Final Eldora Document & Research by Sami Udell

FINAL DOCUMENT Sami Udell, Sally Rosen, and Ellie Garrett, Andrew Bridgers, and Steph Hayden

Situational Analysis/Objectives

Company Analysis

Eldora’s objective has always been: local resort •

Eldora Mountain Resort was first created in 1961 with a 400 acre plot of land purchased from the Forest Service near Nederland, Colorado –  George Sweeney, Gabor Cseh, Frank Ashley, and Donald Robertson were original founders –  Total cost of development was around $2 million –  Has since expanded to 680 total acres –  In 2007, Eldora constructed a 45-acre snowmaking reservoir

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Gabor Cseh, one of the co-founders of Eldora, created the ski resort with the vision of great terrain accessible from Denver. This was before I-70 connected Denver to more advanced terrain west of the continental divide e.g. Vail, Breckenridge, etc. Eldora has plans to expand further, but restrictions from Boulder County exist. Athomecolorado.com writes, “[Eldora is] known for their exceptional snow making ability, convenience, affordability, and mix of runs; Eldora Ski Resort is loved by local ski, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing enthusiasts.” Eldora is the only ski resort with quick and convenient access from Boulder. –  From Boulder: Board the Ski-n-Ride Route N to Eldora from the Boulder Transit Center at 14th and Walnut.

Eldora’s image of its resort is the family friendly local resort •

Eldora’s Initial Class Presentation highlights: –  –  –  –  –  –

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In 2004, Rob Linde said, “'We've shifted a little bit toward the family market, in the thinking that it really is going to be the family of four that is going to default to Eldora quicker than maybe the young 27-year-old who might be willing to get up at 5 in the morning and brave Interstate 70 to get some freshies,'' Eldora Ski Resort has repeatedly been called, “Boulder’s backyard ski area” by the press Eldora defines itself as an authentic ski experience that does not attempt to compete with larger mountain experiences Eldora Mountain Resort sees itself as the comfortable, reasonably priced, and local experience for Boulder residents –

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Boulder’s Backyard Ski Area Proximity to Boulder, “located 21 miles up Boulder Canyon” Home of 2011 NCAA Champion CU Ski Team 680 Skiable acres, 300” average annual snowfall Family-oriented, renowned kids ski school Differentiated from other Colorado Ski Areas by value, location, size, and local feel

“Eldora’s market is primarily composed of day skiers from Boulder and the Front Range” (2011 Master Plan)

Mission of Expansion Plan: “to ensure a balance of facilities and a variety of amenities to afford an exceptional guest experience in a sustainable manner in regards to business, operations, and the environment”

Eldora positions itself as “Boulder’s Backyard” Eldora’s Website:

Eldora focuses on proximity to Boulder and the ease of not having to drive on the crazy, trafficinfested I-70.

Google Search – Positions Eldora as actually in Boulder (in the southwest corner)

Eldora highlights Boulder as the place you want to be when you are done skiing.

Eldora has an opportunity to align its brand with the identity of Boulder. •  Tap into what the Boulder community really cares about: 1.  HEALTH – Boulder has continuously been ranked healthiest city in US – Outside Magazine ranked Boulder is the NUMBER 1 Sports Town In America! –  (How is Eldora reaching this market? Eldora Mountain Resort cannot simply give fit people a place to “go,” but they have to engage with the market to pull them in and create an experience around being fit.) 2. CARPOOL (and proximity) - Among 14 comparable cities, Boulder ranks no.1 in people who walk to work, work at home and drive with more than one person in the car. It ranks second among those who bike. •  Bicycling is so highly regarded in Boulder that sometimes the city plows the Boulder Creek bike path before they plow the streets! *Opportunity to highlight carpooling via the RTD bus and driving less miles (only 21 miles away vs. other mountains) -45% of CU students surveyed are only willing to drive 1 to 1.5 hours to go skiing on weekdays 3. LOCAL - “A strong local economy and high quality of life within Boulder are largely dependent upon the community’s preference to support local businesses” (boulderdowntown.com) *Eldora is Boulder’s local mountain The market clearly exists, but it needs to be tapped into.

Eldora’s growth is limited by Boulder County. •

Boulder County has long restricted growth in the mountains at its western end. –

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“For instance, in 1996 the county commissioners capped the resort’s traffic at 180,000 skier days, and there’s little chance any form of overnight lodging will ever be approved there.”

Eldora works with Boulder County to develop and implement base area improvement projects Boulder county officials often shut down expansion plans –

During the mid-1990s Eldora’s master plan was challenged by Boulder County officials •  •  •

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Eldora management filed a lawsuit against Boulder proposing the county was retaliating towards them for not funding road improvements to Shelf Road –  –

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An election in November 1996 resulted in Eldora losing its proposal for taxpayers to subsidize the costs for road repairs The resort and the county came to an agreement that the road costs would be split evenly

Boulder County and many Boulder community members value eco-friendly practices –

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Issues included water rights for snowmaking, expansion plans, improvements to Shelf Road, and possible skier limits to be imposed on the resort The county decided that only 2,500 skiers at any given time could be there and no more than 180,000 in a season There were also restrictions like a ban on amplified sound, no more than 10,000 visitors in the summer, and a mill levy for the access road

Ski resorts are not always kind to the environment as they consume lots of energy for lifts to run, machines to make snow, etc.

Since Boulder County has intense restrictions, it is a good opportunity for Eldora to focus on elements of their business that do not involve expansion such as (for example): 1. Customer service 2. Creating better communication and digital experiences 3. Building relationships

The Comfortable Carrying Capacity at Eldora can create a negative experience for guests. •  •

“There are a number of deficiencies at Eldora that detract from the guest experience and may contribute to the resort’s inability to capture and retain market share.” (Master Plan) CCC is computed by analyzing the resort’s supply of, and demand for, vertical transport –  Eldora’s CCC is determined to be ~4,250 guests –  Eldora hopes to expand its CCC to 6,580 guests (2011 Master Plan)

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The stress on the Comfortable Carrying Capacity (CCC) comes from Four main areas: –  The capacity gets stressed on big weekends or days when Eldora receives the greatest amount of snow. •  Long lines at the resort are typically uncommon, but on days at or above the calculated CCC, lift lines at popular lifts can be long and guest service facilities become crowded –  Wind events result in lift closures lowering CCC and skiable trail acreage during these events. •  “It is important to note that Eldora routinely experiences wind events that force the closure of the Challenge, Cannonball, Indian Peaks, and Corona chairlifts (a combined people per hour capacity of 6,527 or 60% of the overall ski area capacity) •  The chairs are lightweight and susceptible to winds •  When the chairs are put on hold due to wind, Eldora’s available terrain becomes very limited. CCC gets reduced by 2,700 guests (from 4,250 to 1,550) •  “Again, wind susceptibility creates major operational difficulties for the ski area and quickly diminishes the guest experience.” –  Many existing lifts are old and have low hourly capacities. •  Lift lines can get long at popular lifts •  Eldora has zero detachable high-speed lifts –  The guest experience is further hampered by a lack of services that many skiers have become accustomed to at other resorts •  Overall size of guest services space is too small •  “Particularly deficient are restaurant preparation and seating space, rental space, and space for children’s programs and facilities” (Master Plan)

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Eldora’s terrain is seen as capable of providing good skiable terrain for 5,862 guests (38% more than CCC), which is an advantage for skiers because the runs are not overly crowded even when the resort is at its max CCC. –  This advantage can get overlooked by the above

Mountains with a bigger Comfortable Carrying Capacity have the ability to create a better experience for a larger number of guests •

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Breckenridge: –  CCC: ~14,920 guests, although not uncommon for resort to reach 18,500 –  Average just under 1.5 million skier visits per season –  Peak 6 expansion this season: Adds 550 skiable acres to the mountain (increasing resort’s terrain by nearly a quarter, and raising CCC by 1,250 guests) Vail: –  CCC ~20,000 guests, but in the winter, can accommodate ~25,000 guests daily –  The U.S. had a total of 55.1 million skier visits in 2007. Vail Resorts reported total skier visits in 2007 as 6.219 million, representing 11.3% market share. Copper: –  CCC: ~14,990 guests –  1.13 million visits in 2005/06 season, market capture softened by 2009/10 to 834,089 skier visits

Loveland: –  CCC ~4,680 guests –  Under Upgrade plan, Loveland’s CCC would increase to ~5,500 –  10-year average annual skier visits: ~275,309 (2010/11: 355,837) (2011/12: 287,767) Eldora: –  CCC: ~4,250 guests, hope to reach ~6,580 guests with expansion –  Average skier visits (over last decade): 271,000

Market Analysis

The Snow Sports market depends on snow •  •

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Lack of snow is a problem and affects participation The overall Colorado 2011-12 season was comparable to the previous worst ever 1977 and 1981 seasons with Winter Park setting a record low. –  The 2011-12 season brought an estimated 51 million skier/snowboarder visits. According to the National Ski Areas Association 2011-12 Kottke End of Season Survey, the U.S. ski industry experienced its most challenging season since 1991-92, when 50.8 million visits were recorded. This correlates with the 2011-12 season that was also marked by the lowest national average resort snowfall since 1991-92. –  The average total number of visits per season since 2002/03 is 57.5 million Due to improved snowfall mid-December of 2012, the average ski area was able to stay open 6 more days during the 2012-13 season, with some ski areas extending their closing dates or even re-opening because of late-season snow conditions.

The past few seasons have had unreliable snowfall at Eldora Mountain Resort (and across the United States) 2013

2012

2011

2010

Total Snowfall

178 in.

200 in.

158 in.

105 in.

Max Base Depth

46 in.

60 in.

68 in.

