Colorado Tourism Office Announces New Winter Campaign and Tagline

 

With input and support from the ski industry and other leading winter destinations, the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) is claiming a new theme line to express what makes winter so special in Colorado -- Snow’s Perfect State.

The line, soon to be trademarked, will anchor the CTO’s latest winter marketing campaign, which launches next week with national digital advertising and expands in early November to include television and radio.

“What makes our winter so magical is not just abundant, powdery snow, but the special nature of the place it falls upon,” said CTO Director Cathy Ritter. “While winter and snow may be cause for dread elsewhere, Colorado’s winter season is a time for celebration with bright blue skies, dazzling white snow and endless ways to enjoy life and the outdoors.”

The CTO developed the new theme line in collaboration with its appointed Winter Task Force, which included representation from members of the Colorado Tourism Board, ski resorts and a variety of winter destinations. Crafted by the CTO’s Agency of Record, Karsh Hagan of Denver, the theme line evolved from a key task force insight that while Colorado’s winter visitors may run the gamut from hard-core adventurers to seekers of family fun, they are united by a love for the exhilaration, spirit, coziness and pastimes of a Colorado winter.

The Winter Task Force included Colorado Tourism Board members, including:
• Kieran Cain, vice president of marketing for Vail Resorts
• Lucy Kay, CEO of the Breckenridge Tourism Office
• Matt Skinner of Telluride, chief operating officer for Colorado Flights, and
• Jesse True, senior vice president of marketing, sales and Woodward for Copper Mountain Resort 

Other task force members included:
• Elizabeth Fogarty, director, Visit Grand Junction
• Christian Knapp, chief marketing officer, Aspen Ski Co.
• Kat Papenbrock, executive director, Ouray Tourism Office
• John Sellers, marketing and communications director, Loveland Ski Area
• Jodie Silva, vice president, marketing and sales, Winter Park Resort
• Steve Strecker, marketing director, Colorado Ski Country USA

The new campaign also will feature “A Love Letter to Colorado’s Winter,” featuring video footage set to an original poem by former Colorado Poet Laureate David Mason and Cally Conan-Davies. The 96-second video will be shared with The Matador Network’s following of 12 million outdoor adventure enthusiasts Oct. 22 and through CTO-owned channels.

The CTO’s latest research from Longwoods International confirms that Colorado retains by far the largest share of the national ski market, with a 21.1% share in 2017, followed by California, with 13.7%, and Vermont, with 6.9%. The ski traveler is by far the highest-value Colorado traveler, spending an average of $1,248 per person compared with $481 for the average visitor.

CTO research tracking travelers exposed to last year’s winter campaign showed visitation from one end of the state to the other, with winter travelers spending time in both resort and non-resort destinations.

In addition to communicating the state’s unique travel opportunities, the CTO is continuing this winter to build on the work of its “Are You Colo-Ready?” sustainable tourism initiative educating travelers about reducing their impacts on the state’s natural resources. As its latest effort, the CTO will be releasing a 2-minute animated video sharing the Seven Care for Colorado Principles developed in a unique partnership with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.