Our society has evolved a lot these last few years. This evolution impacts a wide range of activities and how we spend our free time. It doesn’t look like the ski industry has embraced that change. That might be the reason why many skiers have stayed the same over the last 30 years, even though the population has grown.

People don’t plan ski vacations the same way they use to. It’s not a 6-months in advanced booking anymore where you count down the months before departure. Now people would rather go on last minute weekends. That changes the way resorts should market their target, by focusing on short-term advertising. Our society asks us to be on the edge, ready to react. The traditional tools don’t always allow you to do so. Luckily, with societal changes come new tools (or with new tools come societal changes? Here we are again with the egg before or after the chicken). It’s time for the ski industry to seize all those new opportunities and bring a fresh wind into their marketing.

Social media offers great opportunities to connect with your target audiences so you can be top of mind when they are about to book a trip. Since skiing depends a lot on the weather forecast, being active on social media allows you to react quickly when snow falls and have a promotion ready to go. It is easier to picture ourselves skiing when it’s cold rather than when it’s beach weather.

Public relations can be efficiently used, featuring stories targeting large audiences, from the experienced skier who was born with ski on his feet to the 45-year-old who’s snowboarding for the first time.

The ski industry has a lot to offer, but it needs to connect more deeply with its target audience using the right tools at the right time.  

-Yasmine