54 in.

Biggest Snowfall

12 in.

24 in.

14 in.

18 in.

Total Snowfall Days

Average Base Depth

35 in.

41 in.

47 in.

40 in.

The U.S. Ski Market is competitive •

According to the National Ski Areas Association, the United States had 735 ski resorts across the country in 1983, compared to an estimated 482 in 2012. •  IBISWorld explains, the U.S. ski and snowboard industry is “mature”, highly competitive and is impacted by major barriers to entry and mid-levels of capital intensity and revenue volatility –  Heavily regulated, but with low governmental assistance, the industry is faced with significant technology changes and increasing globalization –  The maturity of the market has created a competitive atmosphere. Resorts know that, only through “continually investing in capital improvements” or “maximizing revenue per customer”, can they continue to grow. •  Resorts engage in fierce price competition in order to bring in visitors, which lowers profit margins •  There have been no new relevant ski resorts in North America since 1987 (Evidence to support these statements can be found in Vail Resorts’ 2011 10K, IBIS World Market Research Report, and the NSAA guide) •

Nationally, snow sports participants have an estimated annual economic impact of $53 billion. Camping-$143 billion, Water sports ($86 billion), Bicycling ($81 billion), Trail Sports ($80 billion), of-roading ($66 billion), hunting and fishing ($58 billion combined) - (Colado Ski Country USA)

The Colorado ski market is competitive and sets the industry bar high •  •

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The NSAA reports that the Rocky Mountain Region has the greatest geographical draw from other parts of the country. The CEO of the industry trade group, Colorado Ski Country USA, stated, “Without question, Colorado Ski Country’s resort facilities allow the state to provide the absolute finest ski vacation experience available. Colorado has always set the standard with advanced improvements, from high-tech lifts and ticketing systems, to state-of-the-art terrain parks and on-mountain amenities.” Technology changes the slopes –  –  –  –

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In the 2011-12 season, Vail resorts completely abandoned paper lift tickets in favor of all "hard-card" RFID passes, following resorts such as Aspen and Jackson Hole Vail Resorts expanded the capability of its "Epic Mix" season pass to include on mountain photography and gaming. Smartphone app EpicMix Lift One at Vail sports built-in Wi-Fi

There are also many other activities in Colorado that skiing competes with. Skiing and snowboarding have a $3 billion annual economic impact in, but that’s less than one-fourth of the nearly $14 billion generated annually by the state’s travel and tourism industry (Colorado Ski Country USA) The "brandCO" project aimed at increasing Colorado tourism. When definining the project, the governor said, they will try to answer the question, "What is Colorado? Not just ski resorts, but all the aspects of Colorado's identity."

Colorado Skier visits were up during the 2012-13 season •

Statewide skier visits totaled an estimated: 11,445,000 (up 3.95% compared to the previous season)

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Colorado Ski Country’s 21 member resorts hosted an estimated 6.4 million skier visits during the 2012-13 ski season –  This represents an increase of 3.8 percent, or approximately 235,000 skier visits, over the previous season

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Colorado 2012-13 Season: “In-state visitors tend to lead the charge in the beginning of the season, but an unusually warm fall kept local skiers and riders from logging in those early ski days,” said Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA, in the release. “It wasn’t until mid-December that the snow really started to show up, but it showed up big time and made for a quintessential Colorado winter ski holiday at resorts.”

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Resorts closed with abundant snowfall on their slopes and some were able to extend their seasons beyond planned closing dates.

Overall, U.S. Ski Resorts is not a growth industry •

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According to people in the industry, the main reasons for ski visit declines are due to, “the aging of baby boomers, long skiing’s most active enthusiasts, and the fierce competition for time, whether from Caribbean cruises or computers.” An aging baby boom population and increasing labor and insurance costs are squeezing resorts, and operators are reaching out to new markets like families to try to stabilize the business. As of 2012, “A National Sporting Goods Association survey of skiers (skied 2+ times per year) reports a decrease of 800,000 skiers during the last 10 years while the U.S. population over the age 25 years old has grown by 25 million!” The NSAA states, “A focus on growing skier/snowboarder visits by providing the best overall experience for new and returning guests is of the highest priority.” NSAA has set up an entire marketing strategy to grow the industry, which involves, “grassroot initiatives to bring new and repeat guests back to our resorts” –  http://www.nsaa.org/growing-the-sport/

Ski Resorts keep revamping to try and keep up with consumer wants •

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“In his scathing 2002 critique of the corporate ski industry, "Downhill Slide," writer Hal Clifford posited that expansions were almost always follies from a business perspective. Expansions do nothing to grow the market--the number of skiers and snowboarders remains relatively static so resorts that expand are doing nothing but fighting for a bigger piece of the same size pie.” The market is competitive, with many ski resorts feeling the need to expand and revamp regularly (refer to next slide for 2013-14 “Capital Improvements” at Colorado Resorts) According to National Ski Areas Association the average acreage of a ski area in the U.S. based on year: •  2008-2009: 946 Acres •  2011-2012: 960 Acres –  And Rocky Mountain West Resorts in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana: •  2008-2009: 1,822 •  2011-2012: 1,838 •“Greg Ralph, director of marketing for Monarch Mountain, echoes Watkinson's opinion. "Skiers always want something new. That's the pizzazz of the industry," Ralph says.” Official statistics showed that when Epic Mix launched in 2010, nearly 100,000 Vail Resorts guests activated Epic Mix accounts, and generated over 35 million social impressions, with a 15% adoption rate

Colorado Ski Resorts’ Infrastructural Improvements Enhance Guest Experience for 2013-14 Season –

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Eldora’s snowmaking system is undergoing major improvements that will help to ensure great guest experiences in low snow seasons. •  Pumping capacity for Eldora’s system will be doubled, allowing twice as many snow guns to operate at once. The improved pumping capacity will also be achieved with more energy efficient compressors. Arapahoe Basin’s popular 6th Alley Bar at the base will feature a complete remodel (to the tune of $1 million) •  A Basin is also investing in snowmaking upgrades and a new snowcat for the fleet, with the intention of expanding the resort’s ability to open terrain earlier in the season •  Also, the resort will be engaging in the next steps to implement the recently approved Master Development Plan: gather data for the Environmental Impact Statement Copper Mountain announces Sherpa: New On-Mountain Audio Intelligence App. •  For the 2013 season, Copper Mountain Resort has committed to an investment of close to $7M in capital for improvements. Loveland Ski Area will be installing restrooms and limited food service at the newly remodeled Ptarmigan Roost Cabin at the top of Chair 2. •  The lodge at Loveland Basin will also be renovated and expanded to accommodate an additional 320 guests. “Steamboat will present its most significant on-mountain improvements in nearly a decade with the new multi-million-dollar Four Points Lodge.” •  The roughly 13,000-square-foot, two-level building is located in the Storm Peak/Four Points area of the mountain, The restaurant will seat more than 200 in the main dining level and feature an outdoor BBQ, flat screen televisions, indoor bar, plus a retail area and over-sized restrooms. •  In addition to Four Points Lodge, the resort is upgrading its snowmaking capabilities. “Winter Park will offer a new “Cirque Sled,” a snowcat ride that will provide skiers and riders easier access to the Cirque, where 1,332 acres of spectacular off-piste terrain awaits “ •  Winter Park’s main snowmaking pipe, originally installed in 1976, will be replaced *Colorado Ski Country USA*

People still enjoy the mountain for the simple reasons that making skiing/boarding great •  When Gen Y (birth years from the early 1980s to the early 2000s) Alpine skiers were asked to describe why they enjoy skiing – the most common words used were “the perfect turn” and various words surrounding the theme of being outside and appreciating nature. •  When Gen Y Snowboarders were asked to explain why they enjoy snowboarding, the most common word used is “freedom” •  When surveying over 400 CU college students, the number one most important aspect of a ski area was quality and amount of snow

The highest percentage of skiiers are 25-44 years of age (42.1% of total participation) The highest percentage of snowboarders are 18-34 years of age (51.2% of total participation)

Age Demographics Percentage of Total Participation

Ski vs. Snowboard vs. Total U.S. Population 30

Ski Snowboard

Total U.S. Population

0 6-12

13-17

18-24

25-34

35-44

Age

45-54

55-64

65+

There are many outside factors that are an issue for the Eldora Ski Market. •  Concerns about global are intensifying at a time when the industry has seen little growth •  Technology encourages a more interactive ski experience and this is a market that Eldora does not have a clear intention and plans to enter. •  Resorts invest in chairlifts, grooming, snowmaking technology, etc. that make the market more competitive and all of these costs call for a high budget. •  Market is diminishing because the ski market has been driven by baby boomers for years. –  In 2013, 81.3% of total ski participants were under the age of 45. –  In 2013, 94% of total snowboard participants were under the age of 45.

•  Marketing strategies need to market to changing demographics of skiers.

Brand Analysis

A relationship first approach to every customer interaction has become the norm. •  According to Bob Garfield and Doug Levy (authors of Can’t Buy Me Like), “The first period of modern commerce when your success or failure depends not on what you say, not even on what you produce, but increasingly on who you are.” •  They also say, “Let us think about the value of trust relationships – versus the dependence on advertising and public relations to shape perceptions about a brand.” •  Pure relationships are not transactional. •  Sustainable relationships built on admiration and trust create significant financial premiums. •  Technological advances are making it possible and affordable for marketers to engage in and maintain relationships with customers.

