The recent snowfall that some of us experienced in the Midwest and eastern regions is a reminder that real winter is on the way and with it, a new ski season.
Street teams, sampling and other forms of alternative media hit the slopes at ski resorts over the past few years. This season a new product is being launched in snow country: digital signage mounted outdoors where skiers wait in lift lines.
To find out how to get your client’s message out on the slopes with upscale skiers, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Advertising on electronic guest messaging screens placed outdoors at ski resorts.
Who
Sitour USA, headquartered in Kingston, N.Y.
How it works
Ads are placed on digital signage at lift areas and other outside locations alongside announcements for skiers to read while they wait in line. Text messages, logos and animated ads are displayed on four-color LED screens.
There are three ways they’re selling it, says president Monte Rios:
-The advertiser’s logo can be shown for 15 seconds
-The logo can appear for five seconds followed by a 15-second text message of something helpful to skiers, like a weather report or similar content sponsored by the advertiser, followed by another five seconds of the logo
-A 10- to 15-second commercial can also be run, without sound
“We can animate a full-page magazine ad to create the illusion of movement,” says Gerry Tschinkel, vice president of operations.
The ad copy is downloaded at Sitour’s Kingston, N.Y., headquarters. Resorts can pre-empt advertising for emergency messages.
The ads appear on resorts’ panoramic trail maps and on lift corral signage. In both cases the size of the ad screens is 25¾ inches tall and 34¼ inches wide.
In addition to information about weather and snow conditions, the electronic messaging centers also broadcast safety messages. “The other reason people look at these signs is they have important information about avalanche danger and closure of ski areas,” Tschinkel says.
The units have light sensors that make them visible in bright as well as dark conditions. “This technology still reads well in all kinds of light, which is important with sunny days and bright snow,” Tschinkel says.
Creative often ties into the ski industry. “Chevrolet can call us and say dealers near a resort have a rebate this month,” says Rios. “The creative can show a truck coming down the mountain alongside the Chevy logo with messages about the special and dates.”
The ads and ski information are cycled in a five-minute loop. “It’s designed to reach all the skiers because they have to wait in line,” says Rios.
Specific resorts and locations within resorts can be cherry-picked. Campaigns usually last the length of the ski season.
Markets
The program is available at 31 resorts in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Vermont.
Numbers
There are 55 to 57 million skier visits each year, and the Sitour network reaches 70 percent of that market, representing 38 to 39 million skier visits, Rios says.
There are 81 of the new electronic messaging centers installed in the Sitour network.
How it is measured
Data provided by ski resorts in the network are averaged over five years to determine impressions.
Sitour is TAB-audited and has Simmons Market Research Bureau conduct an annual advertising recall study.
What product categories do well
Automobiles top the list, Rios says, followed by consumer food products that tie into winter sports, like energy bars, hot chocolate, teas and soup. Pharmaceuticals are also a strong category.
Demographics
According to a 2003 NSGA Sports Participation Study provided by Sitour:
-Families with children 17 and younger make up 48 percent of ski resort visits
-Singles aged 18-34 with no children constitute 30 percent of visits
-Skiers and snowboarders have an average household income in excess of $85,000
-The college educated make up 66 percent and 46 percent work in professional and managerial jobs.
Making the buy
Lead time is one to two days. Factors that affect cost include the number of resorts, length of ad and frequency of play. Ads can be 5, 10 or 15 seconds long and are sold on a CPM basis.
The advertiser provides creative.
Who’s already on electronic ski signage
The program is being test launched this season.
Web site info
Sitour USA at www.sitourusa.com
