I sometimes feel I do too much critiquing and too little suggesting. Like, somehow, I’m the 400 pound, mullet-sporting guy on his 3rd beer at the baseball game yelling at the 2nd baseman to hustle. So, every once in a while on a Wednesday I’ll try to balance the scales a bit and put my own ideas up for display, analysis, and critique. (view all ‘WID’ posts).

Clouds do a lot of things: the bring snow, they look like [insert random object], and they store files and apps. Of course, there are other ways to store data, like CP Technologies storage systems, but they are usually used for commercial and industrial needs. Aside from the occasional upgrade to coding or design programs, I haven’t installed software on my computer for a while now because almost every app I use is in the cloud. So, when I think in terms of marketing, I don’t typically think about software.

However, even with the cloud, every computer and device has one common piece of software: the operating system. And, funny thing, every OS also has one thing in common: a desktop background image.

What I’d Do, Provide Wallpapers for All (Resolutions)
Every day I see three photos: the Tetons, a photo of my wife and I, and Travis Rice doing a backflip off a cornice. Why do I see these? They are the desktop backgrounds for my home computer, my work computer, and my phone.

So, what I’d do is take some current, professional looking photo and crop it into a variety of layouts for:

• Large monitors
• Laptop sizes
• iPad / tablet resolutions (portrait and landscape)
• Smartphone resolutions (again, in both portrait and landscape)
• Twitter background style (maybe fading to black at the edges)

I’d look for 2-3 photos each week that highlight the conditions and various aspects of the resort. Rather than just powder turns and park shots I’d include groomers and beginners enjoying their first lesson, new dishes being served at the restaurant, and shots of the mountain in early-morning light.

After I crop each, I’d slap on my resort’s logo, include some clever tagline if it fits, and share these suckers on Facebook, Twitter, the blog, the website, you name it.

The Power
Now, a desktop background isn’t going to turn your season around, but the more people I could get to download these files the more people are going to:

1. See my logo each day (branding)
2. See a motivational ski photo each day (helping create the desire to ski)

When they come into work, they’ll see it, when they leave it will stare at them again, beckoning. If they put it on their phone, another reminder and another way to keep your resort always on their mind.

An Example: TWSNOW
I’m not sure when they started, but Transworld Snowboarding has kept up the “Wallpaper Wednesday” tradition for some time now. Simple in the execution, they give riders a way to stay stoked throughout the week and snag some free branding/advertising in the process.

Remember that pic of Travis Rice I see each morning? Right below the landing in that same photo is TWSNOW’s logo. I love and use many of the pics that are featured on Wallpaper Wednesday.

Putting it All Together
I really would make this a user-generated concept. Give local photogs the chance to submit their photos each week. They’ll be psyched on the exposure and prestige of being featured, you’ll get the content you need to keep the wheels turning. Don’t forget some basic instructions on how to change your background on various operating systems as well.

A simple concept, but with the long list of device backgrounds we see each day, it is certainly one resorts could take advantage of.

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.