There are over a thousand “name” ski areas in America. Since the mind of the average skier can hold only a fraction of those names, the problem of positioning a ski resort can be difficult.
If your name is Stowe, the problem is greatly simplified. Stowe is already well known. “Stowe is for me the essential Eastern ski village,” said Advertising Age columnist James Brady, “the way Aspen is out west or Val d’Isere is in France or Kitzbühel is in Austria.”
With that kind of reputation, why does Stowe need a position? Isn’t it enough to advertise Stowe and let the skier conjure up the Stowe image?
To a certain extent, this is true. The reputation of a product like Steinway or a place like Stowe creates word of mouth which carries the reputation along from year to year. But proper positioning can enhance the word of mouth and contribute to the process. In essence, the positioning supplies the material to talk about.
What do skiers talk about? James Brady put it best. They talk about places to ski, places like Aspen, Val d’Isere, and Kitzbühel.
With this background in mind, the search began for a position for Stowe. The situation seemed to call for the outside expert, the person who could supply the credibility to bring a comparison claim to life.
The noted ski and travel writer, Abby Rand, supplied the credibility. Writing in Harper’s Bazaar, she selected the top 10 ski resorts in the world. One was Stowe, Vermont. The others were: Aspen, Colorado; Courchevel, France; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Kitzbühel, Austria; Portillo, Chile; St. Christoph, Austria; St. Moritz, Switzerland; Sun Valley, Idaho; and Vail, Colorado. (Not a bad list.)
The positioning advertisements for Stowe used shoulder patches to illustrate the ski areas. “Of the world’s top 10 ski resorts,” said the ad, “only one is in the East.”
“You don’t have to go to the Alps or the Andes or even to the Rockies to experience the ski vacation of a lifetime,” continued the ad. “You need only head for the Ski Capital of the East: Stowe, Vermont.”
Skiers responded to the new Stowe strategy. They requested thousands of brochures in response to the advertising. They also broke all attendance records at the ski resort.
You might think it would be easy to increase business at a place like Stowe, but competition has one major advantage. Places like Stratton, Sugarbush, Big Bromley, and Mt. Snow are all located south of Stowe. So the skier driving from the major population center (New York City) has to drive an hour or two longer to get to Stowe. One of the functions of the advertising is to promise the skier a reward for the longer drive.
“One of the top 10 ski resorts in the world” is a classic positioning strategy. It takes advantage of the mind’s tendency to “make a list” when trying to cope with complexity. “The seven wonders of the world” is one of the earliest examples of this approach.
Furthermore, the “top 10” strategy can conceivably be used indefinitely. There’s no reason to change. What better strategy can there be than having your place or product included in a list of the world’s best?
When you use a recognized authority to give your product or service credibility, you are tapping a fundamental aspect of human nature. There’s security in not having to trust your own judgment.
The dark side of this tendency to defer to authority was explored by Allen Funt, creator of Candid Camera. “The worst thing, and I see it over and over,” said Mr. Funt, “is how easily people can be led by one kind of authority or even the most minimal signs of authority.”
“We put up a sign on the road, Delaware Closed Today,” reported Mr. Funt. “Motorists didn’t question it. Instead they asked, ‘Is Jersey open?’”