Colorado Ski Industry Goes On Ad Campaign Blitz
DENVER (CBS4) - The ski industry, once in a slump because of a lack of snow, is on a campaign blitz.
The SIA Snow Show is currently being set up at the Colorado Convention Center for this Thursday. It shows the latest in ski and snowboard technology. The gear being displayed will all be available next year.
Normally this time of year the Snow Show is the center of the ski industry, but not this year. It's all because of a new advertising series going out that is stealing attention, even catching the eye of some daytime talk shows, giving the ski industry hundreds of thousands of dollars in free advertising.
The nation's largest newspapers have a noticeable splash of Colorado. In Sunday's New York Times two full-page ads showcased powder-packed slopes. One was from Beaver Creek, and another was from the Colorado Tourism Board.
This week Vail Resorts placed a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal chronicling the powder conditions at their six resorts.
"We get excited about the snow and then our key markets around the county get excited about the snow," Kelly Ladyga with Vail Resorts said.
Heavy snow has fortified Colorado ski slopes.
Ladyga says they've been planning a massive ad attack, but have been waiting for the right moment.
"They're very impactful because they reach the right audience," she said.
This season was off to a dreadful start. Snow wasn't falling and foliage couldn't even be covered. It meant fewer runs and lifts open and longer lines at the ones that were. Visits were down 15 percent.
In the last week everything has changed -- just in time.
"Momentum waned during December as guests began to look for snow in their future booking patterns," Ralf Garrison with M-TRIP said.
Garrison monitors the heartbeat of the ski industry. He says advance bookings through the holidays were above average, but a push now sets up the rest of the season.
"These resorts are betting on the fact that there are a significant amount of guests who have yet to book, have pent-up demand, were waiting for weather," Garrison said. "Now the weather story is here and they want to tell that story big."
Officials warn that all the good snow needs to continue. If it doesn't, skiers will break out their golf clubs and the window will be shut.
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