Business Wire, August 1, 2002
Business & Travel Editors
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 2002
ANC Rental Corporation, the owner of the nationally recognized National and Alamo car rental brands, announced last week that its National Car Rental licensees will have the opportunity to dual brand their facilities - operating both the Alamo and National brands under a single concession agreement.
National, which was formed 55 years ago by a group of independent car rental executives who then became its first Licensees currently has 137 U.S. corporate locations and 229 licensee locations. Alamo is exclusively corporate and started the year with 124 U.S. locations.
As part of its FastForward initiative, ANC has already dual branded over 57 corporate locations in the past seven months. These moves continue to benefit both Alamo and National customers and ANC Rental Corporation. ANC is seeking enhanced operating profits through dual branding, and its customers are seeing a new level of service efficiencies, including more frequent bus service to their rental cars.
The pivotal agreement reached last week with the licensees governing body will result in higher fees to ANC as the result of the increased revenue generated by its licensees from the Alamo brand, plus some overall increases to the fees previously paid by its licensees. Its licensees also benefit from having the opportunity to add ANC's leisure focused brand, Alamo.
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"This is a great step forward for our company, our licensees and our customers," said Larry Ramaekers, President and CEO of ANC. "By dual branding licensee locations, we will be able to offer both Alamo and National customers great service and more products, at additional locations across the country. It's a mutually beneficial situation."
This dual branding will take place at up to 200 franchise locations nationwide. It will allow ANC to promote greater consistency for rates and products, and will, over the next few months, ensure both of its brands are similarly presented in all markets whether corporate or licensee.
ANC Rental Corporation, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, is one of the world's largest car rental companies with annual revenue of approximately $3.2 billion in 2001. ANC Rental Corporation, the parent company of Alamo and National, has more than 3,000 locations, over 200 of which are U.S. licensee locations, in over 69 countries. Its more than 17,000 associates serve customers worldwide with an average daily fleet of more than 275,000 automobiles.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
lundi 11 juin 2007
Michael S. Egan - president and CEO of Alamo Rent A Car
Chief Executive, The, Jan-Feb, 1995 by Judith Rehak
Michael Egan fell in love with the travel business watching tourists come and go at Storyland, his parents' amusement theme park in Wisconsin, where he worked as a teenager some 40 years ago. But it wasn't until 1973, when a friend asked him to run the Florida office of a fledgling car rental company, that Egan held his first position in the industry.
Three years later, he signed on with Alamo Rent A Car, becoming the company's president and CEO in 1979, and chairman in 1986. With Egan, 54, at the helm, the Fort Lauderdale company has nailed down nearly 12 percent of the $10 billion car rental market, leaping to No. 3 in fleet size behind Hertz and Avis.
Egan, who owns 92 percent of privately held Alamo, ascribes the company's success to relentless marketing. In fact, Alamo's first major coup came when Egan spotted a new market in the early 1980s: crowds of vacationers taking advantage of bargain airline fares.
"Our main competition ignored the market," Egan says. "By the time it finally recognized us, we had a good foothold."
Alamo initially lured customers by underpricing competitors by as much as 20 percent and offering unlimited mileage. Egan won over travel agents with speedy commission payments and specialized marketing.
Alamo does 60 percent of its business in leisure travel. But Egan is boldly pursuing the business travel market, where the Hertz, Avis, and National organizations are firmly entrenched. Alamo, which typically has located in less costly, "near-airport" sites, now has 71 of its 117 counters mnside airport terminals. The company also has launched "Express Plus" cards, which allow business users to rent a car with a quick swipe through a countertop machine.
One potential pothole: The shootings of foreign tourists driving rental cars in Florida has dampened business in Alamo's home state. In addition, costs are soaring in the car rental industry. "The No. 1 expense is the cost of a fleet car: It's gone up 60 percent in the last two years," says John LeSage, editor of Auto Rental News, a trade publication. "With intense competition, it's a 1 percent profit margin business."
But Egan remains optimistic, partly because of an unflagging confidence in his salesmanship skills. "I love to get up in the morning and market," he says. "I have a few more tricks up my sleeve."
COPYRIGHT 1995 Chief Executive Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
Michael Egan fell in love with the travel business watching tourists come and go at Storyland, his parents' amusement theme park in Wisconsin, where he worked as a teenager some 40 years ago. But it wasn't until 1973, when a friend asked him to run the Florida office of a fledgling car rental company, that Egan held his first position in the industry.
