Study finds people don’t relate Lake Placid to Adirondacks

By HEATHER SACKETT, For the Enterprise
LAKE PLACID — Travelers in the national market don’t associate Lake Placid with the Adirondacks. That was one of the bits of information discovered by an international research firm that presented the results of a Lake Placid image study to members of the community Tuesday afternoon.

Longwoods International, of Toronto, Ontario, was hired by the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau as a first step in the process of branding Lake Placid. 2,057 respondents returned surveys via e-mail. The study focused on perceptions in regional markets, which included Albany, New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, national markets, and the Canadian markets of Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.

A key finding of the research is that one of the things the Olympic Regional Development Authority, some Lake Placid businesses and to some extent the Visitors Bureau, have traditionally focused their marketing efforts on — the heritage and venues of the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games — is not something that motivates people to travel here.

“The Olympics are an asset, they are an attraction, but they aren’t motivational,” said Longwoods CEO Scott Hanson, who gave the presentation. The Adirondacks as a brand is more motivational. Start to think about Lake Placid as part of the Adirondacks, and make it more important than the Olympics.”

Hanson said more than 80 percent of travelers in the regional market are aware of Lake Placid’s Olympic heritage; just over half — 53 percent — knew that Lake Placid provided access to Adirondack activities.

Among people who have previously visited Lake Placid, the study found that the Lake Placid experience exceeded travelers’ expectations in all areas except for nightlife.

“You have a communications opportunity rather than a product problem,” Hanson said. “This is good news overall. The last thing you want to do is over-promise and under-deliver.”

Lake Placid ranked about equal or slightly inferior when compared to other competitor destinations like Vail, Tremblant, Stowe and Salt Lake City. The study also found travelers in Canadian markets are not aware of Lake Placid.

“Regional Canadian markets seemed to lack an appreciation for Lake Placid and its offerings,” Hanson said. “The reality is that they don’t know the gem that sits here.”

Hanson suggested future marketing endeavors, rather than making the Olympics front and center, should focus on Lake Placid as the jumping-off point for an Adirondack experience.

Bureau President Jim McKenna said he was surprised by certain results but that he suspected the study would show that the appeal of Lake Placid lies in the mountains, waters and other natural attributes.

“They were very clear that one of our strongest assets is the Adirondacks,” he said. “We take it for granted that when people think Lake Placid, they think the Adirondacks. What the research shows is it’s not necessarily so. I think there’s a little bit of a disconnect between Lake Placid and the Adirondacks, and I think we have to build that bridge again.”

The next step for the Bureau, McKenna said, will be sorting through the information with the brand committee and finding areas to focus on.