sports

Maine Ski Resort Launches An App For That

Sunday-river

Well, apparently there is an app for everything. Even skiing.

Newry, Maine ski resort Sunday River has unveiled a new Facebook application that uses the latest in geolocation technology and social media to make the winter sport more interactive.

The new app, Sunday River Patches, takes its cue from the embroidered patches that skiers and snowboarders often sew onto their jackets and backpacks. Using the app, skiers earn virtual patches by checking in at various locations throughout the resort. A skier who hits all eight peaks at the resort, for instance, gets an explorer patch, while someone who checks in on 10 different days earns a Sunday River Local patch.

The idea was born as the resort was looking at a way to utilize Foursquare's technology in conjunction with a new marketing campaign, "Find your happy place," says Nick Lambert, Sunday River's vice president for sales and marketing. However, the geolocation application did not have any way to create a customized promotion for a business, he says.

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"Then, when Facebook announced it was going to roll out its Places [app], that seemed like a natural fit for us," Lambert tells Marketing Daily. "It was a fun way to encourage people to explore the mountain and supported what we were talking about on the marketing side."

Down the road, the resort also hopes to integrate Facebook's Deals through its Patches application, such as offering people discounts on appetizers or drinks when they check in at one of the resort's bars or restaurants, he says. In the meantime, he adds, the resort will be content to see how the power of social media can help its marketing.

"It's something new and 'techy' that people can have fun with, but every time someone checks in, it hits their news feed and tells all their friends that they're skiing at Sunday River," Lambert says.

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