People have come to Eldora’s Facebook, now tell them who YOU are. •  Eldora Mountain Resort’s Facebook’s Mission reads: “Our goal at Eldora Mountain Sports is to provide the highest quality customer service so that your expectations are exceeded every time. Please allow our team of knowledgeable sales associates to assist you with finding the right clothing and accessories to ensure that your experience at Eldora is the most enjoyable possible. Come visit us at any of the three following locations.” •  Consumers want to know the beliefs, values, and purposes of Eldora Mountain Resort, but when they come to the Eldora Mountain Resort Page and start learning about Eldora Mountain Sports, there is a disconnect.

Eldoraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook has increased in many areas over the past two months.

Sept 1-30 2013

Nov 1-30 2013

Total Fan Count

13.8K

14.3K

Average Fans Interactions per week

5.2K

11.1K

Number of Posts Shared by Fans

173

Moving Average 1.6793% of Post Engagement Rate

1.2496%

Average Response Rate

38%

25%

Building relationships and communicating with fans matters •

It is clear that many of Eldora’s competitors are responding to fans more often than Eldora

Response Rate Nov1Nov30 2012

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Arapahoe Basin

Breckenridge

Keystone

Steamboat

Eldora

88.89%

80%

70.37%

68.97%

62.50%

38%

While Eldora has a relatively high Post Engagement Rate Overview: 1.2496%, behind only Purgatory at Durango (2.9608), Telluride Ski Resort (1.9767%), and Aspen/Snowmass (1.6366%), a number computer by: –

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Loveland

(Number of Likes + Comments + Shares / Number of Wall Posts made by Page / Total Number of Fans) On a Given Date X 100

The Breakdown for Eldora: 1.2 K Likes, 111 Comments, 87 Shares Number of posts shared by fans is significant because this is a very powerful way of gaining organic reach. Edlora’s fans are not sharing content most likely because a great deal of Eldora’s content is revolved around sales of passes. Eldora needs to improve on creating content that fans want to share. Posting about sales will be better heard if there is an active listening audience, which requires building relationships, communicating with fans, and creating a following. People trust companies for the same reason they trust people!

Eldora has stepped up engagement in the past few months (from 25% on Social Baker to 38%). This is the key to building successful relationships.

Eldora has increased SEO in the past three months

When Google Searching these key terms in the beginning on the semester, Eldora Mountain Resort did not come up. It is now the first result

While Eldora’s College website is more in tune with some of the new trends, the Eldora.com site appears outdated. There are many new website trends that Eldora can follow: 1.  Continuous Scrolling: As you scroll down the page, you are automatically taken to the next story without clicking 2.  Larger Fonts 3.  Responsive Mobile Design 4.  Videos and Pictures

There are some very simple things that Eldora can do to improve Twitter presence The most effective way to drive results from Twitter is through oneon-one interaction between a brand and their audience.

Eldora has absolutely no original photos or videos being shared on Twitter. @Vail

@EldoraMtnResort

This is the main Twitter logo. This looks very unprofessional. Instead, it can be professionally fitted to the space

Students have heard of Eldora, but they aren’t skiing there •  90.84% of survey participants have heard of Eldora •  93.89% of survey participants have never purchased a pass to Edlora •  74.81% of survey participants are neutral with the statement, “I think Eldora is primarily for beginners.”

Competitive Analysis

Vail is competition •  Vail is a competitor to Eldora because they are the big, west of the Continental Divide resort and is consistently •  According to the BSM Review, “Vail Resorts is using technology to directly impact the “guest experience” which sets the company apart from their competitors” •  Vail Resorts, Inc. is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. •  Vail resorts will spend up to $85 million to enhance all of their Colorado and California resorts (2012)

History of Vail Mountain •  Vail opened in 1962, the same year that Eldora opened, by Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton •  Vail grew at a rapid rate during the 60’s •  The Eisenhower tunnel was completed in the 1970’s changing the game of the Colorado ski industry, by connecting Denver to mountains West of the continental divide •  Vail/Beaver Creek hosted World Championships in 1989-1999, which put the mountain on the international ski map •  Vail is currently owned by Vail Resorts, which also owns Breckenridge, Keystone, and Beaver Creek. All of these mountains can be seen as competition to Eldora for different reasons, but they especially capture the college market by relating to students.

Vail’s mission is quite clear. •  Our mission is simple. Experience of a Lifetime. •  At Vail Resorts, our mission is simple- to create the Experience of a Lifetime for our employees, so they can, in turn, provide exceptional experiences for our guests. We have the opportunity to make each guest interaction special and their time with us unforgettable, and that starts with our employees. Vail Resorts is dedicated to delivering seamless guest service by continuously investing in our team and the infrastructure, systems and training programs that support them.

Vail controls the ski market. •  Vail is the largest single mountain Ski Resort and is famous for its ability to “capture, connect, and share” (Epicmix) •  They are #1 from a terrain perspective as well as #1 from an experience perspective. •  Vail is also known for its shopping, lodging, activities other than skiing, etc, which make it an attractive destination for many reasons •  Vail has the most Facebook fans (146.2K) and Twitter fans (26.5K) •  Overall, Vail is a market leader as they are constantly staying on top of the game and updating as consumers wants and needs updates. They also heavily value customer service.

Example of Vail Customer Service

Keystone is competition. •  Keystone is a competitor to Eldora because its voice is positioned towards families and people who love the outdoors and skiing. Their voice can be easily seen through their campaign hashtag #KeystoneMoments that invites users to share their own experiences at the mountain, which Keystone then re-shares. •  Additionally, Keystone is one of the closer resorts along I-70 and does an excellent job of engaging with social users on all of its platforms. •  Keystone has night skiing, which can be relevant because it may be realistic for CU students to drive up to Keystone after class if they plan on skiing until later hours.

History of Keystone •  Keystone was founded in 1970 •  Keystone was founded on the element of “fun,” whereas Eldora was founded based on “proximity” •  -”When Max Dercum founded Keystone back in 1970, along with his wife Edna, he knew how much fun it was to slide down snowy mountains on a pair of skis” •  Bill and Jane Bergman helped shape Keystone •  Keystone focuses on “family, friends, and fun” •  Keystone mountain is broken into three mountains, Dercum Mountain, North Peak, the Outback, and five Bowls (Independence, Erickson, Bergman, North and South Bowls) for a variety of terrain that cader to a variety of ski levels.

Keystone is using social media •  Kystone is a subset of Vail Resorts but has found a unique identity through its social media and digital experience. •  Keystone’s voice and brand is casual, relatable, and family-oriented. •  Their digital experience is very comprehensive and provides points of contact with all demographics of skiers through their significant number of platforms including: •  –Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, Yelp, FourSquare, Mobile, Buzz, and RSS •  According to Social Baker, Keystone has the fourth best average response rate (68.97%) and the third most Facebook fans (88.1K)

Keysone social media examples

Breckenridge is competition. •  Breck’s online brand would be a realistic model for Eldora to try to achieve. Good design and a fair amount of user interaction is what comprises Breck’s personality •  They consistently post photos and videos creating a visual experience •  Breckenridge has the second highest number of Facebook fans (117.2K) and has the highest page posts, by far. Page Posts Nov 1-Nov 30 2013

Breckenridge

Winter Park

Copper Mountain

Steamboat Resort

Loveland Ski Area

Eldora

100

Breck is made up of four huge peaks, an incredible historic town, and so many events that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll come for the skiing and stay for the nightlife. (Instagram)

Breckenridge creates albums on Facebook with photos taken on the mountain. This is a realistic opportunity for Eldora.

The Epic Pass has created the ultimate digital experience. •  •  •  •

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Epic Pass, which includes: → (Unlimited access to: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Canyons, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton, Arapahoe Basin, Eldora and 5 free days at Verbier, Switzerland, Arlberg, Austria*, Les 3 Vallées, France The Epic Pass is $709 and although Eldora is on it, it is seen as competition because if college students are buying this pass, they are not going to buy a separate college season pass to Eldora. It is competition for Eldora because this pass gives way more access than buying a singlemountain Eldora pass. In addition, many of these mountains have more advanced terrain and the Epic pass has a reputation as “the pass for CU students.” Boulder Freeride is connected with the Epic Pass and does many promotions for Epic. The Epic pass has created a digital experience that is hard to even compete with. A free Epicmix account gives access to photos taken on the mountain, dashboard, which tracks vertical feet, leaderboards showing how your tracked feet compares with Facebook friends, etc. Eldora is not on the Epic Local pass, which includes (Unlimited, unrestricted skiing or riding at Breckenridge, Keystone, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton and Arapahoe Basin with limited restrictions at Canyons, Heavenly, Northstar & Kirkwood. Also includes a total of 10 days at Vail and Beaver Creek with holiday restrictions) –  This could affect Eldora sales because the Epic Local pass may be more affordable for college students and includes many of the Colorado resorts that are on the Epic pass, with the exception of Eldora.

The experience doesn’t stop when you leave the mountain •  EpixMix allows consumers to virtually relive their experiences on the mountain. •  EpicMix was a game changer for Vail and put Vail Resorts in a category of their own, creating a “tribe following” for their ski mountains •  EpicMix created a tribe following for Vail Resorts. EpicMix makes people to want to choose Vail Resorts •  Vail charges high premium prices for their pass and they have acquired quite a large market share. This pass, although could put a dent in the wallet of a college student, seems to give customers the most out of their money. •  An army of photographers taking pictures for free and posting them for free has allowed Epic to dominate the market. People think about them and desire to go back. It never gets old, in fact, perhaps the opposite because the more seasons you use it, the more seasons you have tracked with pictures and stats.

Your experience continues at home, and for years to come..

