Mammoth ReBrands Itself
I participated in a branding workshop last week in which siegel + gale presented their findings from research done on Mammoth as a brand and requested our ideas on ways to improve certain touchpoints where guests experience Mammoth.
Classic MBA stuff, so I loved it. I have heard many presentations by branders in the past and have felt many of them were filled with fluff, but these guys were good. The research done was thorough and relevant. It was comissioned by the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and by the Town of Mammoth Lakes as a combined investment in creating a future where we all try to attract visitors together and make their experience one they wish to repeat.
I won't go into all of their findings or our ideas (the main one we tackeld was how to improve aprés ski activities), but will share their idea on the re-branding of Mammoth as a city, as a ski resort, and as a mountain getaway. Why try to compete with the other great ski areas on basis of days of sunshine, number of ski runs or amount of vertical when we all can claim #1 in some area. Don't compete based on the position of superlatives (best pow, most beautiful terrain, highest peaks). Let's differentiate. Duh. We are not an Aspen/Vail.
And why try to be something we are not. We do not have the most amazing service in the world and probably never will. Let's elevate and align expectations to embrace a new brand of hospitality...California hospitality. We're casual in California and we're definitely casual in Mammoth. (Just go to a church service or a wedding and you'll see what I mean). But when is laid back too laid back? Gotta be careful there.
We can enable our guests to create their own kind of vacation on their own terms. Our guests want meaningful experiences, not just ones where they check the "been there done that" box.
We'll welcome you and help you create your own adventurous and athletic or even spa-filled vacation. Loyal Mammoth visitors love to be thought of as locals. They are always quick to tell me how many years they have been coming here or what ski runs they broke their leg on or or what peaks they've climbed or name drop what ski instructor they had. As if they yearn a local's acceptance of them and wish not to be thought of as a tourist. (I'm usually the one that makes them feel good, because I have not yet climbed every peak or even skiied every run.) I think it's great. It is what makes Mammoth more than just a po-dunk map dot. It connects us with the culture and vibrance of SoCal. And if you're a locl who's lucky enough, you have a SoCal friend who will stock you up with Trader Joe's every time they come up.
And while you Mammoth loyalists are hopefully not going to ditch Mammoth any time soon, marketers know we need to cater to you and encourage you to spend more money while you are here. And you will influence people back home. And since 'back home' is one of the most trend-setting cities in the world, many other places will notice Southern Californians going to Mammoth.
So, it's all well and good to release a new brand and tag line, but it is an entirely other thing to implement the change that is wanted. How are the ski area and the town going to motivate the 18-yr old ski rental employee to engage with visitors with California hospitality instead of hiding behind their hat to hide the hangover in their eyes?
It's hard to appeal to any competitive juices when Mammoth does not have any visible competitors within 200 miles. And it's hard to motivate them with money when most businesses are strapped anyway with the seasonality of their businesses. Altruistic approach? Nuh-uh.
It is going to take a long time and money. It is going to take the constant training of supervisors everywhere (at gas stations, retail shops, at resaurants) to instill a higher level of service. Again, not the service expected at a Four Seasons, but a new kind of service that says "Here is your key, help yourself to a drink and make yourself at home."
So, in your opinion, did siegel + gale come up with a good idea? Does this speak to you and help differentiate Mammoth from other mountain resorts?
Are we on track to have a brand like Harley Davidson or like K-Mart? Like Nike or like Enron?
Now is the hard part....delivering consistently on Mammoth's promise to customers at every customer interaction.
