by Russ Stoddard
Sometimes a jewel gets tarnished. The underlying stone is still a precious gem, it just needs to be carefully polished to return to life and reflect its sparkling light.
We believe that’s the case with Tamarack Resort in central Idaho, and we’re now fortunate to be part of regaining its luster. After a search and review for Boise PR agencies, Replay Resorts has selected Oliver Russell to lead public relations and real estate advertising efforts for Tamarack’s resort marketing efforts.
The Backstory
The Tamarack story is well known regionally and around mountain town resort circles. The first four-season resort to be constructed in the United States since 1981, Tamarack opened to much acclaim in 2004. Fueled by the real-estate boom, the resort garnered industry raves for its upscale lodging, real estate, and premium skier experience. This was burnished with a summer offering headlined by the development of the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed Osprey Meadows golf course. (Among other activities, Tamarack also offers Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, hiking, a zip line—whee!—and water sports at nearby Cascade Lake.)
We all know how the real estate story ended in this country, and Tamarack was not exempted from either the exuberance or the collapse. Its fortunes plummeted, and for one season—2009—the resort closed.
A New Day for Resort Marketing
Here’s where the story gets interesting. Due to the efforts of a plucky and committed group of homeowners, Tamarack re-opened its ski slopes in 2010 and has stayed open until a new owner—New TR Acquisition Co LLC (NEWTRAC)—acquired the resort property this past summer. NEWTRAC recently hired Replay Resorts of Vancouver, B.C., to oversee operations at the resort.
Replay started its agency selection process by looking for a Boise PR firm that understood the local media and real estate markets in both Boise and Valley County. (Tamarack is just two hours from Boise and a stone’s throw from McCall, Idaho.)
PR is About Connections and Creative Ideas
Replay quickly came to understand that Oliver Russell brought more to the PR offering than news releases and media lists. We proposed a slate of ideas that used opportunities in brand building, sales promotion, events, cause marketing partnerships and digital marketing to reach customers and create newsworthy stories at the same time.
“Oliver Russell brings creativity to our story and a longstanding commitment of investing in its community, which align well with how we intend to market and operate Tamarack Resort,” said Mariana Ishida of Replay.
If you don’t know Replay, they’re a big hitter in the world of planning, designing, building and operating experience-driven destinations. Many of Replay’s senior executives were founders and key leaders of Intrawest, the world’s largest planner, designer, builder and operator of destination resorts and resort villages.
Bottom of Form
Fashioning a New Story and Future for Tamarack
As the resort repositions from exclusive to inclusive, it’s now our job to communicate that Tamarack is a fun and affordable resort, with new ownership and strong management that are committed to its success, and that’s great news. Plus, it will be fun to work with these people—there’s a pioneering spirit of purpose and resolve throughout the Tamarack community, which is a good fit for our agency.
Oh. Yes. We’ll probably also make a few turns in the powder and ride a few trails while we’re at it. You see, we’re big on experiential research here at Oliver Russell. It’s absolutely critical for success in resort PR and vacation marketing.
Stay tuned for more on the new Tamarack story in the very near future.