The Rocky Mountain SuperPass is also competition •  •  •  •

The Rocky Mountain SuperPass includes Winter Park, Copper Mountain, Steamboat, Monarch, and Mt Ruapehu ($459) This is a multiple mountain pass – Out of the CU students surveyed on Survey Monkey, 83% of students who buy a pass buy a multiple mountain pass. Copper, Winter Park, and Steamboat are also building relationships and a strong digital experience. These three mountains make up 3/5 of the top Colorado Page Posts Copper

Winter Park

Steamboat

Eldora

Facebook Fans

50.6K

47K

35.6K

14.5K

Twitter Fans

14.5K

15.5K

11.6K

3.2K

Page Posts Per Week

Consumer Analysis

Demographics of Eldora.com from Alexa •  Relative to the general Internet population, those who visit Eldora.com are typically women who have graduated college and are browsing from where they work •  They are typically browsing other ski resort sites like epic.com or aspensnowmass.com. •  100% of visitors to the site are from the United States •  The average time spent on the site is two minutes and 34 seconds •  54.96% of search traffic comes from the keyword eldora, 21% comes from eldora mountain resort, 8% from eldora ski, and 5.18% from epic pass (Alexa.com)

College Students are engaging in action sports •  The highest participation rates cited for each action or extreme sport in Mintel’s survey (Action and Extreme Sports) are for adults ages 18-24. These adults are more likely to be physically fit, and younger adults tend to be more adventurous than older adults. •  Participation rates generally correlate with household income- the higher the income, the more likely the participation. Participants from these households are better able to afford the equipment, travel and/or fees associated with these sports.

• According to Ski Industry America, Snowboard and Freeski depend on Gen Y. Gen Y makes up more than half of snowboarders and freeskiers so getting these consumers engaged is particularly important. •“In order to grow, or even maintain participation levels in snow sports Gen Y must be engaged.” (SIA)

College Students buying behaviors have been reshaped by digital advancements. •  •"People resemble their times more than they resemble their parents.' Gen Yers are children of the cyber revolution,” writes Joeri Van den Bergh and Mattias Behrer in their book How Cool Brands Stay Hot: Branding to Generation Y. "Just like the Industrial Revolution changed lifestyle and culture by the end of the nineteenth century, the omnipresent connectivity and digital advancement has reshaped the social DNA of our current and future youth generations.”

Generation Y, which includes college students are social and digital.

Mintel further proves the point that people are digital.

Gen Y wants brands to engage and connect. •  •

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According to SnowSports Industry America, “In 2013 Generation Y, also known as the Millennials make up the largest participation group in the snow sports industry but marketing to them remains vexing.” They are the first generation born into the information age, members of Gen Y pioneered social media and most have enjoyed instant access to information and new vehicles for communicating with each other and with the world. In fact, data from Ski Industry America suggests that Gen Y does not want to be marketed to at all. They want brands to ENGAGE and CONNECT with them rather than just attempt to sell a product to them. Campaigns directed to Gen Y are often in the form of a story and ultimately pull them to engage in that story via multiple media platforms Consumers in this category buy products based on relationships. All these forms of communicating can be an advantage or a disadvantage if brands choose not to engage with them.

Digital presence is important because this generation is tapped in. •  The average Millennial sends and/or receives almost 50 text messages per day (PEW Research) and prefers text and email over person-to-person calls. •  In fact, 9 in 10 check their Smartphones as part of their morning routine to get ready for work or for school. •  More than ¾ of Millennials have at least one profile on a social media site like Facebook or Twitter and more than 40% update Facebook or Tweet at least once every day. •  *SIA

Two major influencers of buying behavior are: technology and not feeling “sold to” •  According to SIA, the most important factor for Gen Y to to buy new equipment: – –  Alpine skiers: •  75% “I wanted new equipment with better technology.”

–  Snowboarders: •  76% “I wanted new equipment with better technology” •  71% said “old equipment was worn out.” •  28% said they found “a great deal on the Internet” that motivated them to buy.

•  Gen Y “trust peers first and parents second, and hate to be ‘sold’ anything.” (SIA) •  They expect onhill experience to be improved by technology (SIA) •  To these consumers the, “ski day didn’t end when they left the hill, only just began”…

The three C’s of Trust •  Credibility The marketer can be depended upon to meet the terms of the offer •  Care: Caring about consumers means actually caring about their lives and constructing your business to be as helpful as you can. And it means no less than the marketer, the buyer in every transaction should have succeeded. •  Congruency: The public has more information about corporate activities than ever before and an ever deeper interest in how institutions behave. –  *Bob Garfield and Doug Levy

Priority list of key issues

1. Increase Digital Presence •

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The number one problem is that Eldora wants to attract more college students to buy passes, yet they are not creating a digital experience. It has been proven that college students and Millennials in general are insanely digitally engaged. While Eldora has come a long way in the past few months, they still have a long way to go compared to the rest of the Colorado Ski Market. The competition is doing very well captivating and digitally connecting with their audience. Consumers in this generation seek connections that are genuine and mutually satisfying, so posting mostly about sales is not going to create a loyal following. Millennials have reported that they do not want to be sold to, yet Eldora is only trying to sell to them. Eldora has not shown a valid effort to build relationships with college students when that is what they value most. The student market wants to feel like brands understand them. They buy based on interactions. Of course, this poses a very realistic and important opportunity for Eldora. They need to build relationships, interactions, and connections. Eldora must engage their audience. Eldora needs to view the digital advancement as an opportunity to build a brand experience and loyalty. It currently seems that Eldora is intimidated by the digital possibilities, but the truth is “Trust is priceless.” Technological advances and digital space make it more affordable to build and maintain relationships Use Facebook and Twitter, not as channels for sending out ad messages but as viral salons for sharing what humans share: observations, discoveries, ideas, concerns, interests, opportunities, and just plain cool stuff of relevance

2. Truly Become Boulder’s Backyard •

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Creating positive experiences on the mountain will translate to the digital realm. Eldora needs to define their brand and work with a sense of purpose. The purpose of Eldora is that it can fit in the Boulder routine because it is close enough that you do not have to spend an entire day doing what you love. That is the true meaning of Boulder’s Backyard. Another issue is that Eldora feels extremely united with its identity as “Boulder’s Backyard,” but the only tie between Boulder and Eldora as “Boulder’s Backyard” is proximity. Now, Eldora needs to engage the community. Backyard literally means the back of someone’s house. This implies that “Boulder’s backyard” would foster relationships and connectivity, yet Eldora is not capturing the ski experience or cultivating one together with the users. It is not entirely clear that Eldora has done anything to relate to CU Students or Boulder citizens. They need to tap into the trends and values of Boulder. It seems there is a large disconnect between how Eldora views itself and what comes to the minds of consumers. While Eldora views themselves as “Boulder’s Backyard,” the image that encompasses this identity comes off as “mountain for beginners” to college students. This is not to argue that proximity is not an incredible point of difference and one to advertise, but rather that Eldora is not creating that connection in a way that is currently impacting students to the point where they would like to be.

3. Cultivate trust through Eldora’s Personality •  Right now, Eldora’s personality revolves largely around sales. Core values are important to a company and people want to know what they are. •  Although the price at Eldora is most reasonable, price is not everything. More important, is why you do what you do, so tell fans exactly who you are and why you do what you do. •  “A clear purpose defines what the brand or company stands for, beyond the financials, and inspires people not merely to patronize the brand, but to join it” (Bob Garfield and Doug Levy) •  Eldora’s website does not tell a story. It does not appeal to emotion and passion, and it is hard to define. The college site looks better and Eldora should aim to redesign and clearly define Eldora! •  Eldora can engage and build positive, ongoing relationships. These relationships cannot be purchased on Facebook, they must be truly created.

Consumer Research and Insights Account Planner

Primary Research Goals Questions That Need to Be Answered in Order to Fill in the Gaps in Communication

Lets Fill in the Gaps •  With the market research in mind we set out our primary research with questions surrounding: –  Skiing preferences and habits –  Modes of transportation to ski areas –  Perception of Eldora –  Social Media Activity and Attitudes –  Peer and Social Influences

Skiing Preferences and Habits •  Where do Freshmen skiers like to ski? •  Why do Freshmen skiers prefer certain resorts to others? •  What passes do students purchase? –  Why do they choose those passes? –  Do they purchase a pass?

•  What are the top factors in choosing where to ski? •  What times during the week do Freshmen students like to ski? –  What about Upperclassmen?

*Throughout this presentation skiers will mean both skiers and snowboarders unless otherwise noted

Modes of Transportation to Ski Areas •  How are Freshmen getting to ski resorts? •  What do Freshmen think about driving on I-70? –  What about Upperclassmen?

•  Are Freshmen aware of the RTD bus to Eldora? –  What are their opinions on it?

•  What do Freshmen think about the process of getting up to the mountains to ski?

Perception of Eldora •  What do Freshmen think about Eldora? •  What do Freshmen hear about Eldora? –  How do they hear these things?

•  What are they saying to people about Eldora? –  What about in-state versus out-of-state Freshmen?

•  What are the top reasons for students to visit Eldora according to them? •  What are the top reasons for students to not visit Eldora according to them? •  Why would a student renew or not renew an Eldora season pass? •  What do students think about the price of the Eldora student pass? 65

Social Media Activity and Attitudes •  What platforms are Freshmen using? •  What resorts do students follow on social media? •  What kind of content do Freshmen like to see? •  At what point is content overwhelming or annoying? •  How do Freshmen feel about interaction and engagement with a brand on social media?

Peer and Social Influences •  What is Freshmen year like so far? •  How do Freshmen find out about which pass to purchase? •  Do Freshmen want to buy the same pass as their friends? •  Who do Freshmen like to ski with or not like to ski with? •  Do Freshmen carpool to ski resorts? •  How do Freshmen feel about being part of a group? •  How are Freshmen hearing about Eldora?

