4th December 2017 By Contributor
SPONSORED: Skydive Southern Alps
For the past five years, the former Skydive Paradise has been playing little brother to its older and bigger sibling, NZONE Skydive.
But an exciting brand refresh drawing on New Zealand’s most stunning alpine scenery and boundless skies sees Glenorchy-based Skydive Southern Alps ready to make its own mark on the domestic and international visitor market.
The company’s Marketing Manager, Stephen Thompson, explains: “NZONE Skydive, Skydive Wanaka and Skydive Southern Alps are all part of Australasia’s fastest-growing tourism company, Australian-based publicly listed company ExperienceCo.
“The company acquired the former Skydive Paradise, located just outside of Queenstown, when it bought sister operation NZONE Skydive two years ago.
“It’s always been a fantastic product and it was recently decided that the time was right to give it the attention it deserves.”
This meant kicking-off a nine-month journey to develop the new brand that targets explorers and adventurers looking for the ultimate skydive experience.
As part of its research the company used focus groups which provided consistent feedback that the three distinct brands should remain.
However, the research also found that the Skydive Paradise brand did not effectively communicate or reflect the true essence of what the experience delivered.
From there, it was about coming up with a new name for the experience which sees guests jump from a plane 15,000 ft above the rugged snow-capped Southern Alps, the braided channels of the Dart River, crystal clear Lake Wakatipu and the gorgeous township of Glenorchy.
Thompson says: “The Skydive Paradise brand didn’t really explain what the product was – or even where it was.
“Those of us that live in Queenstown know that Paradise is up by Glenorchy, but many visitors haven’t heard of Glenorchy, let alone Paradise.
“And people experiencing the jump would usually describe it as ‘amazing’ or ‘awesome’, not usually that it was ‘paradise’.”
In the course of “sitting around having a yarn” about the experience, the genesis for the new name emerged.
“Clark ‘Scotty’ Scott, the general manager here, said ‘It’s like you just jump out of a plane straight into the mountains – you’re surrounded by them’.”
In consultation with brand design agency Feast Creative, the name Skydive Southern Alps was settled on.
“It really creates a picture of the grandeur of the scenery, and also reflects the unique engagement with the environment that this experience gives guests – plus it gave us a fantastic colour palate to work with,” Thompson says.
With new jumpsuits arriving from Hungary and freshly sign-written vans – not to mention a new brochure, website and marketing collateral – the business is now gearing up for a busy summer.
“The brochure in the past was a two-sided DLE card, but we’ve gone to a five panel brochure to showcase everything this unique product offers.”
“We’re all set to welcome guests from near and far and give them the experience of a lifetime.”
To find out how we can work together to provide a once in a lifetime experience for your customers, get in touch with Business Development Manager Derek Melnick at d.melnick@experienceco.co.nz or +64 21 625 961.
Or visit our website to learn more about our growing business.
Guests on a Skydive Southern Alps take in stunning mountain, lake and river views.
Beyond Imagination:
The four-hour round trip is a favourite with those with a sense of discovery, starting with the spectacular 45-minute lake edge drive from Queenstown to the beautiful and remote Glenorchy in the heart of the mountains.
Thompson says: “It’s a very personalised trip for small groups shared with a handful of our friendly and highly-experienced flight and ground crew.
“When they get to the dropzone they love the vibe and the natural environment as they prepare to skydive and then share their skydive experience with our staff and other customers.
“And where else in the world do they get to jump over Tolkein’s magical Middle Earth, with that birds-eye view of Mt Aspiring and Fiordland national parks?”
Once they’ve made the leap of faith guests have up to 60 seconds of freefall to take in the 360-degree views from above, appreciating the scale of the 500km-long Southern Alps, the backbone of New Zealand’s South Island.
On a clear day, they can see as far as Mitre Peak in Milford Sound on the wild West Coast of the island.
