The ski industry’s major, first-of-its-kind effort in the late 1980’s to promote skiing in the U.S. boasted an impressive $5 million war chest. That effort is now ended. But the ski resort industry collectively spends at least that war chest amount and, probably, double or more annually on the design, creative execution, planning and distribution of mega-millions of ski resort brochures.
I believe if the industry could better harness all that energy, the annual brochure blowout might well do the job the war chest was intended to do … and do it better.
Sophisticated marketers have known for decades that aggressive competition creates the excitement that grows markets. Given this dynamic, an avalanche of effective, mouth-watering brochure “apostles,” from 600 different, highly competitive ski areas, when effectively distributed, could have an exponential impact on the business. Therefore, to look in depth at ski resort brochures as underutilized industry marketing tools is a useful exercise. The view should be well worth the climb.
The Challenge
Starting with the current crop, however, is a bit like having several hundred of your best friends bring their children over for a beauty contest. From our experience — backed by a number of letters accompanying the 197 brochures we received from a request letter — a lot of thought and tender loving care went into every — well almost every — brochure sent. There is justifiable pride in authorship and we’re not about to puncture anyone’s balloon. So don’t look for criticism of individual brochures.
Further, of course, the industry’s brochures reflect a jumble of inherent variables: size of the resort (in general, the larger the area the more to offer in facilities and amenities); geographic location; lodging availability; annual snowfall; day-trip vs. destination area; and, that most critical factor of all, budget, more or less a function of the above. All of which has to be kept in perspective.
Beyond that, we are certain there were all those “helpful suggestions” from well-meaning managements. (A favorite country inn of mine used to have a sign over its bar, “Our famous martini: $1.00; with your helpful suggestions: $1.50.”)
But that’s life. Ours, therefore, is not to throw stones. Rather, to share some observations, insights and tips from our experience on how the industry might do a more effective job in its “brochuremanship.” If these suggestions prove useful, help yourself!
What Is a Brochure for Anyway?
Information? Assurance? Probably both. But, to our observation, for the most part, ski brochures are not very differentiating and persuasive.
A recent Wall Street Journal article summed it up nicely in its opening sentence: “Typically, you can’t tell one ski resort from another: they all radiate beautiful people, beautiful snow, and an image of wealth, class and sophistication.” Whether or not the writer was referring to our industry’s brochures, the shoe seems to fit.
Dwelling on the Expected
It would appear that most brochures start with an inventory of what the resort has to offer: mountain, lifts, lodging, ski schools, etc. — with some emphasis on the most recent capital investment. The assignment becomes: “Put all this into a brochure and make it look nice. And be sure to emphasize the new (Choose one): lift — quad, gondola or tram; run; base lodge; etc.
“It’s a nice try but, in truth, nobody notices. The differences are indistinct distinctions! As the Wall Street Journal reporter put it, “All ski resorts look alike!” But don’t feel badly, you’re not alone. Take automobiles.
When was the last time you saw an automobile advertisement that made you want to buy the car? While they gloss-up the presentation with actors in white coats and beautiful cinematography, all the average automotive commercial says is: “This car comes with a sleek body and (Pick one or more): a steering system, a suspension system, seats, four tires plus a spare, an engine, headlights and taillights, a braking system, a trunk, cruise control, automatic shift, a radio/tape deck, air conditioning, etc. And — look it runs!” See the car go uphill! See it over the rise! Run, car, run!
Unless you’re a suspension system freak and they happen to touch that nerve, the probability is you’re underwhelmed.
Unfortunately, when markets get competitive — as both the auto business and the ski resort business are today — to survive and grow you need to find meaningful ways to differentiate yourself. Volvo, for instance, has built a clear, credible distinction around safety. And Ford has built one around product quality. Both are relevant distinctions to the consumer; each appeals to a significant and different consumer market segment.*
Ski resorts need to differentiate themselves in similarly relevant ways. In some ways, it’s a survival test. But it will also be good for the business. Simply, when consumers get caught up in the cross-fire between all making effective but different cases for how wonderful they are, it’s not a question of whether, it’s where!