Primary Research Methods

Collecting Research •  In order to answer the questions we conducted five different modes of research: –  Survey on Survey Monkey –  UMC Intercepts –  Freshmen Focus Group –  Current and Recent Pass Holder Interviews –  Center For Community (C4C) Intercepts

Survey Monkey •  Using Survey Monkey we compiled 467 responses –  Questions collected user demographics including: •  Gender •  Class Year

–  Questions additionally asked users about: •  Modes of transportation •  Skiing preferences •  Perspectives of Eldora

Survey Monkey Key Findings •  Freshmen Insights –  Two thirds of Freshmen do not have cars with them on campus •  Using and promoting the RTD bus is important to provide them with a means of transportation

–  Only about 1/10 Freshmen have not skied before, meaning 9/10 already have set expectations of skiing •  Let’s have Eldora teach and cultivate a relationship with that 1/10 person and enhance the skiing experience for the 9/10 others

–  67% of Freshmen are skiing anywhere between 1-7 times per year, but only 17% ski during the week •  Eldora needs to show them that skiing doesn’t need to be a full day commitment but instead can be a fun activity for any free time

–  The quality and the amount of snow is the top priority when asked to rank their top priorities for 44% of skiers •  Followed by how quickly you can get there, and then the price •  Eldora needs to promote how much snow it gets compared to other mountains and can fully capitalize on distance and price

Survey Monkey Key Findings •  Freshmen Insights Continued –  64% of Freshmen do not pay for their own pass •  Make Mom & Dad aware of the distance and public transportation for the safety of their children •  Get involved in CU Boulder Orientation

–  Of the 90% who ski, 45% of them will not buy a pass this year •  Eldora needs to show that 45% that an Eldora pass is better than no pass

–  82% of Freshmen have heard of Eldora, but 80% have never skied there •  Turn awareness into action

–  48% of skiers say that the distance from Boulder to Eldora is the top reason they would ski there •  Followed by 30% with price and 10% with quality and amount of snow •  Eldora needs to emphasize its proximity but also create a culture in addition to its existing benefits like distance, price, and snow

Survey Monkey Key Findings •  Upperclassmen* Insights –  73% of Upperclassmen have access to a car •  Demonstrates that as you transition from a freshmen to an upperclassmen you gain access to a car and transportation •  Eldora should offer to save them some gas money with the bus

–  18% of Upperclassmen ski 16+ times a year •  Upperclassmen have figured out how to deal with their schedules to incorporate skiing •  Eldora needs to tap into those 16+ skiers and show them they can potentially ski even more often because of the proximity

–  94% ski during the week between 1-3 times •  Upperclassmen have more access to transportation which could make this more feasible •  Eldora has to show upperclassmen that skiing during the week is very doable

–  55% of Upperclassmen pay for their own pass and gear •  As students get older, they are more responsible financially •  This is an opportunity for Eldora to insert itself as the best deal

*Upperclassmen denotes anyone who is not a freshmen

Survey Monkey Key Findings •  Upperclassmen Insights –  34% of Upperclassmen are willing to drive between 1.5-2 hours on a weekend to ski, but 45% are willing to only drive 1-1.5 hours on a weekday •  Upperclassmen are not willing to drive as far on a weekday –  Eldora should capitalize on this by promoting itself as a weekday opportunity for skiing

–  87% of Upperclassmen recognize that driving I-70 is a problem •  As students begin having their own cars and having to drive through bad traffic and conditions to the Summit County resorts they see more than Freshmen year that it is a problem •  Eldora needs to take away one of their many problems in their busy lives

–  37% of Upperclassmen do not buy a season pass •  Eldora needs to tap into this group and show them that buying a pass is better than not having a pass

–  93% of Upperclassmen have heard of Eldora, but only 30% have skied there •  Awareness needs to be converted into action

UMC Intercepts •  On Wednesday October 2nd, 2013 we conducted research near the Eldora table in the UMC •  11 Responses were collected •  After students approached the Eldora table we intercepted them and asked them a specified set of questions depending on whether they purchased a pass •  Questions asked users about: –  –  –  –

Reasons for purchasing a pass/Will they purchase a pass What research was conducted for pass purchase What ski resorts they follow on social media How much price, transportation, or friends influenced their decision or could influence them to purchase an Eldora pass

UMC Intercept Insights •  Price, location, ability to take the bus, and snowfall were the most commonly mentioned factors as to why someone would purchase an Eldora pass –  There were 2 Freshmen participants and they both also included that “If a lot of people went there” was a factor for them •  They were the only two to mention this factor

•  No one intercepted followed any resorts on social media –  One Sophomore male followed “Powder Chasers” –  Another male Sophomore said that he would be interested in following a social page if they offered deals or coupons on the page

•  3 out of 3 Graduate students intercepted expressed disappointment with the age restriction –  One female Graduate student said that the “College Pass” caught her attention •  Good to note that maybe Eldora should mention that it is “Undergraduates Only” rather than initiating an age restriction

UMC Intercept Insights •  5/11 Intercepted people said that their form of research was talking to friends and roommates –  One Sophomore female who purchased a pass said she got it because her roommate has the Epic and she wanted to be able to ski together •  She additionally said that she purchased an Epic Local pass last year but didn’t go enough

–  One male Freshmen who had purchased an Epic Local pass said, “People said it (Epic Local) was cool so I bought it”

•  A Senior male said he had purchased the Eldora pass the past 4 years and would again this year –  He explained, “There’s no need to go up to the big mountains if you know where to go at Eldora. A lot of the best back-country skiing is there”

Freshmen Focus Group •  On Friday October 4th, 2013 we conducted a focus group with four current CU Boulder freshmen students –  All four were Coloradans who consider themselves to be intermediate to advanced skiers •  3 Female and 1 Male participants

•  Questions for the discussion were generally targeted at: –  –  –  –  78

The freshmen experience at CU Ski season expectations and preferences Personal modes of transportation Eldora perception

Freshmen Focus Group Insights •  Freshmen are still learning time management –  “Some days that were my snowboard days are now my catch-up days. So I’m worried about ski season and getting that to work”

•  Want to ski with friends, but friends who are ski at the same level –  “When I go I like to just be able to just go, it’s not their fault but it’s kinda hard to go with someone who isn’t as good. It kinda feels like a waste of a day”

•  Out of state kids may ask Coloradans about which pass to buy –  “I just give them the benefits and the downsides to each pass” –  “Pricewise you can get a pass to Eldora, it’s closer, it’s cheaper, personally with my experience they get good snow but usually it’s so windy that it becomes hard packed” –  “Eldora is a good learning mountain for sure, I kinda did a lot of learning there”

•  You feel part of where you learned to ski –  “You just kinda feel like a local. You get to know the liftees, the people working there” –  “You know them well enough, so much free stuff”

Freshmen Focus Group Insights •  Skiing is a group activity, no matter the level –  “It’s such a fun thing to do, it’s not like oh you can’t keep up, come out with us! I think it’s really good and accepting, try it!” –  “It’s not about being the fastest or being able to keep up, people should all go…everyone should do it because it’s awesome”

•  Freshmen may not have cars •  I-70 may be dreaded because of traffic –  –  –  –

“Driving a clutch on that thing is the worst thing ever” “On Sunday nights it is” “We’d wait until like 9 o’clock to leave at night” “When it’s snowing it’s awful”

•  Price point may not be a factor because “it’s worth it”

Freshmen Focus Group Insights •  No one was aware of Eldora being part of Epic pass •  Heard that Eldora isn’t the best –  “Not as much terrain, the weather conditions” –  “Heard it from people, just people”

•  Eldora RTD Bus is nice but may be unknown –  “Oh that’s nice” –  “I didn’t know about that, that’s nice though”

•  Facebook, Instagram, and Vine are most popular social platforms –  Like visual content like photos the most –  Promotions resonate with them –  “Pictures of snow and things like that”

•  It’s nice to know that the brand is involved –  “It’s hard when you feel like your comment isn’t going to be acknowledged anyway. It makes you feel stupid” –  “I think it’d be cool to get a response from them”

Freshmen Focus Group •  Eldora does have good backside –  “If you can make it to the top of the mountain there’s definitely some really good runs, perfectly spaced, but in the trees there’s actually some awesome stuff”

•  It’s appealing to know that you don’t have to commit a whole day to ski –  “Like you need a whole day so you’re probably ditching class or you're using a day that you should be doing homework” –  “The more you keep saying half day the more it sounds awesome. I’m done at class at 12:50 so might as well take some half days”

•  Taking the bus from campus is much more appealing –  “If it picked up on campus that would be so ideal”

Pass Holder Interview •  8 Individuals who are current Eldora pass holders or have had one in the recent past were interviewed one on one •  Questions were generally aimed around: –  Skiing preferences and activity –  Transportation •  Mountain location importance

–  Eldora reputation –  Ski pass preference •  Reasons for changing or renewing

–  Benefits and costs about Eldora pass –  Social sharing activity •  Social media pages related to skiing they follow

Pass Holder Interview Insights •  Most people would like to ski more days than they actually get to –  5/8 people planned to go more days than they actually did

•  People like to go skiing with their friends –  7/8 people mentioned that they like to get to the mountains with friends by carpooling

•  The drive is pretty but traffic is annoying –  “No I don’t like driving. It’s too long and I’ve seen it so many times so it’s not that interesting. I feel like if I were out of state it’d be more enjoyable, but I mostly think of it as how much time I have left, not the scenery”

•  Things people heard about Eldora: –  Negative: Small, icy, old and not very modern, cold, windy, ‘you won’t like it’ –  Positive: Close, cheap, 30 min from campus, nice resort for Boulder residents, good snow conditions, less crowded, short lines, good skiing, doesn’t try to do anything more than it can

