Marketing Alaska

Do certain marketers have it easier than others? I am from Alaska, and as soon as I tell anyone this, they seem instantly interested. Yet, I see my husband, friends, and colleagues introduce themselves from other states and no one seems to raise an eyebrow. Is Alaska a well marketed place that everyone knows about or rather is it a marketer's dream of a place that sells itself? I'd say a little of both. The Travel Alaska website (see it here) is an example of online marketing that uses visuals to easily draw a consumer in. Who doesn't love beautiful snow-capped mountains and calm seas like the picture above (ok, maybe I'm biased).

The point I'm trying to get at here is that every product, service, idea, etc. comes with its own advantages and challenges. Alaska has amazing visuals and experiences to captivate just about any consumer, but consumers may have high fears of costs and the unknown. We have to remember that ease in marketing does not correlate with ease in advertising. Advertising is only a part of marketing. As the American Marketing Association defines it, marketing is "the performance of business activities that direct(s) the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer or user". Remembering back to any intro to marketing course, this marketing includes product, place, price, and promotion. Although Alaska has the advantage of great visuals to use in promotion, marketing can still be challenging with price and demystifying rumors about the product (e.g., you will get mauled by a bear if you move to Alaska). See it as a fun marketing challenge.