What Is Differentiation?
Harvard’s distinguished Theodore Levitt formalized the concept back in 1980. Levitt pointed out that the product — in our case a mountain, snow, lifts, a base lodge and lodging — is only the table stakes that gets us into the game; the “commodity” that everyone offers. Therefore, you need to augment the product — build a uniqueness around it — to differentiate it.
In the case of ski areas, it means differing a key consumer market — demographic and psychographic — then surrounding your ski resort with a tailored and orchestrated bundle of relevant services specially created to attract and please that highly defined constituency.
It’s being done — right now — in the ski business. Look at some shining examples in the Kudos Collection.
The Marketing Process
Will our brochures positionings be successful? Only time will tell. All we can assure you is that the right positioning — effectively executed — is the key to capturing ever-increasing market share. But the right idea, with the wrong execution, may flop. Take beer as an example.
The first light beer, Gablinger, was introduced in 1967. It was marketed as a dietetic beer and it bombed. A few years later, in the mid-70’s, Philip Morris took over the Miller Brewing Company, created Miller Lite, positioned it with a “Tastes great, Less filling” argument between a gaggle of macho athletes and others. It flew! Light beers today represent 33 percent of the total beer market and Miller Lite has a 32 percent share of the light category.
But there are proprietary “positions” and transient “positions.” For instance, when a new mode of uphill transportation is introduced — gondolas, trams, high-speed quads, etc. — the first kid on the block to have one sees it as a unique “positioning.” And it is. And, to the degree promoting it attracts new skiers to sample the area, it serves a useful purpose. But, as we know, it’s a transitory advantage. As soon as neighboring areas catch on, it’s checkmate time; now everyone has one! Then it becomes history.
More deeply-rooted, conceptual positionings tend to the more proprietary. They can last for decades.
Delivering What You Offer
Positioning is not a brochure exercise, it’s a full scale marketing decision. The brochure is only one lens you use to project that positioning onto the public consciousness. When the consumer arrives at your door, you had better deliver!
Because getting a new customer is the most expensive stage in the selling process, more often than not it costs more than you make from that first visit. The profitability comes when that customer likes what you deliver enough to want to return again and again. Let him down and it’s a lost investment.
The key to it all is sound, precisely-targeted marketing. It shapes your augmented product, decides your positioning and draws customers. Everything else you do comes out of that positioning: brochures, advertising, publicity and public relations. But the brochure is a particularly useful focal point, because it is the one place you can organize your marketing strategy and flesh it out in a total message.
And once the ski industry masters the twin dynamics of relevant targeted marketing and customer satisfaction it can become a bustling, vigorous, growth business again. And all those brochures will be working like they’ve never worked before!
Bob Launey founded Launey Hachmann & Harris 28 years ago with two ski accounts: Cubco bindings and Hampshire Imports. And in its early years his mostly ski clients included Ski magazine, International Ski and Winter shows and Sugarbush and Madonna mountains. Most recently, in the late 1980’s, LHH was one of three finalists in the SIA-NSAA search for an agency. Currently one of a handful of investors in Catamount ski area, Launey has never lost his affection for, and interest in, the ski industry. Hence, articles such as this.
* Ed. note: Ford sales are soaring. The Taurus is now the #1 car in the U.S. Even Ford’s luxury cars are faring well in spite of a decline in the category; Volvo’s absolute sales are down, as with most in the luxury class, for a number of reasons: a stubbornly “boxy” body when the world is moving toward more aero-dynamic styling; the impact of price — one of the four P’s of marketing — which is becoming a dominant lever in today’s sluggish economy (see comments under “tips”); the “Buy American” movement; and the introduction of such new cars as the Lexus. But Volvo still holds a significant share of the luxury category.
