Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California Travel and Tourism Commission, and California's world-class ski destinations have teamed up for the first time to launch the 2005-06 California Snow Campaign aimed at increasing destination skier visits and making the Golden State top-of-mind as a premier ski destination…
“California's incredible natural beauty, great snow, sunny skies and world-class resorts make it one of the best places in the world to ski,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I welcome skiers, winter sports enthusiasts and people from across the world to come enjoy our 43,000 acres of premier ski areas, 34 outstanding resorts and experience the amazing hospitality that California has to offer.”
The California Snow Campaign is comprised of a variety of targeted marketing strategies and tactics, including a 30-second spot featuring Governor Schwarzenegger skiing, as well as upbeat greetings from the ski industry's best professional skiers and boarders. There's also a national media relations and advertising (print and broadcast) program, Internet and e-mail programs, cross-marketing opportunities with United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, as well as consumer ski shows in London and throughout the United States, where California ski packages and merchandise will be given away.
“Governor Schwarzenegger and the ski industry's participation in this campaign is demonstrative of their commitment to support California's overall tourism promotional activities,” said Executive Director Caroline Beteta of the CTTC. “This support is critical in bolstering the state's economic development.”
According to the CTTC, last year travel and tourism expenditures totaled $82.5 billion in California, supported jobs for nearly 900,000 Californians and generated $5.2 billion in state and local tax revenues.
The California Ski Industry Association reports that the California winter sports industry generates $500 million into the California economy, employs 15,000 people and hosts an average of eight million skiers each season.
The “California Snow” 30-second commercial anchors the CTTC's 2005-06 winter campaign and will begin airing in November. The spot will air in the western United States and on all international United Airlines flights. In addition, Warren Miller Entertainment will run the spot at their premiere showings of the annual Warren Miller film titled “Higher Ground” across the United States.
The commercial kicks off with the Governor on skis against blue skies and powder-blanketed mountains indicating “This is winter in California.” Throughout the spot, California's ski and boarder icons, including Glen Plake, capture what makes California skiing so unique, where “we shred… we fly… we carve… we defy gravity, convention (and) definition… we go big… we only have one rule… there are no rules.” The spot concludes with the Governor and skiing professionals encouraging visitors to “grab (their) sunscreen and party hat and head to California.”
The campaign's official call to action is the new California Snow Web site, www.visitcaliforniasnow.com, where visitors can view the “director's cut” of the commercial, peruse the biographies of ski talent appearing in the spot, pinpoint and research statistics about California's world-class resorts, as well as ski against the Governor in an interactive online game.
