Environmental Campaigns
We believe in wearing our values on our sleeve. One way we do that is through our advertising. In 2009, "Save Snow" was the first explicit, 100% climate campaign in the ski industry. (Actually, it's still the only one.)
Below are some of our best campaigns.
Below are some of our best campaigns.
Give A Flake (2018–2020)
What does it mean to Give A Flake? It means caring enough to back up your beliefs with action. The two-season Give A Flake campaign encouraged our community to stand up and speak out on climate and LGBTQ+ rights. This award-winning campaign included print ads that featured mail-in postcards to targeted swing-Republican senators. It also featured in-resort activism like letter-writing kiosks, digital ads, videos and a landing page with information about voting, how to choose a climate-friendly representative, and LGBTQ+ legislation.
The Aspen Way (2017–18)
The Aspen Way campaign dove head first into values-based marketing. The messages encompassed environmental sustainability, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, and activism. With on-mountain installations of the words Love, Unity, Respect and Commit we started a dialogue about the issues these words represent both online and in-resort.
Mind, Body, Spirit (2014–16)
Even when our campaigns are focused on the resort experience and Aspen lifestyle, we make a point to infuse elements of our activism. In the 2014–16 campaign entitled "Mind, Body, Spirit," we created a series of short films on the individuals who embody "the Aspen Idea:" the notion that our mountains and community are the ideal place to rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit.
Among those profiled was National Geographic photographer, activist and Roaring Fork Valley resident Pete McBride, who spoke eloquently on his favorite photographic subject matter: the Colorado River watershed, and its need for preservation in the face of climate change and unprecedented resource depletion.
Before Aspen: Coal Methane (2013–14)
This campaign highlighted our coal mine methane capture project. We told the story of this unique partnership between a ski resort, a coal mine, and a utility that lead to the generation of carbon negative electricity through the capture and destruction of waste methane, a super-potent greenhouse gas. Through photos and videos taken at the nearby Somerset coal mine, we were able to visually link the resort to this energy source in an unexpected way, prompting further investigation. This six million dollar project is the only one of its kind in the U.S.; it produces as much energy as our resort uses in a year (even though the power goes into the grid, not to our resort); and destroys three times our carbon footprint annually.
Save Snow (2006-2009)
Save Snow was the first snowsports industry marketing campaign designed to drive action on climate change. A good decade ahead of its time and — along with "Give a Flake" — still the only one of its kind, the campaign contemplated a future without snow through visuals and commentary. One excerpt: a certificate of death for snow, whose medical history was cited as "ailing since the dawn of the industrial era."
It was both criticized by peers and lauded with industry awards. Whatever people thought of it, it received expansive press coverage, and marked the beginning of an industry awaking to the threats of climate change.
It was both criticized by peers and lauded with industry awards. Whatever people thought of it, it received expansive press coverage, and marked the beginning of an industry awaking to the threats of climate change.
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