Although they all have snow in common, no one company in the skiing industry is the same, so their marketing strategies aren't the same either. Companies find unique ways to connect people and the snow to their products.
STÖCKLI
Stöckli is a ski brand from Malters Switzerland that makes handcrafted all mountain, powder, and alpine race skis. Stöckli's mission is to create, develop and build first class products that have the best performance on the slopes.
History
Back in the mid 1930s, Josef Stöckli started making his own handcrafted wooden skis for himself and friends using a washtub in his Swiss home. He started getting orders for his one of kind skis and by 1935 he established the ski brand Stöckli AG. His skis were primarily used for alpine ski racing by Swiss athletes who put their trust in the small company. Their trust was not misplaced as the ski became popular among Swiss World Cup skiers who discovered that the small brand's hand made skis were top of the line.
#WEARESWISSMADE
In a time when the ski industry is booming and there seems to be too many options when it comes to buying the right pair of skis, a unique branding is key in order to stand out. Stöckli does this by being one of the few big ski manufacturers to build their skis using computer controlled machines along with the talents of of over 50 engineers. Their goal, quality over quantity. "It takes 12 days to build a pair of hand-crafted Stöckli skis. Engineers handle each pair 63 times and it takes 25 more steps to properly finish a pair." This manufacturing process is what makes their skis so unique. Naturally, Stöckli capitalizes on this in their marketing strategy by advertising the quality of their skis. They use the hashtag, #weareswissmade as a way of portraying their quality, as we all know that anything Swiss made is built to last and perform.
However, highest quality skis come at a price, literally. Stöckli is known as being one of the most expensive ski brands. For example, a World Cup Alpine ski by Stöckli is priced at a popping $1,209 per pair, whereas the top of the line equivalent by Rossignol is listed around $1000 per pair. So their price isn't the most appealing, but they are targeting a population that's looking for the best ski that is reliable and built to last.
The ski industry tends to attract a wealthier demographic as it is an expensive sport that requires conditions not found easily around the world. Stöckli's target market is the advanced skier with a little more cash flow than the average skier. This demographic is found at some of this biggest resorts in the world, more specifically Europe. Stöckli advertises at big name resorts like Zermatt and Davos. Their advertisements are simple, capture your attention, and always attempt to show the quality of their skis.
 |
Part of Stöckli's marketing tool and perhaps its most effective, is its sponsored athletes. These athletes are the main source of Stöckli's social media buzz. By sponsoring and supporting big names in the ski industry, they are showing off that their product works for the best in the world. When Stöckli's target market sees these opinion leader's succeeding on their skis, they are more likely to feel that they will be able to do the same on Stöckli skis.
 |
| World Cup Skier & Stöckli athlete, Tina Maze |
Bibliography
"History." Stöckli, http://www.stoeckli.ch/inten/ski/history
"Philosophy." Stöckli, http://www.stoeckli.ch/inten/ski/philosophy
"2018 Sponsored Brands Catalog." Powder Magazine, https://www.powder.com/pa_brand-name/stockli/
"Stockli Skis." Ski Sharp, https://www.skisharp.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment