smootharc
11-08-2006, 08:12 AM
Some threads here have touched upon marketing and ideas to "get the word out" about SB (and the valley).
Idea #1:
There are two things I think would be potentially great marketing tools for SB. The first would be a great DVD of SB, past, present, and future....and the valley in general. Interviews with old timers and the greats. Action clips all over the mountain gotten on prime days. Perhaps even the MRV chamber would get on board regarding the promote the valley part.....all the great events that go, basically, year round....the rivers, the soaring, the hiking, the arts. Ski-wise, the terrain, the skiers, the little kids catching snowflakes on their tongues while drinking cocoa and schussing down the white blue yonder....from gnarly to nice....would open some eyes. Mention SB isn't that much further to come to avoid the traffic, congestion, bars packed with captains of industry blowing hot air up eachother's skirts. Whatever. The anti-McMountain and anti-McMountain town experience.
A model for this could be Aspen, Buttermilk's, Aspen Highland's DVD done a few years back by Greg Stump. It's about an hour +/- long, and is just great. Absolutely an awesome marketing tool. I think once you produce these things, then the cost to print 'em up goes down to almost nothing (I assume) if you order a batch of a gazillion. I may be wrong. I'm sure just professionally producing one of these would be $$$'s. (Would a local photographer/videographer throw in some work for a plug ?). But do it once, and use it forever. Once you have one of these baby's in hand, then hand them out at with each lift ticket sold. have them bound into the marketing materials in a clear sleeve. Have a button on the homepage that says "Click here for your free Sugarbush DVD!". You gather names, addresess, and e-mail addresses and build a good marketing list. Another button could be "Send one to a friend !"....hence even more names. And when someone (and friends and family) watches these things....you've got a marketer's dream - a captive audience. Put one on the pillows along side the chocolate at the Sugarbush Inn. Have them in the Condo rental "Welcome" packs. Put 'em in a bowl on the bar next to the peanuts.
The idea here isn't blatant "sell, sell, sell".....it's more let's tug at the hearts and souls of skiers.....and show (don't tell) why we're different. Cool tunes, using local talent, would be great. I can picture the first line....that voice over narrator guy who we've all heard but nobody's ever seen...."Most people don't know there's a place on the planet that's just a bit different....a place where things are just a bit sweeter". Yadda, yadda, yadda.....
Any magazine print advertising and printed marketing materials could point the DVD out....."Just call toll-free" for your ski dvd. And it would be a good PR tool where you could probably get some free mentions in the ski press.
Anyways, maybe I'm all wet but it's an idea.
Idea #2:
See Jay Peak's interactive trail map with helmet cam clips of folks skiing certain trails. Awesome idea, in my opinion. Boost up the SB trail map with similar clips, and perhaps helicopter images of the terrain pods. I love that guy Niehues, but by definition, from a purely informational stantpoint, he has to reduce and eliminate terrain information.
That's all out of me. I've gotta get back to marketing my own business....my oldest will be entering college in, uh, 10 years..... :lol:
Idea #1:
There are two things I think would be potentially great marketing tools for SB. The first would be a great DVD of SB, past, present, and future....and the valley in general. Interviews with old timers and the greats. Action clips all over the mountain gotten on prime days. Perhaps even the MRV chamber would get on board regarding the promote the valley part.....all the great events that go, basically, year round....the rivers, the soaring, the hiking, the arts. Ski-wise, the terrain, the skiers, the little kids catching snowflakes on their tongues while drinking cocoa and schussing down the white blue yonder....from gnarly to nice....would open some eyes. Mention SB isn't that much further to come to avoid the traffic, congestion, bars packed with captains of industry blowing hot air up eachother's skirts. Whatever. The anti-McMountain and anti-McMountain town experience.
A model for this could be Aspen, Buttermilk's, Aspen Highland's DVD done a few years back by Greg Stump. It's about an hour +/- long, and is just great. Absolutely an awesome marketing tool. I think once you produce these things, then the cost to print 'em up goes down to almost nothing (I assume) if you order a batch of a gazillion. I may be wrong. I'm sure just professionally producing one of these would be $$$'s. (Would a local photographer/videographer throw in some work for a plug ?). But do it once, and use it forever. Once you have one of these baby's in hand, then hand them out at with each lift ticket sold. have them bound into the marketing materials in a clear sleeve. Have a button on the homepage that says "Click here for your free Sugarbush DVD!". You gather names, addresess, and e-mail addresses and build a good marketing list. Another button could be "Send one to a friend !"....hence even more names. And when someone (and friends and family) watches these things....you've got a marketer's dream - a captive audience. Put one on the pillows along side the chocolate at the Sugarbush Inn. Have them in the Condo rental "Welcome" packs. Put 'em in a bowl on the bar next to the peanuts.
The idea here isn't blatant "sell, sell, sell".....it's more let's tug at the hearts and souls of skiers.....and show (don't tell) why we're different. Cool tunes, using local talent, would be great. I can picture the first line....that voice over narrator guy who we've all heard but nobody's ever seen...."Most people don't know there's a place on the planet that's just a bit different....a place where things are just a bit sweeter". Yadda, yadda, yadda.....
Any magazine print advertising and printed marketing materials could point the DVD out....."Just call toll-free" for your ski dvd. And it would be a good PR tool where you could probably get some free mentions in the ski press.
Anyways, maybe I'm all wet but it's an idea.
Idea #2:
See Jay Peak's interactive trail map with helmet cam clips of folks skiing certain trails. Awesome idea, in my opinion. Boost up the SB trail map with similar clips, and perhaps helicopter images of the terrain pods. I love that guy Niehues, but by definition, from a purely informational stantpoint, he has to reduce and eliminate terrain information.
That's all out of me. I've gotta get back to marketing my own business....my oldest will be entering college in, uh, 10 years..... :lol: