Back at the turn of the century post internet bubble I teamed up with another dot.com to create a short lived ski industry marketing consultancy (big fancy words).
You know how you think working in a sport you love will be better than working for a widget company? Well... it isn't always the case. Our premise was that most ski marketing was aimed at the youthful macho jock personality while most of the buying power resided with intermediate boomers... and that ski manufacturers and ski areas should step up and create ads and collateral aimed at the newer and more human level skiers. We did our homework, talked to people throughout the industry, made numerous calls and visits. And finally got a well-known ski client.
Whose home office said Nein Nein Nein to virtually everything down to whether they could blow their noses in the office. It was nuts.
That plus a bunch of other sketchy encounters with people who basically wanted to get free ideas and copy them - or companies that had amazingly tiny marketing budgets - led to a departure back to the now welcome widget companies. I love widgets! And companies that do what they say and pay their bills and operate like professionals.
BTW I did something similar with the bicycling industry too with equal results. Thick headed but I eventually learned my lesson.
If you are successful in the ski business, I think it's because you're hands on and DIY.
You know how you think working in a sport you love will be better than working for a widget company? Well... it isn't always the case. Our premise was that most ski marketing was aimed at the youthful macho jock personality while most of the buying power resided with intermediate boomers... and that ski manufacturers and ski areas should step up and create ads and collateral aimed at the newer and more human level skiers. We did our homework, talked to people throughout the industry, made numerous calls and visits. And finally got a well-known ski client.
Whose home office said Nein Nein Nein to virtually everything down to whether they could blow their noses in the office. It was nuts.
That plus a bunch of other sketchy encounters with people who basically wanted to get free ideas and copy them - or companies that had amazingly tiny marketing budgets - led to a departure back to the now welcome widget companies. I love widgets! And companies that do what they say and pay their bills and operate like professionals.
BTW I did something similar with the bicycling industry too with equal results. Thick headed but I eventually learned my lesson.
If you are successful in the ski business, I think it's because you're hands on and DIY.
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