RECENT INSIGHTS
The ski industry landscape has been changing rapidly for many years. Yet many resorts continue to market themselves mainly as places to ski, and mainly to skiers. Messages center on snow and conditions. It’s a workable strategy – as long as there’s plenty of snow. The pandemic, because of its impacts on disposable income and […]
Of the 3 main ways to purchase a product or service – through a retailer (think of an REI store), an online-only marketplace (such as amazon), or directly from a brand (such as adidas) – which would you choose, assuming the price was the same in each channel? That’s one of the questions asked in […]
A recent pro bono engagement with Mount Snow’s adaptive ski program reminded us of a few central (but not always visible) truths regarding the ski resort industry. And life in general. If ever there was an industry that needed to adapt to change, it’s the ski resort industry Climate change. The slow eclipse of Baby […]
Greetings, ski resort marketers. It’s midseason. We hope you’re getting steady snow and that your most serious resort problems are related to lift-ticket lines, maxed out lodging, and instructors tired from teaching the a parade of new skiers to your slopes. But our advice at this time is: Avoid falling into a recumbent marketing state […]
Keep calm and market on. We all know Millennials relate emotionally to technology, embrace social media, deplore debt, value principles, and desire experiences over material possessions. But it’s time to go deeper – especially if you’re in an industry that’s struggling with the handoff of a generational baton. Like ski resorts. There’s been widespread concern […]
Sorry to say it, but it’s the little things Remember Westin’s Heavenly Bed program? It produced heavenly sales, both for Westin and Simmons. It led to the Heavenly Bath, and Delta’s Heavenly inflight bedding. The basis of its success was the realization that a consumer’s hotel experience comes down to a handful of small but […]
Be careful when serving up sustainability as marketing content Millennials like causes and communities. They’re environmentally sensitive. And they value meaningful experiences over material possessions. All of which indicates that destination brands seeking to grow a base of millennial consumers should position environmental values front and center, right? Not so fast. First, millennials are savvy […]
Ski Resorts’ Key To Millennials: Micromarketing Micromarketing used to mean tightly defined geographic targeting at the zip-code level. But we’re changing that definition as of this blog. Micromarketing in our view is also small-batch marketing, qualitative in focus, still tightly targeted but focused on small experiences – and it’s a great way for ski resorts […]