•  People hear about Eldora through word of mouth –  All 8 participants said they heard about Eldora through word of mouth

Pass Holder Interview Insights •

People who have had an Eldora pass’ friends buy or have bought the Eldora pass too –  6/8 Participants said their friends have purchased Eldora passes

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People ski less with Eldora pass than usual –  “I usually go skiing around 40-50 days a season. When I had the Eldora pass, I skied like 3 times” –  “About 10 times with the Epic pass and only three with the Eldora pass”

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Friends, family, price, and distance are the largest factors when purchasing an Eldora pass –  “The best part about the Eldora pass is the convenience factor” –  “My boyfriend had it” –  “Friends at CU told me that it was a good idea, that it is a better value”

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Friends are a large factor in a pass purchase –  5/8 Participants said they listen to their friends when buying a pass –  6/8 Participants said that they try to buy a pass to go with their friends

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People are not renewing their passes because: –  Want more options, never used it, worth the extra money for the better mountains, friend got a different pass, felt too small, lifts are slow

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Skiers are open to sharing on social media but not guaranteed to

C4C Intercepts •  24 Current CU students were intercepted outside of the C4C and asked a set of questions •  Questions were generally aimed around: –  Where students like to ski –  What resorts students follow on social media –  Perception of Eldora after skiing there or what they’ve heard –  Why students who don’t ski or snowboard choose not to •  Their feelings about lessons •  If there is any pressure in Colorado to ski

C4C Intercepts Insights •  Out of the 19 students spoken with, only one listed Eldora as a place where he skis –  The most common answers were Copper, Keystone, Winter Park, and Arapahoe Basin

•  No one followed Eldora on social media –  Nine students who ski said they did not follow any ski resorts on social media –  The most commonly followed resort on social media among skiers was Breckenridge

•  Most common word that came to mind for perception of Eldora was “Fun,” followed by “Close,” “Local,” “Windy,” and “Small” 87

Putting the Insights Together Using the key data gathered from the research overarching insights were drawn

Skiing Preferences and Habits: Show Freshmen How To Ski When They Want to •  Freshmen enter with plans around their skiing activity –  One in ten freshmen has not skied before, meaning they already have set expectations of skiing –  45% of Freshmen who ski say they will not buy a pass this year

•  Students want to ski when the snow is good, but can’t always go when they want to –  Most people would like to ski more days than they actually get to –  When skiing, the quality and amount of snow is the top-ranked priority for Freshmen

•  Freshmen haven’t figured out how to ski during the weekdays yet –  Only 17% of Freshmen ski during the weekdays •  Compared to 94% of Upperclassmen ski during the weekdays

–  67% of Freshmen ski 1-7 times per season

Modes of Transportation To Ski Areas: Going Skiing is an Event You Need to Plan •  It is difficult for Freshmen to get around off of campus –  66% of Freshmen do not have cars with them on campus •  Compared to 73% of Upperclassmen do

–  Freshmen may not have cars (Focus group)

•  I-70 Traffic is something you have to plan around –  Unlike Freshmen, Upperclassmen recognize driving I-70 is a problem –  I-70 is dreaded by Coloradan Freshmen who have skied here before •  “We’d wait until like 9 o’clock to leave at night”

•  No one wants to sacrifice school work for skiing –  Committing an entire day to ski is difficult •  “Like you need a whole day so you’re probably ditching class or you're using a day that you should be doing homework”

Perception of Eldora: Directly Connect to Freshmen and Say Why Eldora is So Great for Them •  Freshmen learn facts about Eldora from word of mouth but aren’t hearing everything –  82% of Freshmen have heard of Eldora, but only 20% have actually been there –  The Eldora bus may not be known by Freshmen –  Heard that Eldora isn’t the best –  Freshmen may not be aware of Eldora being part of the Epic pass

•  Eldora is known for it’s proximity, price, and physical attributes, but there’s no emotional connection –  47% of Freshmen skiers ranked Eldora’s distance from Boulder the top reason they would ski there –  30% Ranked price the top reason –  Price, location, bus availability, and snowfall are the top resourced reasons why someone would buy an Eldora pass –  Fun, close, local, windy, and small were top solicited descriptions of Eldora (from C4C data)

•  “There’s no need to go up to the big mountains if you know where to go at Eldora. A lot of the best back country skiing is there.” •  “Price-wise you can get a pass to Eldora, it’s closer, it’s cheaper, personally with my experience they get good snow but usually it’s so windy that it becomes hard packed” •  “Not as much terrain, the weather conditions are bad” •  “The more you keep saying half day the more it sounds awesome. I’m done at class at 12:50 so might as well take some half days” •  Negatives: “Small, icy, old and not very modern, cold, windy, ‘You wouldn’t like it’” •  Positives: “Close, cheap, 30 minutes from campus, nice resort for Boulder residents, good snow conditions, less crowded, short lines, good skiing, doesn’t try to do anything more than it can”

Peer and Social Influences: The Skiing Industry is Composed to be Fun and Social •

Friends and roommates help each other choose which pass to buy –  –  –

Friends, family, price, and distance are the largest factors when purchasing an Eldora pass 5/11 UMC Intercepts mentioned friends and roommates as their form of pass research Friends are a large factor in a pass purchase •  •

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Purchasing a ski pass is a social process because skiing is social –  –  –  –

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People learn about Eldora through word of mouth People who have had an Eldora pass’ friends buy or have bought the Eldora pass as well “If a lot of people went there” was one resourced factor mentioned by Freshmen as to why someone would buy an Eldora pass Skiing is a group activity, no matter the level

Students like to go skiing as a group, but stay with friends who are of the same or better skiing level when on the mountain –  –

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Want to ski with friends, but friends who are the same level of skiing when actually on the mountain 7/8 people interviewed mentioned they like to ski with their friends

Freshmen look for resources who/that have experience that can help them –

64% of Freshmen do not pay for their own ski pass •

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5/8 interviewed people said they listen to their friends when buying a pass 6/8 Participants said that they try to buy a pass to go with their friends

Compared to 55% of Upperclassmen pay for their own pass

Freshmen are still learning time management Out of state kids may ask Coloradans about which pass to purchase

Social Media Activity and Attitudes: Social Media Needs to Draw In, Engage, and Reward •  Students need a reason to connect skiing to social media –  No one within the research follows Eldora on social media –  Skiers are open to sharing on social media, but not guaranteed to

•  Freshmen want to see and experience, not be talked at and sold to –  Facebook, Vine, and Instagram are the most popular social platforms –  Freshmen may like visual content the most like photos and videos –  Promotions on social resonate with Freshmen

•  Freshmen also want to be heard and talked with –  It is nice to know that the brand is engaging •  “It’s hard (to post on a Facebook page) when you feel like your comment isn’t going to be acknowledged anyway. It makes you feel stupid” •  “I think it’d be cool to get a response from them (the page/brand)”

Eldora Needs to Be an Activity, Not an Event •  After conducting the four different types of research and drawing out unique insights from each one, a common theme arose: –  Skiing is about the environment, the friends, and the process

•  Because Eldora cannot change its environment and physical establishment, it needs to focus on: –  Creating the image that skiing at Eldora is an activity, not an event •  Meaning that you don’t need to pay a ton of money, plan an entire day, preplan who you are going with, and how you are getting there

–  Instead, Eldora is an activity that you can go do with friends on a whim, like going to the movies, but more often and at a better price

•  Eldora needs to position itself among a competitive set of other activities in Boulder’s backyard –  Like going on a hike, to the movies, shopping, etc.

Eldora Creative Brief Details

Eldora Needs to Sell Student Passes •  Why are we advertising? –  In order to maintain its revenue stream, Eldora Mountain Resort needs to sell student passes –  Eldora should try to have those who purchase a student pass renew the pass the following year(s) because of the enjoyment pass brought them the previous year through a cultivated relationship with the brand –  Ultimately, Eldora should develop a stronger relationship with the consumer both online and offline in order to succeed in selling more student passes 97

Get Your Friends Invested •  Because so much information about Eldora is passed through word of mouth, the brand needs to encourage positive information to be shared •  After seeing the creative advertising, viewers should want to visit Eldora with their friends and encourage their friends to “join the club” of pass holders so they can all go together whenever they feel like it •  Viewers of the ads should also consider Eldora to be an alternative to seeing a movie or going on a hike •  Additionally, viewers should want to get online and engage with the brand, meaning that there should be some type of reward whether it be a prize, a contest, looking cool to their friends, seeming like a Boulderite, etc. –  There needs to be a reason for them to engage, a two-way dialogue and experience

Let’s Go Buffs! •  Our ideal consumer to advertise to is the CU freshman –  Freshman are the most likely to be joining clubs and organizations, and getting into things around Boulder –  Freshman have a group mentality. By making Eldora a activity for groups of friends, people will follow the group because they don’t want to be left out –  They are also the ones who are going to be here for the next four years, so they could potentially renew their pass 3 times

•  We want to look at freshman as a whole, not divide based on if they ski or not, or what expertise level they are •  We want to build Eldora as an activity that anyone can consider “doing,” just like going to the movies. We do not want to exclude any group of people, because we want to build Eldora as a place you can go with your friends, no matter what level of skier you are •  The strategy we want to use applies to a freshman mindset because they do not have prior college experience. Trying to make Eldora an activity like going to the movies also applies to any CU student and even the larger Boulder community as a whole

How Eldora is Thought Of: •  “Yeah, I mean, Eldora is close to Boulder and cheap for a ski pass but I heard that it’s really small, windy, icy, cold and the snow isn’t that good. I haven’t really heard much else, most of the things I do hear are from friends. I don’t know, I mean it sounds like a good idea because it’s close and stuff but I know more people with the Epic Local so I’ll probably get that pass and go up with them when I can instead.” – Freshmen male 100

