Ikon Pass just released a video ad that uses one of the most relatable objects in modern life — a TV remote — to make a complex marketing point in under five seconds. The concept: a remote control with a comically large number of buttons, each one representing a different resort on the Ikon Pass. It’s funny, it’s unexpected, and it works. Here’s why this ad matters and what it means for how your resort tells its own story.
The “Variety Visualization” Problem
Every multi-resort pass struggles with the same challenge: how do you show guests the sheer scale of what they’re getting? Maps look complicated. Logo grids feel corporate. Lists are boring. Ikon has tried all of these. This year they added something different — an analogy that bridges the gap between “a lot of resorts” and something the viewer immediately feels. A remote with 70 buttons triggers instant recognition: that is an absurd amount. And absurd in a good way.
Why Analogies Beat Data in Advertising
The human brain doesn’t feel numbers. We feel comparisons. “Access to 70 resorts” is abstract. “A remote with 70 buttons” is visceral — it’s more than anyone could use, and that’s exactly the point. When SlopeFillers covered this campaign, they noted the ad worked on a kid who had zero context for pass marketing. That’s the test: if it lands for someone with no industry knowledge, it’s going to absolutely land for your target audience.
How Your Resort Can Use This Framework
You don’t have 70 resorts to sell, but you have a value proposition that’s hard to visualize. What analogy captures YOUR mountain’s unique offer? Unlimited vertical on deep powder days could be “a bowl of pasta with no bottom.” A family-friendly beginner area could be “a kid’s book with only choose-your-own-adventure pages.” The point isn’t to copy the remote metaphor — it’s to find your own everyday object that makes guests feel the benefit before they read a single word of copy.
Building an Analogy-First Creative Brief
Try this with your team: list your top three guest benefits. For each one, brainstorm five everyday objects that share that property. Then ask: which one would make someone stop scrolling? The winning analogy should be unexpected, immediately recognizable, and slightly exaggerated for effect. Give your creative team or agency this brief before next fall’s campaign planning kicks off — it’ll produce better work than leading with specs and feature lists.
The Bottom Line
Great ski resort marketing doesn’t inform — it evokes. Ikon’s remote ad doesn’t tell you there are a lot of resorts. It makes you feel the abundance. That’s the shift every resort marketer should be chasing: from communication to sensation. Find your equivalent of the remote control, and your next campaign writes itself.
