STEVE BLAMER THINKS WE SHOULD BE BRAGGING A LOT MORE about where we live. People have no idea where or what New Mexico is, he laments. They think it’s part of Mexico or Arizona. It’s time to do something.
And he should know. As the former CEO of Grey Worldwide, Blamer was one of the most sought-after sales and marketing experts in the world. After he retired, he moved to Ribera and opened a luxe wedding destination, Blame Her Ranch. Despite the ranch’s success, the frustrations of the outside world not comprehending New Mexico gnawed at him, and he realized other local businesses must experience the same thing. Then he had an idea.
Last year, there was a woman trying to get married in New York, and they wouldn’t let her proceed with a “foreign” New Mexico license.
Exactly. It’s that thing where people don’t know what New Mexico is. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to buy something with my address and the person on the other end of the line says they don’t ship to international addresses. Or for travel, they’ll ask if I have a visa. Or how about when people say it must be really hot there in the desert? Or are you close to Phoenix?
So I have this event rental property, Blamer Her Ranch, that we’d like to get the word out on. I decided to do some advertising. But I started thinking about it, and I thought I could do an ad for my ranch, but what about doing something that showcases the whole state? Everything we have to offer, all the stuff that you’d have no idea you’d find here.
Fishing! We know about it, but not very many people out of the state really know the quality of fishing we have here. I became convinced we have to show people a side of New Mexico they never thought existed.
So I talked to the state tourism, you know, the “New Mexico True” guys. They do a great job and they helped me set up a press junket, where some publications are going to come out and look at the Ranch. But why just the Ranch? Why not a bunch of surprising places in New Mexico?
My vision is to partner with businesses to group together and put together marketing that surprises everyone. Amplify what the state is doing.
Because businesses who rely on outside marketing need to think about our own way of approaching the market. We know how to tell editorial stories and can really expand on what the state is doing.
Take for instance the incredible things that are happening in New Mexico around sustainability. Look at what Ted Turner is doing at Vermejo. Amazing rewilding with the bison, the wild horses, the whole ecosystem. Incredible.
At the Ranch we’re doing the same thing around water. We’re building a model of what water management could look like.
Our focus is on water harvesting, erosion mitigation, and re-vegetation. We assess erosion patterns, runoff volumes, and vegetation to capture the maximum amount of rain water.
Part of our solution includes ponds that hold over 300,000 gallons from a single event. These will bring back the bullfrogs that were almost extinct.
We also planted over 200 native trees and shrubs to stabilize the soil and attract wildlife. We’ve basically transformed an overgrazed land so that now, when it rains, any water is captured and nothing is wasted.
Did you know pinons drink 250 gallons of water a year? Not ideal. We’re used to them, but maybe not the best use of the land. It’s about taking the land back to what it supposed to be.
New Mexico can be a leader in this kind of thinking. I think we have a duty to get this story out there.
In Europe, Scotland is doing exactly that.
And we’re doing it here, here in New Mexico! Why not let people know about that?
More at BlameHerRanch.com
Photo Steve and Linda Blamer courtesy of Steve Blamer
