Page 19 - Summer 2014

The entire resort got behind the initiative, galvanized by unique logos that give each Territory its own brand identify based on distinctive attributes. Prominently featured on a new Copper Mountain resort color-coded trail map identifying the Territories, the logos also appear in videos and signage throughout the resort, on retail items, and even on menus (e.g., The Cirque Burger). Notably, Winter Park also created special lesson programs tailored to each Territory. The centerpiece of the aggressive “Season of the Seven” media campaign was the website landing page, with an interac- tive resort map and pages dedicated to each Territory, along with radio ads, email, digital billboards, and a series of promotions including weekly flash sales. The campaign also featured cutting- edge digital and social media initiatives, including a Facebook “Match-Maker” app and interactive web banners that recom- mended a Territory based on user responses, and a selfie contest using the hashtag #Seasonofthe7 for a chance to win prizes. The campaign is on pace to shatter even the highest expec- tations, said Silva. Website visits were at 3 million, an increase of 10 percent, and the total social fan base exceeded 78,000, a Copper Mountain packed a lot of essential and entertaining 25 percent increase. Social media reached 16 million people, data into its new “Sherpa” app, an on-mountain audio guide that’s quickly becoming an indispensable, constant compan- and the social contests resulted in 8,500 interactions. In all there ion to the resort’s guests. were 10,000 interactions with #Seasonofthe7. when they’re near something important (e.g., “Just ahead is the Best Use of MoBile technology Flyer’s Soup Shack. Cozy up to one of the 10 seats and warm up copper Mountain Resort, colorado with a hot bowl of soup and your favorite beverage”). The app Copper Mountain chose wisely also serves up mountain-critical information, including snow when selecting the icon for a new reports and weather alerts, which Copper leverages smartly (“I- mobile app: the llama, a frequent 70 is experiencing two-plus hour delays…. Rooms are currently companion and heavy-lifter for available. Book one and stay the night? You deserve a snow many mountain trekkers. At Copper, the beloved furry creature day”). Sherpa even has a one-touch “Call Ski Patrol” icon that stands for “Sherpa,” the industry’s first hands-free, on-mountain captures the user’s exact location and communicates it to patrol audio guide, and an increasingly indispensable component of headquarters, minimizing response time. the resort’s guest experience. Similar to the audio tours provided Not surprisingly, the response to Sherpa has been impres- at many museums, the GeoSmart Sherpa app points out notable sive, with a 91 percent return rate among more than 10,000 locations, tells you what trail you’re on and where it leads, gives active users. As of the application deadline, there were more you directions to anywhere on the mountain, provides weather than 12,000 downloads, with 45,000 hits on 212 on-mountain alerts, and dispenses a ton of other useful and often entertaining markers and 550 on-mountain details. Copper is using the app information and suggestions. for summer operations also, adding trail markers for mountain “It’s like having a personal mountain guide with you biking and nature hikes as well as personal audio markers for throughout your day,” said Dwight Eppinger, director of mar- friends and family. keting. “Sherpa is a ‘we’ versus ‘me’ app—tapping into insiders- The content on Sherpa is refined so that it is useful, but only knowledge and expertise about the resort rather than just playful enough that the user is drawn toward continued engage- focusing on tracking and broadcasting personal achievements, ment, noted the judges. “What an exciting extension beyond a such as vertical feet covered.” passive mobile app using all the features of today’s smartphone To turn on the app, users merely plug in their earbuds, tap to connect the resort visitor to Copper and all it has to offer,” the llama icon, and put away their phone. Sherpa tells them said one. w w w. n s a a . o rg SUMMER 2014 | NSAA Journal | 17 NSAA Summer 2014 prepressed v6a.indd 17 7/3/14 4:19 PM