Arriving at a Position
- Put together a list of core markets: teens, swinging singles, hard core skiers seeking the greatest challenge, snowboarders, low-to-moderate income Baby Boomer families, better-income Baby Boomer families, etc. There are also niche markets: “Silver Eagles,” blacks, hispanics, orientals, divorced individuals, etc. That’s your opportunity list.
- Study your competitors. Who are they catering to, if anyone? Look at competitive ads, brochures, advertising, etc. Eliminate any market a competitor already serves well. (It’s not as profitable to be a “me-too” marketer but, if you’re late to the game, that’s what you may become.)
- Focus on markets that are underserved and pick one to two to explore. Talk to consumers in those segments. What do they like and dislike about resorts they are now patronizing? What would they like to see in a ski resort? What do they read, watch, listen to? (So you will know how to reach them.)
- Structure an augmented product that meets their best expectations. One example: Ski areas charge a king’s ransom for food — like $1.50 candy bars. That’s hardly a lure for low-to-middle income young families. The ski area that dispenses food with McDonald’s-like menus and prices will be effectively augmenting its “product” with a refinement that will have a relevant appeal to young families. Add a few more and you have a strong positioning.
- Spread the news about your new positioning in your brochure, advertising, publicity, etc. Reinventing your offering and not telling the world about it is like the tree that falls in the forest. Nobody hears it.
- But first, limit the risk. Put together your offering. Build a brochure, ads, publicity, etc., that tell about it. And try it first in a geographically limited test market.
- Make your effort accountable. Put in an 800 telephone number and invite your target customers to call for more information: lodging reservations, a special introductory package, etc. Count the customers! Find out what they respond and don’t respond to, what media pulls best for you, etc.
- Assess your success. If success is there, fine-tune and roll it out. If it’s not, have a post mortem and try to determine where the failure occurred — the positioning, how it was presented, the media package, etc. Make a go/no-go decision. And if it’s “go”, restructure and retest.
A Grab Bag of Tips and Hints
Wherever you net out on your positioning, and whatever the content of your brochure, here are some basic suggestions that you might find useful:
Format
Formats have come a long way! Yet the more they change, the more they stay the same.
Traditional 4" X 9" and variations thereof, are far-and-away the most favored format. 4" X 9" fits into a #10 envelope. And it fits into a brochure rack. 85 percent of the brochures we received respected this tradition.
The most interesting variation was the 8" X 9" saddle-stitched booklet — up to 24 sideboard pages — that folds to 4" X 9". 80 percent of the 4" X 9" group were in this format. We like it! It works well and lets you tell mat.
11 resorts went a step larger to 8½" X 11" or standard magazine format; a couple used about an 8" X 7" size; and 8 employed 11" X 17" newspaper-style tabloids, some on semi-gloss stock. Killington, Vt., for example, used a semi-gloss stock tabloid as its main brochure. (At least that’s what they sent us.) But most used this format to create a supplement to their main brochure.
The tabloid approach suggests news and offers an opportunity to serve up more variety and depth of information in a “newsy” environment.
The wonderful advantage of the larger formats is that they allow for larger photos. We were disappointed that more ski areas did not take advantage of that opportunity.
We are sure there are lots of format trails yet to be blazed. The difference between an advertisement and a brochure is that a brochure gives you almost unlimited room to tell your story and the freedom to use whatever shape or size you want. It’s the most flexible of all media. And there are no ground rules. So we urge everyone to open their minds to all sorts of possibilities!
Nonverbal Communication
Everyone knows, one picture is worth a thousand words. Nothing grabs your attention, is more believable and arouses the appetite more than a fabulous photograph.
But great pictures are assets that need to be showcased. That’s why larger size brochures are valuable; they allow you to use photography large, so its power can be harnessed effectively.
