Page 62 - Summer 2014

Marketing Awards (continued from p. 18) BEST USE OF VIDEO MARKETING Telluride Ski and Golf Resort, Colorado responded that they were not satisfied with the outcome of the The winner in this category had initial conversation. However, after additional discussion their what some would call an unfair final response was ‘WOW.’” advantage last season: being in the Roundtop learned that while guests viewed the website as right place (Colorado) at the right their primary source of information about the area, they weren’t time (the height of Super Bowl Bronco-mania). The market- satisfied with the design of the site and the functionality of the ing opportunity was obvious—transfer some of that excite- online store. Based on the 444 follow-up conversations, the resort ment and enthusiasm from one veritable Colorado institution, used (and continues to use) the feedback as the basis for improve- the Broncos, to another, Telluride. To capitalize on the event the ments. Within two weeks of the website redesign, the scores resort put together a timely, compelling video centered on local improved dramatically: ratings for clarity of information/content pride in the football team, and released it just one week before improved by 228 percent; usefulness/helpfulness of information kick-off, exposing the Super Bowl fan base to the resort. increased 156 percent; ease of navigation went up by 229 per- Working with local videographer Brett Schreckengost cent; and ease of use of the online store jumped by 340 percent. the resort focused on capturing community support of the Further, new visitors to the site were up 12 percent and time Broncos while highlighting some of Telluride’s uniqueness, spent on the site was up 17 percent. Views of the summer opera- said Thad Quimby, interactive marketing manager. The foot- tions Mountain Adventure pages went up 115 percent also. age shows the Broncos flag passed from one person to another “The bottom line is that our guests have all the answers,” on its journey to the peak—from a cowboy on a horse to a Dudding said. “They will tell us what makes them happy if we family on the gondola, and from a skier on the mountain to take the time to listen.” a ski patroller, who proudly plants the flag at the top of Gold Hill at 13,000 feet. The town was completely behind the effort, expediting the permitting process to close Main Street Brett SchreckengoSt for filming, and the Historic New Sheridan Bar allowed the cowboy to ride his horse into the establishment in classic old- Western movie style. Amazingly, everything was shot, edited, and released in seven days. Even more astonishing was the response, Quimby said. Telluride released the video through YouTube and Vimeo, posted a link several times a day on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+, and posted links on Broncos-related forums. In just one week the resort’s lifetime YouTube views went from 113,661 to 221,762, an increase of 95 percent. Not only did it become the most popular video ever released by the resort, it was the highest ranked video uploaded by any U.S. ski resort last season (SlopeFillers, February 28). Although one judge divulged loyalty to the New England Telluride’s marketing video linked the thrill of skiing and Patriots, he praised Telluride’s marketing department for iden- snowboarding with the excitement surrounding Super Bowl tifying the unique opportunity to produce a high-quality emo- Bronco-mania last season. The Broncos flag makes its way tional piece linking the resort to something bigger happening in all the way from downtown to these jersey-clad football fans on the chairlift, and eventually to patrollers who plant it at its backyard. “Telluride managed to connect with a much larger the peak. audience, receive 100 times the exposure normal for a ski resort video online, and have it picked up by the Colorado media and all of Bronco nation.” Said another judge: “Telluride capitalized on a current event and extended the reach of skiing beyond just our little ski world.” 60 | NSAA Journal | SUMMER 2014 w w w. n s a a . o rg NSAA Summer 2014 prepressed v7a.indd 60 7/9/14 1:32 PM