interactive marketing manager, crested butte mountain resort, colo. Age: 27 Push to The Latest: No Education: B.S. in Recreation Resource & Ski Resort Management & Marketing Minor, Lyndon State College, Vt. First job in the industry: junior ski instructor at Okemo Mountain, Vt. Super power: Make it snow powder on demand. Six-word bio: "Enthusiastic piñata-making ski resort marketer."

THE NOMINATION

Erica is one of those people. Her personality is contagious. I worked with her on a number of [initiatives], one of the most recent being our quest to win Powder Magazine's Ski Town Throwdown. Through her diligence and incredible use of interactive marketing, we won hands down, claiming the title of North America's #1 Ski Town. At the end of the day I’d say Erica does more by 9 a.m. than most Marines do in a day. Pretty incredible for someone under 30.

—Daniel Marshall, executive director, Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce

 

The Interview

Your nominators used the word “love” in describing your work with Crested Butte. What inspires such passion?

I’ve worked with the Mueller family and Triple Peaks since I was 14, and have had an incredible opportunity to learn and grow in such an amazing organization. I'm really fortunate to work with a marketing team that allows for creativity and outside-the-box thinking. Innovative ideas are crucial when marketing a destination ski resort, and I absolutely love the challenge to grow skier days, airline load factors and hotel occupancy to drive revenue and help people experience Crested Butte.

Your work in earning CBMR top-town status in Powder Magazine’s Ski Town Throwdown impressed many people. Tell us about the strategy.

First, it was a team and community effort. My part, besides standing downtown dressed up as mountain mascot Betty Bear to "rock the vote," involved creating a digital campaign to generate an avid and loyal voting base. Whether it was social-media targeting, a robust email strategy to keep voters voting, or putting up digital billboards on highways across Colorado, the most important element was generating enthusiasm and sharing the spirit of Crested Butte.

We understand you also helped enhance CBMR’s snow reporting. What did you do in that regard?

Snow reporting goes far beyond the statistics. While a foot of fresh snow is really awesome to talk about, I really keep our audience in mind when it comes to our snow reporting strategy. Guests staying on the mountain, locals in town, and potential visitors researching their next ski trip are three very different audiences we must address. By tying other departments' promotions into our daily reports, we not only educate our guests, we help increase incremental spending and vacation decisions. Snow reporting is a crucial marketing tool, and involving other departments in our communication efforts is extremely important.

A certain giant piñata was brought up in a number of your nominations. What gives?

My role expands far beyond marketing, and that is one of the strongest motivators for me. The piñata lowdown: I created a five-foot tall and four-foot wide piñata for CBMR's 50th birthday celebration on opening day a few years ago. It was a big birthday and I just felt we needed a big piñata to make the day more fun! Whether its pulling all-nighters to make a piñata, scanning tickets, handing out burgers, busing tables, or being the mountain mascot, I do what I can be the best team player I can possibly be.