I recently had the pleasure of viewing a great video I found discussing how Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are radically accelerating marketing and consumer decision cycle for booking ski vacations. Here’s what I thought:
This video is just under ten minutes long and discusses how the United States’ largest resort company, Vail Resorts, has literally abandoned all of their traditional advertising tactics. Ditching their old strategies and making room for social media and other digital venues has opened up doors of endless possibilities to engage skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts in realtime.
As the media landscape changes, Vail Resorts finds itself having to adapt as well, forcing itself to find alternative advertising approaches. Introducing: Social Media.
CEO of Vail Resorts, Rob Katz, goes on to explain that the combination of our changing economic state as well as the rise of social media make “Ski Porn” a very effective means to attract visitors to resorts. Ski Porn is not to be confused with anything provocative or scandalous, this term applies to video clips uploaded online to sites such as YouTube to get avid skiers and snowboarders hyped up for your resort or the coming ski season ahead. Youtube allows these videos to be delivered or advertised by resorts to their particular audience.
Visitors used to decide their travel plans up to 8 months in advance, but with the changing economy the booking window has lowered to just 3 weeks in advance! The medium of social media, as opposed to print advertising in various ski publications, in turn allows resorts to pass their messaging along quicker and enables people to book trips last minute.
Marketing departments at the many Vail Resorts owned mountains are saving up to 80% of their advertising budgets because of reduction in print costs in various ski publications. These departments are now running on a nearly week-by-week advertising calendar as opposed to long-lead traditional media practices.
It is evident that social media has changed the way resorts advertise, but until watching this video I didn’t comprehend the vast degree in which the marketing and public relations approach must adapt as well. AdAge distributes the About Digital report and the video can be seen by clicking here
Whistler Blackcomb recently added this video to YouTube to get avid skiers and snowboarders stoked on experiencing their snowiest November on record. My version of “Ski Porn”:
