*  Branding is not just logos and taglines. 

      - Branding means aligning vision, image and culture.

      - Name, vision, tagline, logo, and website all have to be branded consistently to attract younger members.

*  Be aware of all of your touch points.

      - Image involves what people hear, see, and experience with your organization, usually through a variety of touch points including advertising, a web site, brochures, and countless other interactions.

*  Be inclusive, not exclusive. 

      - Think broadly – snowsports instead of skiing.

      - Don’t automatically exclude snowboarders because of old preconceived notions. 

      - Snowboarding reflects the changing face of national demographics ethnically and agewise. 

*  Boarders are not who you think they are.  Not just teenage boys. 

      - Between BAC Open League & BAC Singles League, the BAC has more than 60 boarders racing - 25% juniors, 75% adults primarily in their 30s with a 20% female/80% male ratio.

*  Understand your value proposition. 

      - What are the true needs of your members and potential members?

      - What is your competitive advantage?

*  Leverage awareness of industry marketing initiatives to get the most from your marketing strategy/action programs.

*  Think entry point marketing.

      - Echo Boomers are online 5 days/wk for 5 hrs/wk according to MTV/Harris Youth Pulse.

      - Echo Boomers find new sites by search engines 87%, links 85%, and recommendations 81%.

      - Communicate availability of first timer programs in your area.

      - Create New to Snowsports sections for never-evers on your websites to provide pre-arrival education including what to expect, what to bring, what clothing to wear, when to arrive, and  equipment rental.  Link to helpful articles.  www.DiscoverSnow.com  This site has lots of great information for those learning alpine skiing or snowboarding, from SKI, Skiing and Transworld Snowboarding magazines, and two snowsports industry trade associations.

      - Develop potential member referral system from website/snowsports shows/ski swaps to capture  potential member preferences for favorite resorts, activities, club locations & features.

*  Turn awareness (brand recognition) into familiarity (brand recall) into top of mind preference. 

      - Establish a relationship with potential members. 

      - Messages to potential members must be anticipated, personal and relevant.  Otherwise, messages  become spam.

      - Frequency leads to trust. 

*  Branding allows your organization to differentiate itself in the mind of the potential member. 

Think SNOW & FUN!

Thank you to the following organizations and their websites and press releases:  NSAA, SIA, Snowmonsters, NSGA, CDC, NOAA, Harris Interactive/MTV.  Go to the Best Practices section of www.skibac.org for more branding information. 

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