A quirky marketing campaign has been launched by NZSki today, April 1, taking a unique spin on popular reality TV show Shark Tank.
With Aotearoa’s first open-border ski season since 2019 in sight, the marketing team were keen to showcase a different side of its three mountains.
NZSki’s CEO Paul Anderson is stoked with the result.
“We created a bit of a different brief for our marketing team this year; we wanted to think outside the box, capture the imagination and highlight the passion and personalities of the people in the ski industry," Paul says.
“Our mountain brands stem from our people and this is a fun way to showcase those personalities. It’s no secret our ski areas have got amazing facilities and terrain – but this campaign shows an emotional connection that skiers and riders will truly connect with.”
NZSki is the parent company of Queenstown’s Coronet Peak Ski Area, The Remarkables Ski Area and Methven’s Mt Hutt Ski Area.
Coronet Peak ski area manager Nigel Kerr pitching to the 'Shark'.
The campaign follows a ‘shark’, actress and local Queenstown rider Rachel Lea, to all three mountains – with each ski area manager ‘pitching’ why their mountain is the ‘best’.
The catch? Three Peak Season Pass holders don’t have to choose – they can have access to all three mountains.
The campaign is a play on reality TV Show Shark Tank where aspiring entrepreneurs from around the world pitch their business ideas to a panel of investors and persuade them to invest.
The campaign also features local sports stars; Olympic Alpine Skier Alice Robinson and Freeride World Tour Skier Blake Marshall.
Mt Hutt ski area manager James McKenzie pitching to the 'Shark'.
Marketing communications manager Mel Tweedie can’t wait to see how the public react.
“Traditionally ski industry campaigns revolve around the cinematic offerings our three Ski Areas have – big mountains and blue skies. But there was no doubt in my mind that we needed to change things up and send a message to the world ‘yes we have epic mountains, but we have so much more to offer,” Tweedie says.
“We wanted to challenge the status quo and I think we’ve done just that.”
NZSki’s earlybird campaign runs until April 28 and includes Three Peak Season Pass and other ski products.