Three years later, he signed on with Alamo Rent A Car, becoming the company's president and CEO in 1979, and chairman in 1986. With Egan, 54, at the helm, the Fort Lauderdale company has nailed down nearly 12 percent of the $10 billion car rental market, leaping to No. 3 in fleet size behind Hertz and Avis.
Egan, who owns 92 percent of privately held Alamo, ascribes the company's success to relentless marketing. In fact, Alamo's first major coup came when Egan spotted a new market in the early 1980s: crowds of vacationers taking advantage of bargain airline fares.
"Our main competition ignored the market," Egan says. "By the time it finally recognized us, we had a good foothold."
Alamo initially lured customers by underpricing competitors by as much as 20 percent and offering unlimited mileage. Egan won over travel agents with speedy commission payments and specialized marketing.
Alamo does 60 percent of its business in leisure travel. But Egan is boldly pursuing the business travel market, where the Hertz, Avis, and National organizations are firmly entrenched. Alamo, which typically has located in less costly, "near-airport" sites, now has 71 of its 117 counters mnside airport terminals. The company also has launched "Express Plus" cards, which allow business users to rent a car with a quick swipe through a countertop machine.
One potential pothole: The shootings of foreign tourists driving rental cars in Florida has dampened business in Alamo's home state. In addition, costs are soaring in the car rental industry. "The No. 1 expense is the cost of a fleet car: It's gone up 60 percent in the last two years," says John LeSage, editor of Auto Rental News, a trade publication. "With intense competition, it's a 1 percent profit margin business."
But Egan remains optimistic, partly because of an unflagging confidence in his salesmanship skills. "I love to get up in the morning and market," he says. "I have a few more tricks up my sleeve."
COPYRIGHT 1995 Chief Executive Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
Alamo Hits Road to Universal Theme Parks for Family-Toting Vacationers - Alamo Car Rental
Brandweek, Dec 6, 1999 by Mike Beirne
Positioning itself as the fun car rental company for family travel Alamo Car Rental will make a new three-year partnership with Universal Studios theme parks the centerpiece of a campaign targeting leisure travelers next year, with new TV and print ads, travel trade promos, consumer sweeps and on-premise ticket sales.
A TV spot, via FCB Worldwide, N.Y., breaks next month, continuing the "Drive Happy" tagline while tying in Universal's Orlando and Hollywood theme parks. The ad shows a family inadvertently driving its Alamo rental car through a robot shooting spree, actually footage from Universal's Terminator attraction.
The spot will run on cable and on network programs such as Dateline, Judge Amy, Spin City, Ally McBeal and 20/20. While budget figures were not disclosed, the Ft. Lauderdale. Fla., company's seven-month media spend hit $21.9 million this year versus $26.1 million in 1998, per Competitive Media Reporting.
The deal marks the most extensive pact between Alamo and an entertainment property Alamo will pick up the theme park's "official car rental" mantle from Avis and now includes Busch Gardens, Sea World and Kennedy Space Center in its stable of Florida destination partners. Universal is a particularly good fit for Alamo's international customer base because of the park's appeal to older children. European and Latino families also tend to take U.S. trips with tweens and teens, rather than with babies and toddlers.
"Universal is all about fun and fantasy and that is what our marketing is about," said Maria Menendez, vice president of strategic planning at Alamo. "We're a family-oriented brand and that is what Universal is trying to be as well."
Other elements showcasing Alamo as part of Universal vacations include an online consumer sweeps giveaway of trips and other prizes; a travel agent incentive program awarding points that can be redeemed at Universal, signage at the park and at Alamo locations, and theme park ticket sales at Alamo's airport counters in Orlando and Los Angeles.
COPYRIGHT 1999 BPI Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
Positioning itself as the fun car rental company for family travel Alamo Car Rental will make a new three-year partnership with Universal Studios theme parks the centerpiece of a campaign targeting leisure travelers next year, with new TV and print ads, travel trade promos, consumer sweeps and on-premise ticket sales.
A TV spot, via FCB Worldwide, N.Y., breaks next month, continuing the "Drive Happy" tagline while tying in Universal's Orlando and Hollywood theme parks. The ad shows a family inadvertently driving its Alamo rental car through a robot shooting spree, actually footage from Universal's Terminator attraction.
