There’s an imbalance in the force. And by force I mean ski industry.

On the one hand, the vast majority of content and marketing is related directly to the in-resort experience. On the other, the in-resort experience is just a small slice of actual experience.

One day, I envision seeing a resort video series that stirs up the other emotions that make travel such an incredible experience and highlights the power of anticipation.

Something like this.

VIDEO #1 – Pulling the Trigger
It’s a big step, clicking that “complete checkout” button. Your vacation, in an instant, goes from a dream to a reality. It’s a fun step in the story that I’ve never seen told.

VIDEO #2 – Distracted At Work
Once going is a certainty, a resort’s content takes on a whole new meaning. This is especially true at work when you should be cranking out spreadsheets but are instead distracted by watching videos from the location of your upcoming trip.

VIDEO #3 – Packing Bags
When the first pair of socks goes in the luggage, that’s when it’s real. I saw this conveyed in a recent Visit Idaho documentary and instantly felt something I hadn’t felt from resort marketing before:

VIDEO #4 – Final Countdown
Wherever you are – at school, at work, at home – those last few minutes counting down to a vacation are special. It’s impossible to focus and your mind is filled with the possibilities of what you’re about to do.

VIDEO #5 – First View
Between planes, trains, and automobiles, you’ve been traveling all day. Is it around this corner? No. The next maybe? Or the next? Until, finally, you see your destination. That’s a magical moment worthy of a story to tell it.

VIDEO #6 – The Room
But you still aren’t quite there. Not until you check in, get your room key and, for the first time, see your home away from home for the next week. The beds must be “tested”, the TV turned on, the view examined. All little pieces of the experience that are often overlooked.

VIDEO #7 – Quiet Return
After leaving there’s a bit of conversation, but there are also long stretches (often driven by fatigue) of quiet moments looking at the car window, trying to remember a few last details or reminiscing on the fun that was had.

VIDEO #8 – Arriving Home
The smell, the light, the sounds. There’s something about arriving home that both caps off a great vacation experience but also sets the wheels in motion for the next.

Built In
This also has a virtually built-in distribution pair in automated pre-arrival and post-depature email marketing.

Are people telling bits and piece of this? Of course. Has the whole narrative even been told, and told well?

Not that I know of. So, no surprise, that’s what I’d do.

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.