There Must Be Something I Don’t Understand
It seems to me that we have all figured out that the future is kids. Snowboarding happened, thank god. Resorts are creating programs and runs that appeal to kids. Manufacturers aim a good portion of their advertising at younger participants.
Fine. Great. Wonderful. It is about kids. I’m glad that’s settled.
Uhhhhhh, well, apparently it’s not.
After six or so years, Jack Turner and his Snow Monsters seem to have broken through and are being supported by seventy or so resorts, including many of the major ones. Over the years, while Jack figured out how to make this work, he had, I’m told, some support from SIA and NSAA, as well as other groups, for which he’s grateful.
Then, on November 3, out comes the story from Mountain News entitled Kid War I? I read it. I read it again. I shook my head to clear it, and read it again. That didn’t help. It still made no sense. I went off and had dinner and a drink. Maybe two drinks. I came back and read it again and finally came to the conclusion that I wasn’t hallucinating.
What the hell is going on here?
SIA is doing Project Kids (in partnership with Nickelodeon, I understand), which they are positioning as an industry-wide initiative. But it’s not being supported by NSAA. Well, what a stunner that is since so many of NSAA’s major member resorts are involved with Snow Monsters. I wonder how SIA could have expected a different reception?
Meanwhile, the Snow Monsters identity had initially been associated with Project Kids, but apparently there was no agreement that should happen so there’s now no cooperation there.
I’d like to know the following things:
How much money is SIA spending on this? Are they trying to create a Project Kids brand? When somebody comes to me as a consultant and tells me they want to start a new action sports brand, I ask them how many years they are prepared to take to do it or do they have $5 million for the promotional budget?
With a second set of snow monsters created by SIA, does anybody but me have a concern that there’s a potential for some customer confusion and dysfunctional competition?
I am not arguing that Snow Monsters should be the only kid’s program in the entire industry, but at the very least why isn’t there an agreement between NSAA, SIA and Snow Monsters to work together, build on what Snow Monsters has started, and share the credit and results? I’m against reinventing the wheel. The lack of cooperation is wasting time and money and maybe market opportunities.
I talked to Jack Turner and David Ingemie some time ago, before I decided to write this, but have intentionally not talked with them again because I don’t really want to know about the politics, the money, the egos, and the organizational stuff. I don’t care about all that crap. I’m just a guy who wants the industry to succeed, sees kids as critical, and can’t for the life of me see any legitimate business reason why there shouldn’t be cooperation that would benefit the industry.
Here’s what I suggest.
Mike Berry, David Ingemie and Jack Turner should be locked in a room together. It should be a spartan room at a very nice resort, and it should be dumping outside. The room should have a big window overlooking the hill, where they can see that they are going to miss a glorious powder day. And it probably wouldn’t hurt if they could also see the bar. They should not be allowed out until they make a deal.
I volunteer to be the guy who holds the key and, from time to time, throws some bread and water into the room. I’m still contemplating whether or not they should be allowed bathroom breaks, but Jack’s younger than David and Mike and that might give him an unfair negotiating advantage. Okay, maybe they can have a pail in the corner of the room.
Come on, guys. I know I’m hopelessly naïve and I acknowledge that the devil, as always, is in the details, but couldn’t we just make a deal? Can’t we all just get along? I think there’s more than enough money and credit to go around. And then I could let you out of this little room you’ve gotten yourselves locked in.
There’s fresh powder on that hill and that’s what important.
A New Initiative
by Kim Seevers
PSIA-East
In recent issues of SAM, Speak-Out contributors have focused attention on the “health” of the Growth Initiative. Has the Initiative stalled out, have lesson numbers dipped or shown positive trends, are industry efforts showing positive results, any results, no results, and most importantly, are resorts implementing the objectives suggested by the Blueprint for Growth? If you think back to four short seasons ago, trial and conversion issues and programs were not at the forefront of industry vocabulary the way they are today. This is a direct result of NSAA’s concentrated and continued efforts to share information via the Growth Model and to challenge the industry to work together to grow the sport. We all know how long it takes information like this to filter down to the front lines and for consequential programs to be implemented. I don’t know about anyone else, but I remain incredibly impressed by both the immediacy and scope of the response by the industry to the challenge put forth by the Blueprint.
For example, industry language has been influenced by the Growth Model. Words like growth and retention, conversion and core now roll off every industry leader’s tongue as quickly and easily as the words DIN setting, shaped ski and release binding quickly became a part of our lexis years ago. Every time I pick up a new issue of any skiing or snowboarding publication, I read about another partnership that has been forged in an attempt to further the growth effort.
In that spirit, you will see an ad on page 14 for a new program called the Plus 1 Showcase. (Plus 1 refers to industry efforts to convert 1 percent more trial sliders per year to core sliders over the next few years.) The Showcase is being held March 11 to 12, 2004 at Hunter Mountain, N.Y., one of the industry’s leaders in the beginner experience with its state-of-the-art learning center. The Plus 1 Showcase is being hosted by PSIA-E, promoted and organized with the help of SAM Magazine, and has the full support of NSAA.
So, what is it? The Showcase is an industry-wide program for rental and entry level equipment, an often-ignored area when it comes to equipment testing. Through a combination of indoor presentations and on-snow demo time, Plus 1 will focus on how to create a partnership between the rental shop and the snowsports school. The days of these two entities operating as territorial wolves are over if the industry expects to have any positive impact on the first-timer.
The Plus 1 Showcase is also a perfect opportunity to try out rental and entry level ski and snowboard equipment from a variety of manufacturers and see what you are asking your guests to slide around on. Explore what’s offered in the burgeoning market of learn-to equipment for children.
As the industry strives to convert more potential riders, the importance of the communication between these groups and the education and understanding of the equipment cannot be overestimated. A well-choreographed effort on the part of everyone from the GM on down is vital to the success of the Growth Initiative.
Looking Ahead
A SAM Editorial
As we enter a new year, fresh on the heels of a record-breaking season, we thought we’d throw a few observations and a couple of predictions out there. Some may be obvious, some not. And, boy, are they scattered. Get out of it what you will. . .
First, anyone who doesn’t want to be a small, urban area right now is crazy. Who wouldn’t trade in 4,000 feet of vertical, stock reports and luxury condos for 300 feet of vertical, packed to the gills with beginners, young kids, and every race, creed and color? No, we might not choose to ski there, but we’re snobs who seem to only want to impress other snobs.
Couple this with the Growth Initiative and we’re seeing a secondary trend that is promising. It used to be that feeder, breeder areas simply viewed themselves as the puppy mills of winter sports: Bang as many of ’em out in as little time as possible. Now, ski areas are looking down the road some and instead of focusing on sheer numbers, they are focusing on the quality of the experience, too. These savvy areas understand that the Rockies may be mecca, but the experience close to home doesn’t have to be lame.
Now let’s look at destination visits. Colorado, the Grande Dame of winter, is in a bit of trouble right now. Over the past decade, resorts in this state got lazy and before they knew it, they were losing the one market segment they thought Colorado would never lose—foreigners and out-of-staters. Over the past six years, the state has experienced a 1.23 million drop in skiers—not skier visits, actual skiers. And where are these folks going? How about Utah, which has launched a scrappy campaign after the Olympics to woo winter sliders? Or how about Canada, which successfully pitches its great exchange rate?
You’ll also see a piece in this issue on marketing to minorities on page 54—it’s worth a read. While minority groups may not have the same juicy demographics your white visitors do, give them time. These groups won’t be called minority groups for much longer and their interest level is there. . .they’ve just been sitting around waiting for an invite.
Finally, if it doesn’t snow, we’re screwed.
