Rocky Mountaineer, the B.C.-based train tour operator, has been named the 2010 Marketer of the Year by the B.C. chapter of the American Marketing Association.
Georgia Dahle, past president of the BCAMA and chair of the Marketer of the Year judging committee, said Rocky Mountaineer won for its successful positioning as a premium train provider in the midst of a recession.
“By maintaining their market positioning, branding and promotional strategies, they demonstrated a strong strategic international marketing plan,” Dahle said in a news release. “Instead of reducing their marketing spend, the organization committed to investing in their brand and strengthening their position.”
Last year, the company saw a sales lift of 9.1% with direct business up 17.3%.
Hubert Wat, vice-president of marketing, said that when faced with a global meltdown, a travel industry hampered by H1N1 and a soaring Canadian dollar, the company decided to revamp its brand.
The company increased the marketing budget, rebranded and repositioned, relaunched the website, romanticized the names of the routes, aggressively pursued new international markets, and focused on the end consumer rather than the trade.
“We dissected our business right down to every aspect,” said Wat. “We redid the whole brand architecture.”
Helped by Surrey, BC-based graphic design firm Freelance Mac Stuff and Venture Communications in Calgary, Rocky Mountaineer launched ad campaigns in California, Germany and Australia. Brand awareness shot up 20% in Los Angeles after the campaign, and Australia is now the largest growing market for the company after a well-timed and edgy billboard campaign at the departure areas of Australian international airports.
BCAMA will present the award to Rocky Mountaineer, which also celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, at the 40th annual Marketer of the Year Gala, Oct. 7.
The award’s past winners include BC Hydro, Mr. Lube, White Spot Restaurants, Coast Capital Savings and Nintendo Canada.
