Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
could possibly have. Cause there's a lot of competition. We've got two resorts over
in Queenstown and we've got obviously Treble Cone up there. What sets us apart?
I personally believe all the decent skiers go to TC and hoon around; whereas people
come to Cardies (Cardrona) for a family vacation. And the parents get as much joy
out of seeing their kids going down the magic carpet area as dropping off some kind
of cliff themselves. So it's just a laid back family kind of resort. I think that's trans-
mitted through all the staff. You try to the best to your ability to
give
the customers what
you can. I think it's because so many people take pride in what they do, then it's just
self reinforced. It's kind of self-policed. You get so many return staff, that the newbies
(new members of staff) that come in, they'll see the way that people act and then they just
emulate that.
(Alex, ski school, a Cardrona veteran of three seasons)
This quote gives insight into the brand culture, how Cardrona is positioned against its
competitors and how the culture is passed from experienced to new members of staff.
Central to this understanding of Cardrona brand culture is Alex's integration of himself into
the culture and the contribution of his role (he sees himself as having some ownership of the
brand), he sees himself
giving
as much as he can (emphasis added). He does not attribute
the enculturation of new members of staff as being a management responsibility. He also
makes the unspoken assumption that customers would not get that kind of experience without
using the conduit of the staff to transmit the destination brand messages. He perceives
the seasonal staff facilitate the transfer of brand culture. Underpinning this quote is the
recognition that seasonal workers must be at the centre of the brand culture rather than a
peripheral underpaid and undervalued fi gure and the culture has a tangible aspect that can
be transmitted to new staff.
This quote serves as an introduction to this analysis of brand culture and we note that Holt's
(2004) four authors model of brand meaning implies separate processes for each author. However,
this research highlights the interconnectedness of the workers' perception of the work they do,
their role in the ski snowsport community and how the popular culture understanding of 'living
the dream' seamlessly merges for this informant. These form the three main themes of this
analysis which are examined in this section:
1
the workers' perception of their work, specifi cally, how seasonal workers make sense of the
destination brand of Cardrona through their lived experience which blurs traditional work
and leisure boundaries;
2
seasonal workers' roles within the snow sport community; and
3
how popular culture relates to the 'living the dream' style of life.
The 'living the dream' concept refl ects across all three themes as does the emphasis on the
merging of work and leisure in a singular lifestyle where one is inseparable from the other, as
discussed in depth by informants. They used traditional socio-historical concepts of work to
frame their understanding and formulate their sense making strategy:
Seasonal workers' perceptions of their work at Cardrona
Honestly the fi rst three weeks of starting at Cardrona, we'd drive up in the van and I'd get
out of the van at the top and it was gale force winds and you've got this crazy sunburst