What We’d Like Them to Think: •  “Yeah Eldora seems pretty cool, I didn’t realize how it’s like actually part of Boulder and I can get there for free cause of my student bus pass which is chill. It’s cool too cause I wanna ski more but I know I probably don’t have time to, but now I know I can get to Eldora with a couple of buddies for an afternoon and not fall behind on school. I think it’s a cool thing to go do when we’re bored on campus. I feel like there’s only stuff to gain from going.” –Freshmen male 101

Eldora is an Activity, not an Event •  The most important thing that we can say/ demonstrate through our advertising is to tell consumers that Eldora is an activity and not an event •  Eldora is an activity that you can do by yourself, with a friend, or with many friends when you’re feeling like it on a whim to have fun in Boulder –  It isn’t an event that you have to plan, configure, get to, overpay for, or miss out on

•  It’s something that you can do again and again and note get tired of instead of sitting in your dorm room bored, going to see a movie, shopping, or hiking within Boulder 102

How is Eldora an Activity? •  Proof: –  Eldora is only 21 miles from Boulder –  There is free parking –  There is a free bus for students through RTD straight from Boulder to the resort –  600 Acres of skiable terrain that receives 300” of snow per year –  The student pass is a good deal* at $159 for the entire season! •  Instead of paying anywhere over $90 for one day of skiing

–  Eldora’s longest run is 3 miles long •  So you can get in just one run and still ski 3 miles

–  Your friends are students too, so they get the same great deals and transportation –  You don’t need to miss class to ski –  It’s a comfortable* place to learn how to ski or snowboard –  You can save money from the Epic pass but still get to ski –  There are short lift lines*

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*Drawn from research data

Eldora is the Friend You Can Depend On •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •

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Eldora is the friend that you know will always be there for you, even though you might not be absolute best friends Eldora is funny, reliable, honest, sometimes quiet, world-smart, and authentic He lives in the dorm next to you and is a great person to text when you don’t want to eat at the C4C alone, but he doesn’t take offense that you might only invite him in that situation because he also has other friends who you don’t know When you do hang out with Eldora you always think to yourself “Wow we should chill more often!” even if you don’t remember that all the time Eldora is someone that you’d be comfortable with meeting your parents because he’s clean and well-spoken around adults, but casual and easygoing around you and your buddies Because Eldora so rarely gets mad at anyone, when he does, you know you’ve done something wrong and look to make amends, unlike some of your other buddies who are just pricks all the time Eldora is confident in being alone but does like making new friends because it’s all part of the college experience he wants to have Sometimes Eldora seems a little dorky to his guy friends because he really loves his family and traditional things, but that works in his favor with the girls

Advertising Mandatories •  Elements that must be included in every communication: –  Specific hashtag for campaign –  All social media platform icons for where Eldora is active, including the full facebook link: facebook.com/ EldoraMountainResort with text “Like us on Facebook at” –  The Eldora Mountain Resort Logo –  The Eldora web address or college web address depending on location of advertising

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Executive Summary

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Overview of Current Owned Media •  Twitter •  Facebook •  Website

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Twitter Analysis •  Twitter content is limited (16 tweets in the month on November) (put in size of audience- 3219 followers; 9.5% growth since Aug 13) •  Twitter page is not branded •  The account has no original Twitter content and very heavily cross-promoted with Facebook, No unique hashtags. •  This is an issue since twitter is the second largest destination site off the Eldora website (similarweb.com)

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Facebook Analysis •  Facebook fan base is the lowest of the Colorado ski resorts with 13,713 US fans. Eldora has a competitive post engagement rate (4th within Colorado ski resorts 1.256% /November 2013) but falls short within shared media. The share rate for Eldora content is 6% compared to the CO ski category share rate of 10%. This difference is due to content being brand and sales related and less visual than the competitive set. •  Another issue within Facebook is the lack of response by the brand to fans. Eldora’s response rate of 32% is lower than Loveland -75% and A Basin -63%. (Aug 4 –Dec 5 2013) 109

Website •  Overall, Eldora is getting lost online. Eldora.com’s global page rank is 1,062,816 and the US page rank: 187,407. According to compete.com, average monthly web traffic has declined since 2011/2012 ski season. •  According to Google Trends the top keywords related to search terms are Eldora Resort, Eldora Ski Resort, Ski Eldora Colorado, Ski Colorado, Eldora Ski Mountain, Eldora Skiing Colorado, Eldora Colorado. The social platforms

concentrate on being called Eldora Mountain Resort, which is not what users are calling Eldora and leads to a disconnect in organic search. There should be consistency throughout all the pages and it should match how the consumers are talking about Eldora. 110

Overall Objective Our overall objective of our effort is to sell 3700 Eldora College Passes for the 2014/15 season. To do so, we need to build a stronger online/offline relationship between Eldora and the CU community.

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Specific Objectives Social: Increase overall presence on owned social media to drive earned media rate. -Increase total monthly engagement by 50% from 1,2496% to 1,8741%. -Increase share rate from 6% to 10% -Increase response rate for user questions from 38% to 60% with ultimate goal being 100% Digital: - Increase traffic to the Eldora.com site and create a more vibrant, functional user experience. - Expand traffic from owned social properties from 1.7% (google analytics) to 2.6% (+50%) during key sales periods - Maintain current bounce rate of 35% while increasing source traffic Earned media: Increase the amount of earned media generated. - Improve discussion strength (socialmention.com) during ski season from 1-3% to 3-5% - Improve and maintain reach (socialmention.com) from 24% to 35%

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Strategies/Rational Target: -Freshman are new to Colorado and have never experienced Eldora. Every year a new group comes through so there is a constant new market to target Current passholders to increase the overall experience of skiing at Eldora and to gain repeat sales. Scheduling: -12 month schedule platform: to stay organized and posting throughout the year so we maintain a relationship with consumers year round. - Increase activity during key sales period, September â&#x20AC;&#x201C; November Contact: -Balance on-line and off-line: Students are connected 24/7, but without being physically visible on campus they have no incentives to visit online. Need to connect in all parts of their lives. -Connect everything to social media: Every thing should prompt the usage of hashtags, drive traffic to key social media. -Drive online sales during peak periods via the use of banner and social ads. Engagement: . -Improve the relationship between Eldora and the CU community by connecting with incoming freshman before they actually get to campus, help them through the transition period of moving to Colorado, and help get them adjusted to Boulder itself. -Utilize owned media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. By adjusting the content of the posts and providing opportunities for consumer generated content, we will create engagement and earned media. -Utilize off-line media to we boost word of mouth sentiment. Many students learn about ski resorts through word of mouth, and if we have avid Eldora-goers on campus it will increase the talk and positive

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Campaign

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Specifics •  Verbal Consistency: Should sound like they are talking to a friend. Focus on relationship and blend sales into that •  Visual Consistency: Sharp, modern, clean lines Colors: Red, purple, light blue •  The overall relationship should feel like: The friend you might not hang out as much as you would like, but every time you get together its always a great time.

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Communication Plan •  Seasonal layout of campaign specifics •  Within each season we have broken down the content into digital, physical and events •  Each deliverable is explained on why it is important and how it will help you sell passes •  A final budget is listed in the end

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Spring Push sales and generate content

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Digital: Build Content •  Launch Facebook “mini-campaigns” that prompts followers to get talking about Eldora •  Examples Include –  Notebook doodles about day dreaming of the mountain –  Three more months of snow/up in the air –  How many days have you skied campaign → prompted to show users that they can ski so much more frequently if they buy the Eldora season pass in the spring

Rational: Mini-campaigns will prompt users to submit content to the Eldora page, which we can draw from for posts later in the year. Each “campaign” will just ask students to do something and share it with Eldora. 118

Digital •  Build content by creating a ton of user generated competitions –  Examples Include •  Cover photo competition –  Have users tag Eldora in their photos every week to have the chance for their photos to be used as the cover photo

•  Twitter background competition/Twitter background Rational: You need to build a content bank during the season, so you have things you can post during the off-season. People will get excited if they see their content being re-posted by Eldora. Shows your audience they you actually pay attention to them and care about them.

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Digital •  Build Instagram and start collecting original and user generated content –  Utilize the #skifreely

Rational: Instagram is another medium where you can gather content that you can use during the off season. What is nice about Instagram is that you can filter user generated content through hashtags.

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Digital •  Create and start using #skifreely –  Use it on Facebook to expose it to audience –  Use it functionally on Instagram and Twitter to filter results and generate talk about Eldora Rational: The best part of Eldora is that you can go skiing whenever you want to, you have no limitations. You are free to ski when ever you want, which is the heart of our campaign.

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Physical •  Free stickers –  Available on the mountain so when you go to Eldora you get a sticker –  Give 1000 stickers to Boulder FreeRide club to give out to their members Rational: Students love putting stickers on their computers, binders, and skis. If the stickers are well designed and interesting, students are more likely to keep them on their own personal items rather than just sticking them onto random objects. By having the stickers on student’s objects, the Eldora name and brand will be exposed to students whom have never thought about Eldora in the past

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Physical •  Buff Bus ads –  Spans between three ads on the inside

Rational:1/3 of students live in the dorms that are off campus. Their main mode of transportation to get to campus is the Buff Bus. By starting to run ads in the spring with current freshman, the Eldora name will get in front of students who still might not know who Eldora is. This will help get people who do have passes to get up on the mountain. This may also get those who do not have a pass so maybe consider getting one, or at least going up on a day pass to see what the mountain is like.

