SIA rewarding visitors to Snowlink.com

In an effort to attract more consumers and repeat visitors, SIA has set up a graphic link on the association’s consumer web site — www.snowlink.com — that takes site visitors to a contest page where folks can fill out a form to be entered in a bi-monthly drawing for free gifts. The contest will run every two weeks from Dec. 2 to April 2003, and each drawing will feature new prizes suitable for skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers.

The prizes have been donated by more than 30 SIA members and include items such as parkas, snowboard boots, snowshoes, ski and snowboard videos, goggles, helmets, gloves, hats and accessories. The first prize period began Monday, Dec. 2, and runs through Thursday, Dec. 12.Â

To kick off the program with a bang, SIA is awarding the first 24 registrants with prize packs with several great items, and two people will win Redfeather snowshoes and a Screamer hat.

Each subsequent prize period, the prizes will be awarded from a random drawing of registrants. Consumers must re-register each drawing period to ensure frequent visits.

“We hope these great prizes will be an incentive for people to check out Snowlink on a regular basis throughout the winter,” said Snowlink.com Editor Diane Scholfield. “The site has a lot of great information for people who enjoy snow sports — and especially for those who think they might like to give snow sports a try.”

To view all the prize donors and get more information about the contest, click on www.snowlink.com. (No, as an industry professional, you can’t enter!)

SNEWS View: Our hat’s off to SIA for dancing on the fringes of creativity here to attract attention to the winter sports market and its site. Of course, getting more folks to visit its site is not going to grow the market. The Achilles heel of this concept, as we see it, is that the contest does not drive prospective winter recreationists into retail venues, and that is where the sport needs a shot in the arm to be sure. Perhaps next time, SIA and the drawing sponsors might want to think a bit bigger and work more closely with their retail community, say by offering coupons of varying value that a consumer must take to a local retailer to redeem. Each coupon could be good only toward a product from one of the many award sponsors and might result in a consumer actually spending money in a store — wow, what a concept!