Unfortunately, a substantial number of resorts seemed to opt for quantity vs. the impact of size in the use of photos. Looking closely, there were some wonderful photos underutilized in postage stamp or similarly small sizes. Many brochures would have been significantly more effective with fewer, bigger and more strategically-used photos.
We were also disappointed by the lack of captions. What am I looking at? Why? Captions help make the photo meaningful, if only a line or two that ties the photo to your “story.”
In keeping with the all-ski-areas-are-the-same image, most of the brochure cover photos were boringly alike, with far-and-away the most popular, a skier skiing. (Usually someone who looks two notches more professional than a class A racer!) Scenic views were second and children third in popularity. Pictures of attractive girls, lifts, snow villages, historic retrospectives, families, apres ski followed and one animal brought up the rear. Some of these were probably meant to be positioning statements, but more often than not, there was no follow-through. Once you got by the cover, the gears switched and it became the standard all-purpose everything-to-everybody appeal.
We were also conscious of little-to-no level of ethnic representation. Minorities are rapidly becoming our national majority. Seeing themselves represented in our brochures and advertising is the kind of welcome that they are looking for — one that could produce business.
Finally, whatever happened to those relaxing romantic evenings around the fireplace? That magic is part of skiing’s charisma and charm. Yet we saw few such moments in the brochure pages. One good-sized, centerpiece photo of folks relaxing around a roaring fire to introduce the lodging presentation would say a lot more than all those sterile lodge, bedroom and lobby shots.
Copy
While Confucius may have told us, “One picture is worth a thousand words,” we remember his words. Great pictures may whet the appetite; good copy clinches the sale.
Alas, a lot of brochure copy seems out of touch with its audience.
I’ve never heard skiers talk in the beancount language of brochures. (Vertical drop, run and lift counts, uphill capacity, etc.) Rather, skiers wax poetic about specific trails and runs they love — about the breathtaking panorama from a favorite spot on the mountain, the heart-stopping steepness of a 70-degree vertical, the challenge of a sea of moguls, the thrill of waist-deep powder, the glare of blue ice, the delight of a lazy slalom through a snow crested glade and the fun of breaking new tracks in a fresh field of snow.
That’s the sex appeal, romance and sizzle of skiing. Your individual trails and runs — the ones that bring people back to ski them again and again — have a unique personality. Use it! Who cares about “best” mountains, ski-schools, snowmaking, lodging, etc., can there be? The “bests” cancel each other out. And all claims become suspect.
Some years ago, the New Yorker said its advertisers a message I’d like to share: “Don’t raise the bridge boys, lower the river!” Their well-taken point: the river of superlatives running through the advertisements in the New Yorker was rendering them unbelievable. Ditto brochures. People simply want to be persuaded with facts that are interestingly and believably presented.
If you want to know what makes for effective copy, study mail order catalogs and direct-marketing ads. Mail order copy persuaded 99 million consumers to spend $24.5 billion last year! In mail order, you quickly learn there is no such thing as short or long copy, soft sell or hard sell; there is only good copy or bad copy and smart sell and dumb sell.
Note that good mail order copy is factual and interesting rather than creative and clever. It talks to you. And you come away with a persuasive sense of the product being offered rather than admiration for the cleverness of the authors.
The Guarantee
Guarantees are good marketing. You should guarantee satisfaction. It puts the monkey on your back to deliver. It’s a given in the direct marketing business.
Whether that guarantee should be money back, dental, or a second chance chit, I don’t know. But an unequivocal money back is stronger. It’s also more likely to flush out those you haven’t satisfied. (If a customer has had a lousy experience, offering the opportunity to have — in his mind — another lousy experience may not be very enticing.)
The value in a guarantee goes beyond the good will it generates. It provides the opportunity to ask questions and find out where you’ve failed. What you learn, I guarantee, will be worth every penny and more.
Typefaces
A number of brochures used a sans serif face for body copy. Conventional wisdom is that thick and thin serif faces are easier to read. They are the type style we learned to read by and the type style of choice for most newspapers, magazines, textbooks and novels.
