TouchDown helps Swiss Alps resort strike fragrant deal
What better way to raise your brand profile than simultaneous high street and on-line exposure?
That’s what Villars-Gryon, the upscale, year-round Swiss Alps resort, got from a recent marketing partnership with premium international brand Crabtree & Evelyn. The deal, which gave Villars-Gryon significant publicity – at a fraction of the cost of going it alone – was proposed and facilitated by TouchDown, the Brand Dating Agency ™.
A Mothers’ Day co-promotion gave the resort high street point of sale exposure and in-store displays in all 43 Crabtree & Evelyn prestigious sites nationwide. The successful consumer competition featuring a holiday prize in the exclusive resort also allowed for entrants to receive additional information from Villars-Gyron.
There was valuable, month long, on-line exposure too for Villars-Gryon which featured on Crabtree & Evelyn’s homepage. In addition, the competition highlighting Villars-Gryon was included in a Crabtree & Evelyn newsletter with links to the website.
In return, Villars-Gryon provided a competition prize of a three-night holiday for mother and daughter at a 4* hotel exclusively for Crabtree & Evelyn’s Mothers’ Day promotion. They were also given access to Villars-Gryon’s sizeable database of ABC1 consumers and coverage in the resort’s monthly e-newsletter.
“When looking for a promotion to accompany our Mother’s Day marketing activity, TouchDown approached us to do a partnership with Villars Gyron. It was a well-judged brand dovetail that considered the prestige message and positioning of both our brand and the holiday destinations. Having steered the partnership process that message is now set to be reinforced to each brand’s customer through a great promotion.”
PR & Marketing Coordinator EMEA, Crabtree & Evelyn
The partnership was facilitated by TouchDown, The Brand Dating Agency ™ which was approached by the resort to raise the profile of the destination and to drive both data acquisition and bookings. Skiing, hiking and cycling number among the many attractions of the resort which majors on 4- and 5-star hotels and boasts more than 160 festivals. To find the best customer profile match for their client, TouchDown first interrogated BrandMine™ using their own unique Affinity Filter.
The final list of target brands was agreed with the client before Crabtree & Evelyn were identified as the perfect brand partner and approached by TouchDown on their behalf.
Located in South West Switzerland, the Villars-Gryon region lies between the plains and the mountains, and is known for its vineyards, pastures and typical villages as well as its world famous ski slopes. Its upscale website offers guests ‘sports, relaxation and culture for families and friends of all ages, far from pollution and noise in an idyllic setting couched in a grandiose panorama extending from Lake Geneva to Mont-Blanc.’
Among its many cultural and sporting activities, the region offers classical music festivals, local craft and wine markets, a Christmas market, walking and mountain biking, golf and tennis tournaments, vintage automobile competitions, ski, carving and snowboard championships.
Their partnership partner, Crabtree and Evelyn was founded in 1972 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has evolved from a small, family-run business – specializing in fine soaps from around the world – to an international company. It is well known and respected for its original fragrances, luxurious toiletries, gourmet foods – and gifts that go with a sophisticated lifestyle. It currently offers a wide range of products in a variety of segments including Bath & Body, Hands & Feet, Fragrance and At Home.