Ski Whidbey by Alvin Gregory
Recently, after a few 'adult' refreshments, a friend and I giggled recalling a 70s era poster depicting a young man, clad only in cutoff jeans, skiing off the roof of a hay barn. The caption read 'Ski Kansas'. We howled over the concept of 'SkiWhidbey' and how we would approach marketing 'the Island' as a ski area/resort. The more we talked, the more we drank, and the more the concept started to approach inspiration. Let's look at the facts:
The first week of January means a few things: ambitious resolutions, energetic kids off from school, and headlines about "record breaking lift ticket rates". The mainstream coverage of those rates is golden publicity for a brand eager to send the more inclusive follow-up message about its product, like SkiWhidbey. We could capitalize on the general perception that skiing is too expensive.
SkiWhidbey
Recognizing there are probably many people who would love to try the sport but can't afford a lesson or live far enough away that the distance is a deal-breaker. In one clever move, SkiWhidbey would offer accessibility coupled with very low fees. How would we do this ...
January is often a crappy month to learn to ski, but we're still doing this pain ritual called learn to ski and snowboard month. It's cold. It's dark. It's maybe the least fun month to be a skier. March or even April are way better. We all know this. So for SkiWhidbey, we will turn spring into our only season. Would you rather have your expensive day of skiing be zero ferenheit and windy or 55 ferenheit and sunny? Would you like to be wearing 19 layers or cut-off jeans?
The cost … a ferry ride to the island. How can we keep SkiWhidbey so affordable? Simple. We have absolutely no maintenance overhead costs for maintaining our two thrilling runs (Double Bluff and the road from Langley down to the marina) because there will be absolutely no snow.
NO SNOW you say! How in the world do you expect to attract beginner and advanced skiers to SkiWhidbey? One of our favorite aspects of skiing is the feeling of belonging to a community. A crazy community of people who get up at the crack of dawn, bundle up, boot up, and go out to play for hours on end. Within this larger ski community, there are many unique communities. In our opinion, SkiWhidbey will have one of the coolest community vibes around. Our promotional marketing will embrace those who take pride in being "SkiWhidbeyers."
Additionally, our research has determined that virtually all skiers get to a ski area, pay for a lift ticket, park their skis at a convenient ski corral, and head for the nearest bar. Following a day off of the slopes, the average skier heads for the nearest après ski location to continue 'conditioning'. SkiWhidbey will capitalize on this pattern of behavior by eliminating the need to fuss with all that equipment stuff while allowing both rookies and advances skiers a direct path to a virtual plethora of Island bars and restaurants.
Who wouldn't want to SkiWhidbey? … warm spring weather, low low costs, access to desired services, and a sense of attachment to a warm community vibe like no other. This project is simply building SkiWhidbey out of SkiWhidbeyers." Now if that isn't brilliant marketing, what is?