This certainly doesn’t apply to short copy, headlines, logo, etc. And where type is surprinted (solid type on a photo) or reversed (white type on a photo), sans serif may be the typeface of necessity. But, on the whole, thick and thin serif faces are better.
Type Size
A number of brochures have tried to fit too much copy into too little space. The result is small type, sometimes so small it defies readability. Small type is a turn-off and self-defeating.
If you have too much copy for the available space, cut the copy! It’s better to communicate less information than, in effect, not communicate any. You can almost invariably cut copy without losing a thing. There is an awful lot of verbal baggage in most brochures.
The other option is to add more pages to your brochure. That’s the beauty of the brochure medium! It’s not the prison of a 30-second TV commercial.
Color, Surprints, Reverses
Generally speaking, traditional black and white is always readable. Conversely, certain colors tend to reduce readability, red and yellow, for example. But there are no hard and fast rules. We’ve seen good and bad usage of both in our review.
But why is the industry so in love with surprints and reverses that don’t work? Surprints (e.g., black print) and reverses (e.g., white print) on a photo or other busy background can be tricky. If the background is the least bit busy, surprints and reverses can turn out badly and discourage readability. There are tricks to help offset this — a retoucher can even out the background just under the type to improve readability — but few areas seem to know this solution to this fairly universal problem. In the final analysis, common sense should prevail.
Warning: original layouts can be misleading. Often the type is shown on a film overlay that gives a false impression of what the final will look like. Tread carefully. And, when in doubt, your worst fears are probably right!
All Emphasis Is No Emphasis
In brochure after brochure, there is a tendency to shout — everything! The vehicles for this include panels, large and small, in a variety of shapes, and large buckeye and, often, overly colorful blocks of type. It becomes self-defeating. The eye doesn’t know where to go. Our advice is to go easy. As the turtle once taught the hare, slow and steady usually wins the race.
Visualization, Layout, Type Selection
A brochure should be a sound sales presentation. It should target a specific audience and have a point of contact (the cover), it should walk the reader methodically through the sales story in a persuasive, logical sequence. Then, it should ask for the order (the conclusion). Pictures should be carefully selected and used tactically to help tell and reinforce this story. Quality is more important than quantity.
Accomplishing the above is the function of layout and copy.
Layout is an artistic design function. It deals with spatial arrangement and the orderliness of the brochure. A good layout should lead the eye in the order you want your prospect to see things, and lead your reader from one element to another in the sequence in which you want him or her to see them.
The layout artist works with the tools of graphics, photography, typography, color, panels, etc. and generally he or she works closely with a writer. Good graphics invite readership.
In general, the fewer the gimmicks and devices, the more inviting the brochure. Bad graphics and a lot of gingerbread discourage readership. Keep it simple. Graphic overload puts style before substance. If you lack substance, all the graphics in the world won’t help.
Visualization can be the critical difference. A good layout artist is not necessarily a good visualizer.
Visualization is how you use photos and other graphic elements to effectively reinforce your message. For instance, if your positioning is “The Silver Eagle Club,” your base cover visual might be a group of gray-haired individuals or, to make it interesting, a picture of “Whistler’s Mother” with skis on her feet, jutting out from under her rocking chair. With a headline like: “Isn’t it time you got off your rocker!” Why not?
Our Kudos Collection
We selected 10 brochures that do an excellent job of differentiating themselves. There were others, but these epitomized good “brochuremanship”! Presented in no particular order.
Attitash, New Hampshire. The Attitash Smart Ticket. “The most flexible lift ticket in the Eastern U.S.” The copy does a magnificent job of explaining and selling the merits of the computerized system, and providing detailed information on how to maximize the value and flexibility provided by the Smart Ticket. What sets this brochure apart from the rest of the field is that it: a) differentiates and b) stays committed to that differentiation throughout the brochure. When the brochure touches on families, children, first timers, etc., it does so by tying in the benefits offered by the Smart Ticket and explaining how it provides “skiing options and value.”
