Millions of NFL football fans formerly unfamiliar with Squamish now know the town and its beautiful mountainous landscape thanks to a new high profile ad campaign recently launched by Microsoft.
Squamish is enjoying millions of dollars in unsolicited advertizing for free as the high tech giant uses Live at Squamish to promote its new search engine, Bing.
The commercial shows time-lapsed images of Live at Squamishs grounds and main stage while showing how Bings search engine technology can help users make the decision to attend Live at Squamish or Austin City Limits one of the most popular music festivals in the U.S.
A Bing user can access information on each festivals musical performers, surroundings, accommodations, maps, travel, news and shopping among other topics.
Squamish or Austin, youre gonna need a place to crash, states the voice over. Bing is beautiful because seeing is better than searching.
Live at Squamish executive director Paul Runnals delivered the news to delighted District of Squamish council members during a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday (Oct. 26) during a debriefing with former municipal recreation director, parks and tourism director Bob Kusch.
Runnals said Microsoft has taken a one-year licensed unlimited use of network and cable television as well as Internet, ensuring the ads wide distribution throughout North America and beyond.
So this thing can be around for a while, he said. Were potentially talking about millions of dollars in unearned media from that one piece alone.
Runnals said he was as surprised as anyone that Microsoft used Live at Squamish as a backdrop for the ad, which has been broadcast during such high profile spots as NFLs Monday Night Football.
I got phone calls from colleagues of mine saying Is that your festival? he said.
Were trying to get [information] from Bing to understand what theyre marketing campaign is around this media piece that theyve created.
He said the images were provided by a local photographer named Andrew Doran. Calls to Doran were not immediately returned.
Its also been launched on YouTube as a video entitled Bing is beautiful and has been viewed more than 5,700 times in one week this compared to the most popular video in the series of Spirit of Squamish YouTube postings, which has been viewed 6,054 times over the past nine months.
All council members except mayor Greg Gardner who was absent expressed excitement at the prospect. They also roundly complimented the 2010 festival and endorsed its return before suggesting methods of improvement.
Coun. Patricia Heintzman noted the bicycle lock-up area should be several times larger than the one on site. She also said it was a recipe for disaster that unlit walking paths outside the grounds led festival patrons some drunk to use Loggers Lane as a pedestrian walkway.
Fortunately nothing happened, she added.
Coun. Corinne Lonsdale asked whether organizers had ideas for camping accommodations since attendance, which averaged 6,500 a day for two days this year, is only expected to increase.
Runnals acknowledged councillors concerns, saying plans were in the works to address increased attendance. He also said organizers hope to reach 80 per cent of its 13,000 capacity next year, not 100 per cent, since they want to address potential issues incrementally.
Kusch said post-event meetings with municipal staff, Squamish bylaw, RCMP and Fire Rescue resulted in a list of 20 easily-resolved issues to improve upon next year most notably parking, traffic management and garbage disposal with regards to wildlife attractants.
He also said organizers have paid back half of the $47,000 owed to the district and are expected to cut one last cheque for the remaining balance imminently.
