Winter resorts are partnering with the U.S. ski and snowboard teams to enhance their advertising signage with tips from top athletes.

To find out how to get your client’s message in front of an affluent, active audience at play, read on.

This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts

What
Tips and video demonstrations from the U.S. ski and snowboard teams appearing on ad signage at winter resorts.

Who
Brand Connections, headquartered in New York.

How it works
In this new element to an existing program, U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding team members will provide performance and safety tips that will appear on signage at ski resorts in Brand Connection’s Active Outdoor-Winter network.

“This is an enhancement that will get more eyeballs on all signage,” says CEO Brian Martin. “We believe this content is going to increase recall and subsequent conversion for brands we work with because it gives active consumers another reason to engage with the fixture. So if they’re watching a digital plasma screen or are in front of a kiosk looking for information, in addition to ads they’ll get tips.”

The skiing and snowboarding tips will appear on digital boards at ski lift lines and in lodge lobbies.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboarding teams will also participate in special events, including March 29 and 30 appearances at The Canyons resort in Utah, to sign autographs and provide tips on their sports. Advertisers will be able to participate by distributing product samples or even running a sweepstakes.

The entire program runs November through April.

Markets
The network includes 150 venues in Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Numbers
The network has 10,000 digital and static ad spaces. Reach is 50 million, Martin says.

How it is measured
Attendance numbers are provided by the ski resorts based on lift ticket sales and a count of bar codes scanned at ski lifts.

Additionally, effectiveness is measured by pre- and post-surveys of visitors as they arrive and leave a resort and again online two months later. A sweepstakes is used as incentive for participation.

Research
According to a 2007 Snowsports Industries America study, consumers spent $623 million on apparel in snow sports specialty stores in the 2006-2007 ski season. They also spent $564 million on equipment and nearly $593 million on accessories.

What product categories do well
Automotive, electronics, packaged goods, telecommunications, financial services, retail and quick-service restaurants are top categories.

Demographics
According to a 2006 National Sporting Goods Association study:
-63 percent of downhill skiers and 73 percent of snowboarders are male
-7 percent are ages 7 to 11, 14 percent 12 to 17, 17 percent 18 to 24, 21 percent 25 to 34, 17 percent 35 to 44, 20 percent 45 to 54 and 6 percent older than 54. For snowboarders, 17 percent are 7 to 11, 32 percent at 12 to 17, 27 percent 18 to 24, 15 percent 25 to 34 and 9 percent older than 34.

Making the buy
Lead time is one month.

Factors that affect cost include elements in a buy and the number of consumers reached. Programs are based on a CPM.

Who’s already on ski resort signage
General Motors, Procter & Gamble, American Express, General Mills and 3M are recent advertisers.

What they’re saying
“We wanted a venue where we could reach people who are using our products and a way to reach all the people active on a mountain, not just skiers. So this is a good fit to reach people skiing and snowboarding.” – Paul Zimmerman, 3M Thinsulate global brand manager

Web site info
Brand Connections at http://www.brandconnections.com