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Event •  Scavenger Hunt –  each week, a ski sign is placed somewhere in Boulder –  every two week progresses the sign (week 1=green, 2=blue, etc.) –  the riddle will be as hard as the sign –  riddles posted via social media will lead to the sign –  find the sign, tag online, get entered into a raffle for a pass Rational: This will create personality to the Eldora brand. It will introduce those who have not heard of Eldora to Eldora. By facilitating a fun activity for students it will create positive brand sentiment, as well as get students talking about brand in general.

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Event •  Themed days on the mountain –  Gaper/Retro Day –  CU Spirit Day

Rational: By encouraging themed days, it will make people want to go up to the mountain and be part of something. Also, people will tend to take pictures when they get dressed up, so they will post photos on social media so it will get people talking on and off-line.

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Summer Brand development - unify digital persona and talk to incoming students/parents Talk to incoming freshman, get them excited about skiing and coming to CO

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Digital â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;Ż Website redesign Rational: Redesigning the website will not only benefit students, but the larger community as well. It will make it more visually appealing and interesting, as well as making it easier to navigate. The re-design will show consumers that Eldora is up to date and trying to stay relative in the consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind.

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Digital •  Keeping the social media conversation going –  Post photos gathered by on-mountain photographers on Instagram –  Discussion Posts on Facebook Rational: Need to stay connected with students year round. When pass sales come in the fall, we can integrate sales into the posts and it will seem more natural to the students. It will not seem like Eldora is only trying to market to them, shows that Eldora cares about students beyond making the sale.

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Physical •  Map brochure via a sponsorship with the University Parent Guide http://www.universityparent.com/sites/default/files/2013-cu-bouldersummer-final•  Same bus guide that is handed out at admitted students day and the UMC table in the fall

Rational: Show parents that there is an easy way for students to go skiing that is close and they don’t have to drive. Gets parents thinking about Eldora since they are the ones who will most likely going to be buying the pass. They will have some influence over which pass the student actually buys, and if they see Eldora as the best option they will push their student toward getting an Eldora pass.

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Event •  Admitted Students Day/Orientation –  Set up the Eldora table at admitted students day and orientation –  Give out bus guide –  Stickers –  Posters Rational: Really boost the benefits of skiing at Eldora over any other mountain. Get it in their heads early that they can go to class AND ski.

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Fall Pass sales

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Digital •  Banner Ads –  Have banner ads advertising pass sales Rational: When students are online, they will see the pass sale and it will implant the thought of purchasing a pass in their heads and give them the opportunity to buy the pass right then and there.

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Digital •  Create Eldora Group on Facebook and invite all CU students –  Place where students can organize rides to the bus station/the mountain

Rational: Gives students an area to talk and organize getting to the mountain. This will help with getting freshman from the dorms down to the bus station as well as introduce students to other people who ski at Eldora

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Physical •  Posters at poster sale –  Given out for free at Eldora table in the UMC during the poster sale Rational: Students have just moved in and have not decorated their walls. If we give out a free, welldesigned poster then students will put them up as decoration. It will be a constant reminder to the student about Eldora, as well as get their name in front of their friends.

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Physical •  Stickers –  Hand out at UMC table during pass sales Rational: Students love putting stickers on their computers and binders. If the stickers are well designed and interesting, students are more likely to keep them on their own personal items rather than just sticking them onto random objects. By having the stickers on student’s objects, the Eldora name and brand will be exposed to students whom have never thought about Eldora in the past

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Physical •  Brochure- Map Guide –  Create a guide that helps Freshman learn how to use the Boulder bus system –  Will highlight various activates that they can go to around Boulder –  Visually demonstrates how to ride the bus to Eldora Rational: Giving out this brochure with show students that Eldora cares about them. Eldora not only wants to help get students up to the mountain, but they also want to help students get around Boulder. This will not only advertise the bus, it will show students how easy it is to get to Eldora and that it is just another activity to do around Boulder.

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Physical •  Buff Bus ads –  Spans between three ad spaces on the inside if the bus Rational: 1/3 of students live in the dorms that are off campus. Their main mode of transportation to get to campus is the Buff Bus. By starting to run ads in the spring with current freshman, the Eldora name will get in front of students who still might not know who Eldora is. This will help get people who do have passes to get up on the mountain. This may also get those who do not have a pass so maybe consider getting one, or at least going up on a day pass to see what the mountain is like.

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Event •  Introduce On-Mountain Photographers –  Students are given a free ski pass for taking pictures of guests on the mountain, posting them to the Facebook group –  Be on the mountain on Friday/Saturday/Sunday –  Have 10 people, so there will always be one person able to be on the mountain –  Responsibly will include: taking photos of people on the mountain for at least 1 hour/ weekend. There will be a schedule of who should be on the mountain and when Rational: The feature that really sets the Vail Resorts apart from Eldora is Epic Mix. One of the best parts of Epic Mix is having your photo taken on the mountain. Having on mountain photographers takes the best part of that. By having students on mountain, taking photos, then uploading the photos to Facebook and having the people tag themselves in the photos not only draws students to the Facebook, but also creates content that can be reposted by Eldora. This will benefit not only students, but the larger Eldora community will also like this feature.

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Campus Reps •  Campus Reps –  Have on-campus students (22, one/dorm) that promote the Eldora brand –  Will receive a tee-shirt that will have their title on it so they will be recognizable on campus –  Given a free ski pass for completion of responsibilities •  Responsibly will include: distribute materials (stickers/posters), run the scavenger hunts, promote/share Eldora social media posts

Rational: Students buy passes based off of word of mouth. Having someone on campus talking about Eldora will get the conversation going and introduce freshman to Eldora. They will also take some weight off you by helping run events and hand out materials

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Event •  Scavenger Hunt –  Weekend long event when students first come to campus to get Freshman exploring Boulder and learning about the bus system etc. –  Use of hashtags drives students to the social media sites –  Create flyers to post on The Hill and podiums on campus to inform students of the scavenger hunt –  Create Facebook group event 2 weeks prior to the event to advertise to students Rational: This event will not only get the Eldora name in front of students, it will gain positive regard with freshman because Eldora is introducing them to the Boulder area. This will also generate buzz about the upcoming ski season and get people thinking about ski passes. Having positive regard with Eldora will put Eldora in good standing as a consideration as a pass they are going to buy.

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Content Calendar Below is a 7 day calendar example calendar of suggested topics for posts on each day of the week. At the bottom are the ideal posting times based off Eldora’s page and the top 5 Colorado ski resorts on SocialBaker. Content is not limited to this list, or restricted by the day. Overall, posts should be divided as 1/3 brand focused, 1/3 industry focused, and 1/3 fun posts. This will keep the audience interested, while content still remaining relevant to Eldora.

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESD AY

THURSDAY FRIDAY

SATURDAY

-The Olympics -I-70 traffic -Why skiing/ snowboarding is better than the other

-Share a follower’s photo -”Case of the Mondays” post photos of things you would rather be doing than working -Events going on in Boulder/ Nederland

-Famous athlete news -CU ski team -History of Eldora -Skiing Dictionary: define skiing terms ex. “Riding Switch”

-Ski industry news -Snow report -Favorite winter time recipes -New technologies

-Throw-backThursdays: post older photos using the hashtag #tbt -Snow sculptures -Cool ski resorts around the world

-Snow report -”Fun Friday photo (animals on skis/cute kids/people doing silly things on the mountain) -What is going on at Eldora this weekend

-Weather outlook -Mountain conditions -Healthy lifestyle tips

Ideal posting time: 12-4 pm

Ideal posting time: 6-10 am

Ideal posting time: 10-11 am

Ideal posting time: 11am-3 pm

Ideal posting time: 10-11 am

Ideal posting time: 7 am-2 pm

Ideal posting time: 7-8 am

*Facebook is changing so that brands posts will need to be boosted in order to gain any reach. We have allotted $10,000 for Facebook boosting for 300 days/ year with a guaranteed reach of 4,700-12,000 followers. This also allowing for extra boosting, $400/week, during high sales period of September and October. 141

Estimated Expenses $34,610 Physical •

•

Digital

Stickers:$2,380 •  Banner Ads: $8,000 •  Campus Reps (22):$3, 548 –  $237.66 for 1 design with 2000 –  Sep/Oct posting through –  Tee-shirts: $270 –  10 different designs AdTaxi –  Pass: $3278 Posters: $1,785 •  Facebook boosting: $10,000 •  On-Mountain photographers (10):$1,690 –  $357 for 1 design with 2000 prints –  Guaranteed reach to –  Tee-shirt:$200 4,500-12,000 followers for –  5 different designs, each 11x17 –  Pass: $1,490 300 posts –  2000 of each design, total 10,000 Scavenger hunts:$2,530 –  Business cards:$2,400 •  $82 for 1000 cards printed front and back •  4 different designs with 1000 cards –  Flyers: $80 •  1000 flyers http://www.printmoz.com/aluminum-signs/1-16-custom-size-aluminum-sign –  Metal Signs: $50 http://www.printmoz.com/aluminum-signs/1-16-custom-size-aluminum-sign •  4 signs at $12.50 each http://www.colorado.edu/pts/buffbusads Parent Guide: $1000 http://www.uprinting.com/roll-promotional-and-event-sticker-printing.html –  Flat-fee http://www.customink.com/lab?PK=176100 Printed Bus Guides:$550 http://customprinting.officedepot.com/Business-Cards/CustomPrintingPrice.aspx http://www.uprinting.com/bulk-poster-printing.html –  5000 pamphlets

Sources:

•  •

http://www.nextdayflyers.com/ •

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People

Buff Bus Ads:$5,220 –  3 ad spaces on all 21 buses for the full academic year

Thank you!

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