to my View from the Wing blog and keep reading.
They’re not paying me for the content, instead it was also a great opportunity to ask them if they’d be willing to sponsor a few reader giveaways over the next couple of weeks. And after a bit of back and forth we came up with some cool prizes, so keep reading the blog or at National’s Facebook page so you don’t miss out.
Here’s what we’ll be giving away:
- Five free rental days
- Emerald Club Executive Elite Status for a year
- Victorinox Werks Traveler 4.0 20″
I’m actually a bit bummed that I’m giving all of this stuff away. I’m well set for rollaboards but the Victorinox bag is pretty sweet. Guess I do love my readers..
I do have Executive status with National already, but not Executive Elite. The unique feature of National compared to other car rental agencies is the ‘Emerald Aisle’ where Emerald Club members pick their own car. Of course, the cars you’ve got a choice of vary by location and some offer much better choices than others. But in general business travelers love picking the car they want instead of what they get assigned to, and it’s certainly a faster process than heading into the office and waiting in line to tell the company you don’t like the car they have you in and then arguing over what else might be available. Instead, the choices are in front of you and you get to pick. It’s a pretty compelling unique selling proposition.
Emerald Executive members get to pick from the ‘Executive Selection’ of better cars, or can get a one category upgrade so paying for a category below the car they actually reserve.
I know what that’s about, but one of my readers will get to be an Executive Elite member, earn free rental days faster and get better upgrades, plus guaranteed car availability when reserving 24 hours out. This last isn’t a benefit that you use often, but when you do it’s a life saver.
Finally free rental days pretty well speak for themselves…
So stay tuned for the giveaways over the next couple of weeks, check out the National Car Rental Facebook page, or if you’re reading me there come on over to the blog as well.
Also, Elite gives the option to redeem free rental days for better vehicles.
I have a plat. card so they upgrade you in their emerald club. Renting a car with them was smooth and painless I rented a car with my mother with me as she stood in shock when I said which car do you want pick any one in the row.
With only 298 people liking national on FB, odds are good.
LOVE National, on my way to pick one up in a little bit. Most places seem to have a decent selection of larger-sized cars and mid-to-full sized SUVs for Executives.
Other than earning a free rental with one less rental day, the Executive Elite status is a bit dubious. I’ve been both levels – and being an Executive elite never really seemed to get me much – this isn’t like comparing a 1K to a Premier Exec . . .
One opportunity for the rental car companies, though, is to make a bigger deal of the supposed “elite” status that is earned. I’ve been various ‘elite’ levels with Hertz, but I almost always got the car class I rented – and trying to get an upgrade (as a Gold or whatever status I was at the time, absolutely meaningless) seemed to be a bit of a hassle and a struggle.
As a ‘Preferred’ and ‘First’ with Avis they did a better job with upgrades, but no one seems to come close to what National offers.
Ive yet to see a car rental company really embrace the use of facebook as a marketing tool at least in the UK. Its all a bit half-arsed as they say here. National seem to be putting quite a bit of effort in here though with branding videos in partnership with others.