In a recent radio ad from Heavenly Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe, two (presumably very hot) women are waiting to catch the lift for another run on the slopes when they are approached by a fumbling-sounding guy (who, nevertheless, must be somewhat hot, otherwise the ad would last all of five seconds).
The women are regulars at the famous Tahoe resort, and they tell the guy, who's there for the first time, why it's such a great place, including recent renovations and close access to the nightlife, shopping and spas of Tahoe. One of the women asks the guy where he usually skis.
"Brian Head," he says in a mopey, dejected tone, and you can just see the apologetic eyes and the downward sloping shoulders and the trembling lower lip. And when the ad ends, if you're unfamiliar with either resort, the discriminating listener is left with only one conclusion. It's not that Heavenly is the greatest ski resort around. It's that Brian Head Resort, in Southern Utah, is without question the lamest.
The ad has aired constantly for several weeks, without a response from Brian Head. "The comparison we're making is why would you drive to a resort that doesn't provide the same level of experience?" says John Wagnon, vice president of marketing and sales for Heavenly. "You're two hours away from one of the top destinations in the country." That's actually an hour by plane, and another hour on the ground. Brian Head, on the other hand, is three hours away by car—so it's closer as the crow flies, but not as, say, America West does. (Then again, no lines at the airport.)
Wagnon adds, "We're not trying to slam Brian Head by any means. We don't have anything against Brian Head. We're trying to point out there's another alternative. Apologies to the folks at Brian Head. It wasn't our intention to disparage them."
Ron Burgess, senior sales manager for Brian Head, says he was aware of the ad for a couple of months and treated it with a sort of comic bemusement. "We're not in direct competition," he says. The resorts couldn't be more different. Heavenly is a slick international destination. Brian Head is a cozy place for families and locals. Heavenly is also much bigger. It has 91 trails to Brian Head's 53. Heavenly had 965,000 visits last year, which makes it one of the 10 most popular ski resorts in the country, Wagnon says. Brian Head welcomed 200,000 skiers, 70 percent from Las Vegas.
Wagnon wouldn't say how many Heavenly skiers come from Las Vegas, but he says the percentage rose this season, "so we feel the campaign is working."
Maybe that's why Burgess decided he'd had enough. Brian Head recently fired off a comeback. Its ad features a low-key snowboarder taking aim at Heavenly's lift-ticket prices ($55 versus $39), longer lines and general snobbiness.
It has not aired with nearly the same regularity—in fact I've heard it only once—and it's no masterpiece, but it suggests the beginning of a marketing rivalry to lure skiers from this ever-growing market. "If they feel we're a threat," says Burgess, "we'll play along."