Whistler taps fast turnaround times

Snowplow drivers, lobster fishermen, landscapers. Lots of occupations out there are directly affected by the weather on a day-to-day basis.

Marketing professionals don’t generally fall into that category – unless, of course, they happen to be responsible for campaigns and promotions designed to lure visitors to the ski hills.

Mother Nature, as a rule, doesn’t give a lot of warning. So when the snow conditions are right – or wrong – B.C. ski resort Whistler/ Blackcomb Mountains must act quickly to get the word out.

Given the fast turnaround times involved, it’s not surprising that the Intrawest-owned resort tends to rely on newspaper as its media weapon of choice.

‘There is always a good deal of budget earmarked for newspaper advertising,’ says Alvin Wasserman, president and creative director of Whistler/Blackcomb’s Vancouver-based agency, Wasserman & Partners Advertising. ‘Because the traditional strength of newspaper is very applicable in this case: the ability to react quickly to changing situations. Nothing changes more quickly than weather, snow and occupancy rates.’

The ‘Room at the Inn’ execution that ran in Vancouver dailies this past December, for example, was produced in just three days.

With holiday-season bookings falling short of expectations, the resort called on Wasserman & Partners to let consumers know there were vacancies still available, particularly for New Year’s.

The simple, uncluttered creative – a photograph of the mountain, with an old-fashioned motel vacancy sign superimposed in the foreground – got the message across clearly and effectively, Wasserman says.

‘Even if someone was scanning the paper without reading the body copy, they could easily see that there was room at the inn. That’s the perfect example of using newspaper [in a way] that wasn’t planned – we just saw what was going on, and we reacted.’

In addition to newspaper, Whistler/Blackcomb employs radio on a local basis. This medium, too, offers speedy turnarounds – but unlike print, it does not allow for the inclusion of more detailed information. And that’s a critical factor when you’re offering ski packages, Wasserman says.

The visual aspect of the medium is also important to advertisers in this category. Seductive imagery helps create a ‘wish you were here’ feeling, he explains.

‘We’re selling an experience and a way of being,’ Wasserman says. ‘The idea that you are on a mountain – not in your office or at home.’

In addition to advertising in the B.C. market, Whistler/Blackcomb uses newspaper (along with ski and snowboarding magazines) to promote its package offerings in ‘fly-in markets’ such as New York, Boston and Toronto.

The resort never runs a pure branding campaign, Wasserman says, but each advertising initiative has a strong brand component, which finds expression in the choice of imagery and the overall look of the creative.

Specific typefaces, graphic formats and positioning lines remain consistent across all Whistler/Blackcomb ads and promotional materials, Wasserman notes. That goes a long way toward helping the agency deal with the tight turnaround times imposed by the weather.

‘Since we understand the brand footprint so clearly, it’s a lot easier to do these things than it would be to start from scratch every time,’ he says. ‘You’ve got a format, a library of shots and a depth of knowledge to talk about the product. With those in place, it doesn’t take too long to actually put the ads together.’

The shortest time frame the agency ever had was 48 hours, from original phone call to shipping. It was, recalls Wasserman, just a little ‘uncomfortable.’

Also in this report:

– Launch of Post good news for advertisers: Upstart daily has jump-started the industry, prompting offers of better rates, bonus ads and new loyalty programs p.NP3

– Stop the presses: Dailies are changing: No longer acting as simple order-takers p.NP4

– Picture perfect: It’s obvious that visually driven creative works well in newspaper. So why don’t more advertisers use it? NP5

– Telcos reward readers with a laugh: MTT and Bell Mobility employ unusual formats to nab attention p.NP6

– Savingumoney.com builds awareness offline: Coupon portal uses newspapers as linchpin of media strategy p.NP7

– Cadillac takes the long view: Used frequency of newspaper creatively by telling a different story every week p.NP10

– Edmonton Journal: Time for a change: Daily goes for a facelift p.NP10

– Talvest co-brands funds with FP Index: Helped Montreal financial services provider to crack Ontario market p.NP14

Cannes Lions 2025: Canadians nab more medals on final festival day

Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.

Friday’s batch of Silver and Bronze winners included the oldest category at the Cannes festival, Film, as well as Sustainable Development Goals, Dan Wieden Titanium, Glass: The Lion for Change and Grand Prix for Good. Canadians were recognized with four Lions today: two Silver and a Bronze in Film, as well as a Bronze in Sustainable Development Goals.

FCB Toronto was given yet another nod for its work, “The Count,” for SickKids, bringing the medal count for that campaign to four, including a Gold for Health & Wellness. Another Canadian agency recognized on the final day of the festival was Klick Health Toronto, which earned a Silver in Film for its work “Love Captured” for Human Trafficking Awareness and a Bronze for “18 Months” for Second Nurture. And over in Sustainable Development Goals, the Bronze went to Publicis Canada and its “Wildfire Watchtowers” work for Rogers.

Another massive win for Canada included not one, but two Young Lions (pictured above) taking home medals in the annual competition. In Design, the Gold Young Lion was awarded to Rethink’s senior motion designer Jesse Shaw and ACD Zoë Boudreau. The second, a Bronze in Media, went to Cossette Media’s business intelligence analyst Samuel David-Durocher and product development supervisor Tristan Bonnot-Parent.

Film (2 Silver, 1 Bronze)

1 SILVER: “The  Count” by FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation

“The Count,” a striking campaign from FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation, has earned 1 Gold, 2 Bronze and now 1 Silver for Film at Cannes. If you watch it, it’s easy to see why. The collaboration between brand and agency honoured the hospital’s “VS” platform, while steering it in a new direction from its initial development by previous AOR Cossette. The creative celebrates childhood cancer patients who have to fight for every birthday, while honouring the hospital’s own milestone – 150 years and counting.

 

1 Silver: “Love Captured” by Klick Health Toronto for The Exodus Road

Klick Health Toronto added to its medal tally with a Silver in Film for it’s work “Love Captured” for The Exodus Road. The creative features a romantic getaway that isn’t what it seems in an experiential short film for the global anti-trafficking organization. The experience takes viewers through a tragic and twisting experience of exploitation.

 

1 BRONZE: “18 Months” by Klick Health Toronto for Second Nurture

Klick Health Toronto also won a Bronze in the Film category for its work, “18 Months,” done for the charity organization Second Nurture. The animated film is based on a real-life story in which a same-sex couple adopts a baby found in a subway station, and the 18-month journey into a story of hope.

Sustainable Development Goals (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Wildfire Watchtowers” by Publicis Canada for Rogers

Publicis Canada landed on the winners board for its work, “Wildfire Watchtowers,” for Rogers. The Canadian-developed wildfire-detection tech – which has been billed as “a fire alarm in the forest” – uses AI-powered sensors installed on 5G towers to monitor vast remote areas in real time. By scanning, identifying and reporting early signs of wildfires (up to 16 minutes faster than other systems), the technology helped prevent 54 fires in 2024 alone.

Catch the Gold winners later today when they’re revealed at the gala in Cannes.