Blog 6: Trendy Companies for 2015

We've seen it all over NS and through other social media sites so this year, the talk is around Virtika and Line. Virtika has been blowing up with their picture ads and has done a lot more promotion than recent years. Virtika started out as First Drop, which was a descent company that didn't really get too much attention. First Drop recently became Virtika and has completely reshaped their brand, from the logo, to the clothing itself. The brand they are today is viewed as a high quality and pricy brand. Although the priciness of their clothing is not an issue, because the quality and overall look of the clothing supports the high numbers. Virtika has been recently filming in different locations around the world and has been showcasing their products from a variety of perspectives.

I have been buying their products for years and as a customer, I can honestly say that I am pleased to see how the company has turned out. Virtika used to have odd color combinations and somewhat unappealing designs but with their improved brand, Virtika has struck the skiing industry from the bottom of the food chain. With big name competitors like Saga, Virtika has really shown that they are capable of being one of the few elite brands in the industry.

On top of Virtika's recent success, Line has been another company that has been put in the spotlight. Although they may not be underdogs like Virtika, Line has still shown that they are a ski company worth spending on. The advertising that Line has been doing is just genuinely strange to me but in marketing, this is a good thing. Uniqueness in advertising is what every company looks for. Line hasn't been directly promoting their products but rather they are promoting their brand, which is more important in the first place. Creating brand awareness is the key to success in any aspect of the business world. Whether their advertisements are long, or as short as ten seconds, you always leave thinking about the company. As long as a company is in your mind after the advertisement, that is the primary focus in advertising; giving an impression and having the viewer leave with that impression.

Virtika and Line have done completely different advertising in the fact that one has focused on the apparel aspect of advertising, and the other on just the brand awareness. Personally, I probably won't purchase anything from Line this year but am definitely likely to buy something from Virtika. In both the short and long run, Virtika's type of advertising was more effective because it is actually steering people into buying their products. Although it is important to create brand awareness before you actually jump into the way Virtika is advertising because if nobody knows about your brand, how are you supposed to sell products?

Blog 5: What to Expect This Winter

As we approach the latter half of the month of November, it almost seems as if we are just beginning to feel the cold air. The inconsistencies in weather in the past few weeks have forced ski resorts across the country to close their lifts. Killington, as well as many other resorts in New England, have been closed due to the lack of snow and cold weather needed to make snow. Although Killington opened relatively early this season, they had no choice but to close for a short period of time mainly because of the terrible conditions. This early in the season we come to expect these types of behaviors in weather, but this year in particular might take a turn in the wrong direction, and some say the reason behind this is El Niño. El Niño is a change in weather due to a rise in sea temperatures and a disruption of weather patterns in the jet-stream. This in turn, causes warmer than average temperatures in the north, and colder than average temperatures in the south. What might this do to resorts? Well the answer is simple, it'll force them to make more snow. 

The majority of ski resorts make snow throughout the season and the resorts that do make snow only produce so much of it every year, and are scheduled to stop at a certain time, which is usually February break for most. Since the weather is taking a severe negative swing, resorts may have to spend more money making snow. From a business perspective, what might this do to net profit? It'll definitely affect it in an unfavorable way. In addition to the predictions for snowfall, resorts might fall in sales for passes. For all those day-trippers out there, you might want to think twice about that 2 and a half hour drive to the mountain if there's no fresh pow to show for. 

Now that I have addressed all of the bad news, here is something that you might want to look forward to; the urban aspect of skiing. Urban skiing was thought to be a fad when it was first introduced about a decade ago, but has become increasingly dominant in the sport that most people believe would only take place on a groomed mountain. Urban skiing is much easier, and more tolerable in warmer temperatures, and when there isn't ten feet of snow on the ground. From finding basic trannies, to hitting massive high risk features, all usually don't require that much snow. All you need to make a successful urban location is a smooth run in, and a half descent landing. 

Regardless of weather conditions, it's definitely not stopping those hardo shredders out there like myself. It most likely will not be that blizzard-filled winter we all hoped for but I plan on skiing just as much, maybe even more than years past. Skiing is a sport that relies on natural occurrences so all we can do is wish that mother nature sympathizes for this skiing nightmare.