Ski le Gap invented the category.
For over 40 years, they were the go to for young people chasing a season in the mountains and a route to becoming a ski instructor.
But markets seldom stand still. Competition closed in, the category filled up and the brand began to lose its edge, and its pole position. What was once the leader started slipping back in the pack.
It was still familiar and trusted but was no longer a first choice.
After years of drift and new ownership, it was time to change that.
We were brought in to put Ski The Gap back where it belonged
….at the top.
DELIVERABLES
Strategy - Positioning - Verbal/Visual identities - Digital rollout - Campaigns
SECTOR
LUXURY LIFESTYLE/SPORTS
RESULTS
85% Growth Y.O.Y - Site Expansion - Reclaimed No.1 Market Status
BE NOTICED
PUT THE MONKEY IN THEIR HEAD
The category had become crowded in a sea of sameness.
Same offer. Same promises. Same story.
Ski training. Qualifications. Time in the mountains. All blending into one.
To stand out again, Ski The Gap had to stop selling the course and start owning the gap year.
So we made it into something much bigger. Not just ski training, but a life experience that lasts a lifetime. Less about the slopes. More about what you become on them.
BE REMEMBERED
BUILD A WORLD THEY CAN'T FORGET
The new positioning connected with two audiences.
Students dreaming of a year in the mountains and the parents who funded it. One story. Two audiences.
Taking a holistic approach, we combined skill, adventure and personal growth into one narrative that could talk to both.
Then we leaned into what no one else had: Our heritage. Not as nostalgia, but as proof of our authority as a brand. And we modernised it.
The result? A brand that feels as current as it is credible.
Rooted in its past, but built for the next generation.
“To be honest, before bringing Thumbcorp in, we were bracing ourselves for the inevitable. The gap had widened to our competitors, and we were fully out of ideas. We knew we had something in the brand, but couldn’t articulate it. Thumbcorp took us to a whole new level, and now the future couldn’t look better.”
JOEY HARRISON, FOUNDER
BE REPEATABLE, REPEATABLE AND REPEATABLE.
CAMPAIGNS. CONTENT. SYSTEMS.
With the platform in place, the focus shifted to building a marketing engine.
One that reached future students earlier in their decision journey, long before they even began actively searching.
We rolled out comms across everything. Site, social, campaigns and outreach. A new CRM and go-to-market approach helped the team show up sooner, and more often in gap-year search options.
The narrative became the backbone. The heritage and community behind it, adding a brand spirit that could be carried through every touchpoint.
Not a relaunch.
A system for sustained growth.
RESULTS THAT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
Within 18 months, Ski The Gap had reversed its decline.
Sales increased across the programme.
Demand returned and visibility followed.
And Ski The Gap reclaimed its position as the number one ski gap-year programme.
Right back where it belongs.