The Balsams Wilderness, New Hampshire. It stands out for what it doesn’t say for what it does say. The brochure elaborates on The Balsams strengths — class, style and sophistication. A “posh” first-class ski week. The brochure doesn’t get bogged down with snowguns, chairlifts and double-black diamond extreme skiing. The Balsams is not positioned for those looking to rack up mega vertical miles of skiing. It’s for those who want to spend a week on a beautiful ski estate — being pampered — and having the luxury of a ski area on the premises. That’s what The Balsams experience is and that’s what the brochure is selling.
Crested Butte, Colorado. Crested Butte separates itself from the pack by selling not only the skiing, but the town of Crested Butte and its unique lifestyle — charm, warmth, personality and, most importantly, its friendliness. It comes across as the Cicely of the Mainland. Not urban … not glitzy, rather its own free-spirited self. Down-home folksy, friendly and fun!
Deer Valley, Utah. The “Deer Valley Difference.” The positioning offered is “… It takes more than great skiing to make a great ski vacation.” It reinforces the civilized ski experience theme by remaining singularly clear in its focus. Two thirds of the brochure is devoted to Deer Valley’s commitment to providing the ultimate in service, food, facilities and accommodations. There are no “bean counts” or tangents that dilute its message.
Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont. “Fun for kids, freedom for parents, guaranteed”! – “America’s #1 family ski resort.” – “Only we guarantee kids fun.” – “Kids are our specialty.” Get the point — kids, kids, kids; family, family, family — the place to spend a family ski vacation. There’s one focus and it’s supported by the copy vis a vis information on programs for preschoolers through teens.
Loveland, Colorado. “Because you love to ski.” At last, a brochure that packs the fun of skiing into it. Unique type and color make it stand out. Most brochures appear “stuffy” next to it. Very exciting, vibrant and “cool.” It makes you want to drop what you’re doing, drive up I-70 and have a blast. The “feel-good” copy is consistent with the brochure’s “attitude.”
Snow Valley, Ontario. “For Great Family Fun!” Oft-repeated words include: “Kids,” “Family,” “Friendly.” Offering 4-, 6- or 8 hour lift tickets with a two hour upgrade, plus a multitude of value-package options including passes and mini-passes, to “stretch” a family’s ski dollar and ski time. A fine example of how a day-trip area can position itself, and come across as “user-friendly.”
Sunday River, Maine. Consistent throughout is the theme — “#1 in the East” — with copy to support the statement. The copy scores highly in that it does not sound as if it’s boasting, merely telling it like it is. Lifts, #1 in the East; terrain quality, #1 in the East; snow quality, #1 in the East; etc.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Exemplary layout. If not the nicest overall brochure, the most unique. Romanticizes the resort via its Western heritage, the beauty of the natural surroundings and the concentration of wild life (animals, not people). Jackson Hole takes advantage of this abundance of natural beauty by positioning itself as a winter wonderland. With neighbors — including such locales as Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge — Jackson Hole appears to be seated in the hub of a winter Shangri-la. Fantastic adventure, it seems, awaits you on and off the slopes.
Heavenly, California. Exemplary layout, conventional design. It’s to be commended for not just what it says, but how it says it. They have found room for some of the best photography of any ski brochure, as well as excellent copy. It is very inviting and easy to digest. The copy and visuals complement and support each other and, most importantly, neither element is tarnished by being superimposed on top of the other or crammed onto a page. A great example of less being more.
Credits: My special thanks to Dudley McIlhenny, Gary Denmark, Deborah Fineout and Mark Rutman for their meaningful thoughts, comments and contributions; and especially to Ari Dubinsky for his insightful analysis of our Kudos Collection. R.E.L.