The spot will run on cable and on network programs such as Dateline, Judge Amy, Spin City, Ally McBeal and 20/20. While budget figures were not disclosed, the Ft. Lauderdale. Fla., company's seven-month media spend hit $21.9 million this year versus $26.1 million in 1998, per Competitive Media Reporting.
The deal marks the most extensive pact between Alamo and an entertainment property Alamo will pick up the theme park's "official car rental" mantle from Avis and now includes Busch Gardens, Sea World and Kennedy Space Center in its stable of Florida destination partners. Universal is a particularly good fit for Alamo's international customer base because of the park's appeal to older children. European and Latino families also tend to take U.S. trips with tweens and teens, rather than with babies and toddlers.
"Universal is all about fun and fantasy and that is what our marketing is about," said Maria Menendez, vice president of strategic planning at Alamo. "We're a family-oriented brand and that is what Universal is trying to be as well."
Other elements showcasing Alamo as part of Universal vacations include an online consumer sweeps giveaway of trips and other prizes; a travel agent incentive program awarding points that can be redeemed at Universal, signage at the park and at Alamo locations, and theme park ticket sales at Alamo's airport counters in Orlando and Los Angeles.
COPYRIGHT 1999 BPI Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
Alamo Adds Shortcuts, Phones to Amenities - Alamo Car Rental
Brandweek, Nov 27, 2000 by Mike Beirne
Alamo Car Rental is trying to take the hassle out of travel with pilot programs for baggage check-in, and stroller and cellular phone rentals that will expand to other car pick-up facilities at major gateways for international and leisure travelers.
Starting last week, Las Vegas customers can now check-in their luggage and grab seat assignments and boarding passes upon dropping off their car rentals at McCarran International Airport. The $6 a person service--children 12-and-under are free--will be provided by Certified Airline Passenger Services, Las Vegas, and likely will be offered to Los Angeles customers next.
The ANC brand also is negotiating with vendors to provide prepaid cellular phones by December. The $99 phones comes with a calling package--71 minutes is standard--head set, battery and charger. That program will roll out in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., locales where strollers recently became available for $5.95 a day versus the $6.95 that Disney World charges for wheels that must remain on property. Alamo also offers Orlando theme park visitors a set of two-way radios for $9.95 a day.
POP will build awareness for the amenities, which Alamo has been adding per its positioning as the only car rental brand that's enhances the rental and vacation experience. Alamo last April re-opened its Fort Lauderdale airport plaza with a two-story playground, free luggage lockers, c-store with munchies at non-airport prices and changing booths--a feature based on cultural anthropologists' observations of customers shedding their cold weather duds at Alamo parking lots (Brandweek, April 10).
The extras, which include touchscreen kiosks that print directions and connect travelers to a live concierge, were placed in Dallas, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. As these industry firsts become more pervasive around the Alamo network, they could figure more prominently in advertising later, which FCB, New York, handles.
COPYRIGHT 2000 BPI Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
Alamo Car Rental is trying to take the hassle out of travel with pilot programs for baggage check-in, and stroller and cellular phone rentals that will expand to other car pick-up facilities at major gateways for international and leisure travelers.
Starting last week, Las Vegas customers can now check-in their luggage and grab seat assignments and boarding passes upon dropping off their car rentals at McCarran International Airport. The $6 a person service--children 12-and-under are free--will be provided by Certified Airline Passenger Services, Las Vegas, and likely will be offered to Los Angeles customers next.
The ANC brand also is negotiating with vendors to provide prepaid cellular phones by December. The $99 phones comes with a calling package--71 minutes is standard--head set, battery and charger. That program will roll out in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., locales where strollers recently became available for $5.95 a day versus the $6.95 that Disney World charges for wheels that must remain on property. Alamo also offers Orlando theme park visitors a set of two-way radios for $9.95 a day.
POP will build awareness for the amenities, which Alamo has been adding per its positioning as the only car rental brand that's enhances the rental and vacation experience. Alamo last April re-opened its Fort Lauderdale airport plaza with a two-story playground, free luggage lockers, c-store with munchies at non-airport prices and changing booths--a feature based on cultural anthropologists' observations of customers shedding their cold weather duds at Alamo parking lots (Brandweek, April 10).
The extras, which include touchscreen kiosks that print directions and connect travelers to a live concierge, were placed in Dallas, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. As these industry firsts become more pervasive around the Alamo network, they could figure more prominently in advertising later, which FCB, New York, handles.
COPYRIGHT 2000 BPI Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
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