Is your dream job to be a vintner? Or a fishing guide? A cattle rancher? How about a chocolatier? Sure, you may be a cubicle monkey today, but given an opportunity to have some on-the-job-experience you may be ready to ditch your dreary job for your dream job.
Vocation Vacations is in the experience business … the business of experiencing your dream job that is.
For a fee, Vocation Vacations will pair you with an expert mentor who will be your guide as you take your dream job for a test drive. A recent Marketplace radio report profiled a home brewer who, on his Vocation Vacation, spent the day shadowing and learning from the brewmaster at Full Sail Brewing in Hood River, OR.
From a marketing perspective, I view the Vocation Vacations concept as a potential Brand Evangelist Boot Camp where fanatical customers can spend a few days inside the company they so fervently follow.
This is taking the customer experience to a new level as the home brewer experienced by spending a day on the job at Full Sail. Now, he not only knows the story of Full Sail Brewing, he also has an emotional connection with the company. A connection he is sure to talk glowingly about for years to come.
Further learning:
USA Today article on Vocation Vacations
I wonder how well this will work...
This sounds very similar to what Disney is doing with their Disney Institute in Orlando. Except you'd go to a campus at the Walt Disney World resort and take a learning vacation. They offered tons of classes from recreational to artisic and business.
I don't think it was as successful as they planned.
I think they found that people didn't want to spend their vacation learning. I'll bet however the concept for this in focus groups rated with through the roof excitement...
It's funny... at Starbucks when they test low fat or 'better for you' pastry people say they want it, they love it and will buy it. (Because it's the 'right' thing to say)... But when you put it into the store - they're not interested.
What may make this concept successful is the starting point in folks minds. Instead of being a twist on a vacation, it's a twist on a way of learning.
Posted by: Brand Examiner Paul | July 11, 2004 at 10:28 PM
There are cheaper ways to experience a Vocation: Volunteer one day a week at your local botanic garden for example!
Posted by: Avi Solomon | July 13, 2004 at 10:14 AM
Sure there are cheaper ways to experience a vocation. But remember, this is a vocation VACATION.
Posted by: johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) | July 13, 2004 at 10:21 AM
I am a 40 year old investment banker with Citigroup. I am interested in opening and running an artisenal cheese shop for the rest of my working life. Thanks for your help - Paul
Posted by: Paul Bowden | April 18, 2005 at 12:26 AM
I have always dreamed to be a fishing guide. I hope that the information that i found hear will help me!
Posted by: michael jones | August 15, 2007 at 01:11 PM
It's several years later and Vocation Vacations is still in business. They must be doing something right.
Posted by: Gottsch Enterprises | March 18, 2008 at 03:23 PM