No beating around the bush to start this post, here’s the video.

I think it’s completely brilliant and completely awesome. And I carry these thoughts for three reasons.

Drama
Not too much, but more than you’re used to from a resort video. A little competition, a little suspense, some dramatic music all pave the way for a video that actually holds your interest.

There’s a reason that there are successful TV shows about once mundane topics like truck drivers and cooking. They found a way to infuse some drama. Do that and you can have engaging content about anything.

Star Power
When I first started pulling resort stats back in the day, I remember being a little surprised that some of the most viewed YouTube videos all had one thing in common: the name of a famous skier in the title. If you’re going to make a movie about a mountain coaster, why not bring in some star power.

I once went to a Real Salt Lake soccer game soon after the team was created. The attendance was abysmal. The next week, I went to another and a 50,000 seat stadium was packed. Why? Because David Beckham was playing. That’s what stars instead of nobodies can do.

Makes the Uncool Cool
Let’s face it, a mountain coaster isn’t that cool of a thing. They’re a lot of fun, but you only know that if you’ve tried it. If you haven’t, they look like a lame roller coaster for kids. So to me, the most important line in the whole video is at 2:57 when Sage says:

“Some of those turns are gnarly…”

Remember, this is the guy who does this for a living.

So, to me, that one line paired with Sage’s golden star power instantly turns the mountain coaster from lame to cool. And it does it for the exact right crowd that would be drawn by a video with Sage’s name in it.

Awesome
I love this video because it is funny, well made, but most of all, designed to be super effective.

It’s not just a fun idea the marketing team had, it’s a good idea the marketing team had. It’s one that combines the best assets the mountain had to work with to tell a story that can honestly change behavior.

Well done PCMR guys and gals.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.