Last summer, Waterville decided to do away with a triple and a double chair, both accessing the same beginner to intermediate terrain, in favor of a detachable quad. Instead of the usual “faster, less-lift line” marketing strategy, Waterville’s public relations coordinator, Stacy Senger, conceived a Name-the-Quad contest.
Advertised on a local New Hampshire radio station, Waterville asked the public to send in names for their new investment, either by mail or by e-mail between last November 17 and December 5. In all, 250 responses contributed names such as Tecumseh Ski Train, Mod Quad, SnoLimo, Lickety Split Lift, Rapid Rider, Four Wide Ride and The Corcoran Cruiser. The winning name was Quadzilla, with 10 entries. In order to pick the grand prize winner, Waterville put the 10 names in a hat and General Manager Tom Day selected one. The winner received a 1997-98 season pass.
On opening day for the new lift, December 13, Waterville threw a party to announce the winner, who got to take the first official ride up the new quad. All the other contestants were also invited to the party and given free breakfast and skiing for the day.
Not stopping at the name, however, Waterville gave Quadzilla a cartoonish look by painting the terminal. “Giving a quad a little personality can go a long way,” said Heather Flynn from the marketing department. “You can just see by the suggested names that the public picked up on the fact that the lift is faster and will carry more people up the hill—and we didn’t have to tell them. Instead, we drew attention to it with a game and now with a look.”
Quadzilla became such a big hit that Waterville created Quadzilla T-shirts and a Quadzilla stuffed animal that management hides around the mountain. When skiers find him, they win prizes.
By making customers feel like a part of the process, Waterville’s new lift garnered more attention than the marketing department could have hoped for. Now Quadzilla is a permanent part of Waterville’s landscape and everybody’s favorite pet.
