Thoughts on Snowsports

Iain Martin, The Ski Podcast

The sad demise of the catered chalet ski holiday
Ideas / Tour Operators

The sad demise of the catered chalet ski holiday

by iain on Sep 25, 2023 • 8 Comments
Looking through a recent survey from Le Ski, I was struck by one stat in particular. While it was encouraging to read that the number of UK skiers and snowboarders is predicted to grow by 14% in winter 2023/24, the fact that only 13% stay in catered chalets highlighted how...
Will ChatGPT make ‘ski experts’ redundant?  
Ideas

Will ChatGPT make ‘ski experts’ redundant?  

by iain on May 11, 2023 • No Comments
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is changing fast. A few years ago, it was just the name of one of Steven Spielberg’s less good movies, but in 2023 AI has moved from the world of ‘futurologists’ into the mainstream. The chances are that even if you haven’t tried ChatGPT (or Google’s ‘Bard’),...
'Parrots in the Snow: the rise and fall of Bladon Lines' - article in 'Ski+Board' magazine
Iain / Ideas / Tour Operators

‘Parrots in the Snow: the rise and fall of Bladon Lines’ – article in ‘Ski+Board’ magazine

by iain on Mar 8, 2023 • 3 Comments
Iain’s article ‘Parrots in the Snow: the rise and fall of Bladon Lines‘ has now been published in ‘Ski+Board’ magazine. It’s also now available as a special episode of The Ski Podcast My first experience of working in the ski industry came 35 years ago when I went to Chatel...
Ski Touring in Morocco: A Photo Essay
Iain / Resorts

Ski Touring in Morocco: A Photo Essay

by iain on Feb 8, 2019 • No Comments
Iain from Skipedia recently went ski touring in Morocco. Flying into Marrakech, and then travelling to Imlil (1740m), Iain then spent three nights at the Refuge des Mouflons (3207m), ski touring to different 4000m peaks. Ski hire was from Braemar Mountain Sports, guiding and logistics were organised by Toubkal Guide. You...
'I'm a modern-day Batman' says anti-ESF campaigner
Resorts / Tour Operators

‘I’m a modern-day Batman’ says anti-ESF campaigner

by iain on Nov 2, 2014 • No Comments
These are difficult days for the ESF in the UK. The current legal cases against Simon Butler and Le Ski have stirred up plenty of negative sentiment within the British market against the ESF. Both cases – which deal with different aspects of the law – are currently at different...
Why do chalet girls bake a cake every day?
Tour Operators

Why do chalet girls bake a cake every day?

by iain on Aug 13, 2011 • 2 Comments
Okay, not strictly anything to do with marketing, but just for fun… So why do chalet girls bake a cake every day? As far as I know chalets have always left out a cake for their guests to tuck into for ‘afternoon tea’. After a long day on the slopes,...
Latest entries
Mattel send Barbie bald after Facebook campaign
Social Media

Mattel send Barbie bald after Facebook campaign

by iain on May 9, 2012 • 1 Comment
In our current social media led world, brands need to be continually monitoring what is being said about them online. Toy manufacturer, Mattel, recently did wonders for their own brand loyalty by responding to a parent-inspired Facebook page called ‘Beautiful and Bald Barbie!  Let’s see if we can get this made‘ for children who have...
STA Travel success with 'Win a Job in Australia' Facebook campaign
Social Media

STA Travel success with ‘Win a Job in Australia’ Facebook campaign

by iain on May 9, 2012 • No Comments
At Skipedia we are always looking out for great practice on Facebook. STA Facebook app is one of the best This great competition app currently running on the STA Travel Facebook page is one of the best we’ve seen.   Developed in partnership with Tourism Australia, the campaign has been designed to increase youth travel to...
Facebook Cover Photo Guidelines for Pages: do they matter?
Resorts / Social Media

Facebook Cover Photo Guidelines for Pages: do they matter?

by iain on May 4, 2012 • 1 Comment
Last week we highlighted some companies  breaking the official Facebook Cover Photo guidelines for Pages. With Facebook Timeline for Pages still only a few weeks old, it increasingly seems that their guidelines are unenforceable. We noticed two more dubious Cover Photos this week, from the ski areas of Sun Peaks and the Portes du Soleil:...
Axe 'feed the bra tree' at Mount Norquay
Marketing

Axe ‘feed the bra tree’ at Mount Norquay

by iain on Apr 27, 2012 • No Comments
‘Please Feed The Bra Tree’ That’s an attention grabbing line, isn’t it?  The bra tree in question sat beside a chair lift in Mount Norquay this winter and was part of a campaign by ‘Axe’ deodorants (more well known as the Lynx brand in the UK). The campaign also included cheeky chairlift safety bars and...
Three examples of ski companies breaking Facebook's Timeline Cover Photo guidelines
Social Media / Tour Operators

Three examples of ski companies breaking Facebook’s Timeline Cover Photo guidelines

by iain on Apr 27, 2012 • 2 Comments
Less than a month ago that Timeline became the standard format for brand pages on Facebook. When the new style was announced, we pointed out the key Timeline features. Last month we looked at a early adopters who had already converted to Timeline. We also looked at the UK’s largest ski company, Crystal Holidays, when...
Dominos use Twitter hashtag to boost sales
Social Media

Dominos use Twitter hashtag to boost sales

by iain on Apr 21, 2012 • No Comments
Using hashtags on Twitter for promotions is still a new area that we have written about before.  So this recent Tweet Treat campaign by Domino’s Pizza impressed us. On offer was a great reason for followers to take part: cheaper pizza! The promotion, which ran from 0900 to 1100 on 5th March 2012, reduced the...

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The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. Please feel free to support or disagree with me in the comments section of each blog entry.