Sending an Invitation around the World: Developing A Country as a Branded Destination

1. Sending an Invitation around the World: Developing A Country as a Branded Destination By Murray Campbell Baseline Consultancy August 2009

2. Purpose...in theory • Branding a destination • What is a brand , its purpose and value ? • How can this be applied to tourist destinations ? • Brand architecture : content and style • Communicating the brand • The story • Passive audiences vs active participants Your questions ? • The media : broadcast vs online networks • Research opportunities Page 2

3. What is a brand ? An intangible quality or feeling about an organisation’s product or service that is more powerful than the substance of the product or service on its own . Page 3

4. What is the business purpose of a brand ? .... to make it easier and more emotionally rewarding and reassuring for people to make their choices ...to enable businesses to connect with the right audiences in a profitable and sustainable way It is a commercial construct to assist the sales process Page 4

5. Great brands help people to feel better about themselves ( and not vice versa) , and confident about their decision to choose your brand Page 5

6. What should great brands do .....? • Create excitement about their futures ...launch of I-Phone • Earn forgiveness about their past mistakes ...F&P closure of the Mosgiel Factory • Enable people to connect with like minded souls ...Manchester United • Build unquestioning loyalty .....Ford ? • Command a premium .....Singapore Airlines • Provide confidence to the insecure and the ill-informed • Makes you feel proud by association • Wear the T-shirt • Get the tattoo • Name your first born Page 6

7. BUT...... Great brands do not equal Love Marks Page 7

8. We need a broader emotional palette to build and understand peoples interaction with brands... • It is relatively easier to LOVE your : • Perfume • Beer • Car • Computer • Football team • BUT try Loving your • Insurance company • Bank • Power company • Supermarket Page 8

9. Peoples’ interaction with Brand’s can be understood along a continuum of human relationships A loyal spouse or partner A close member of the family A trusted friend and confidant A distant friend A fling or flirtation A colleague or associate A complete stranger An opponent or enemy • Source : • Susan Fournier's 1998 article, "Consumers and their brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research Page 9

10. Susan Fournier's seven essential attributes of great brand relationship quality: • love and passion : consumer feels affection/passion for the product- and may experience separation anxiety if it's not available • self-concept connection: using the brand helps consumer address a life issue, such as a need to belong or a fear of growing old • interdependence: brand is inextricably woven into consumer's daily life and routine • commitment: consumer sticks with the product through good or bad times either in his or her life style or in the product's life cycle • intimacy: consumer describes a sense of deep familiarity with the product and an understanding of its attributes • partner quality: consumer seeks certain positive traits in brand, such as dependability, trust, worthiness, and accountability - the same qualities as one would look for in a best friend • nostalgic attachment: brand brings back memories either because it was used at an earlier time in life or because it was associated with loved ones Page 10

11. So what ...? • Whether its Kevin Robert's or Susan Fournier's version of the world, great brands need to have an essential human emotional quality to it to have enduring value • So what does this mean for Branding Tourist destinations ? • Business Purpose • Identifying and communicating the core emotional need Page 11

12. Tourist destination frameworks • As in any category, the purpose of developing a tourist brand framework is to help our clients: Connect FASTER with the relevant AUDIENCE  To increase Long term PROFITABILITY In a SUSTAINABLE way • Destination marketing frameworks can vary quite markedly amongst the world’s country’s and cities and regions. There are however, some fundamental components common to all these models Page 12

13. Fundamental components of a branded destination model  The Business Imperative to Translate, Awareness  Visit  Repeat visit / Positive referrals Page 13

14. Simple Business Development Funnel for Tourism Industry: From brand promise to trade engagement to fulfilment Page 14

15. The business of Tourism ( Australia ) • As stated earlier, creating a branded destination marketing strategy is all about increasing visitation to your country, and improving the average yield from those visitors. This case study from Tourism Australia illustrates the translation from campaign strategy to financial projections Campaign Strategy Summary Tourism Australia Financial Targets for NZ Visitors to Australia Page 15

16. Conversion from awareness to preference and actual visitation is greatly assisted by a strong brand story • Brands • What’s their real purpose ? • How are they relevant to tourism ? • How would you build one ? Page 16

17. Building a brand model : Core components • Identifying emotional needs and core brand essence • Its far harder to compete with a unique combination of emotions than a combination of physical attributes that can be replicated than many more destinations • Supporting values/giving the proposition more emotive depth • Substantiators and collateral ..converting the brand promise into the branded experience Page 17

18. Brand Architecture Template For a “Reformed” city Facts and Symbols Proposition What the City Does for Me Product Substance Brand essence Product Substance Brand Personality How the Brand Makes Me Look How the Brand Makes Me Feel Values Page 19

19. Why is so much time spent on developing these brand models • Simplicity and consistency of message is difficult to manage when conducting a global advertising campaign..particularly when you want to communicate the nuances of emotions across different cultures . • So, some sort of disciplined blue print is required which sets the boundaries of how a brand needs to be communicated across different media and to different audiences Page 20

21. Examples of the City of Glasgow Brand in action Page 22

22. BRAND WHEELHow the Brand Makes Me Look

23. BUILDING BRAND EQUITYseeglasgow.com : ensuring its website is the right portal for its brand

24. BUILDING BRAND EQUITYWinning New Routes ; integrating destination branding with travel networks

25. The results of disciplined creativity

26. Linking a Destination’s Resources to Peoples’ travel needs • How do we link the physical, cultural and economic resources of a county or a region to the needs and desired experiences of a traveller • SIMPLY and POWERFULLY ? Page 27

27. Matching Peoples travel needs with destinations and experiences • Not all holidays are about relaxation and chilling out. • A holiday is a combination of social, emotional and physical pay-offs. Only when they come together, is the perfect holiday created. • Segmenting your audience on frequency of travel, amount spent, country of origin will get you less than half the picture. • In the meantime, the holiday market gets more competitive with everyone packaging their wares and offering ‘never before’ deals. • A needs based approach enables effective and efficient targeting (focus on those who matter), media spend (say the things that will make a difference) and offer design (a package that makes the connection with the consumer and creates preference)

28. What can you do to make your destination compelling? • When asked directly… difficult to get the complete picture on how choices are made • We went to Thailand because the food and the people and the beaches are nice • We chose Malaysia because of nice beach resorts • We enjoyed our stay three years ago, so we came back All true, but not enough to understand what differentiates Malaysia from Thailand or Australia from New Zealand • So what is it that actually drives choice of a holiday destination?

29. T R A V E L L E R N E E D S FUNCTIONAL NEEDS PERSONALITY B R A N D I M A G E SOCIAL VALUES IDENTITY NEEDS RATIONAL FEATURES EMOTIVE NEEDS Matching Travelers needs with a destination’s image and resources Functionally travellers will have requirements around aspects of timeframe, cost, amount of pre-arranged activities etc. At an identity level they need a holiday that suits their age, lifestyle, status and so on. And emotively they need a holiday to deliver a certain emotive feeling and to say something about who they are.

30. Functional Needs Identity Needs Emotive Needs: feeling consumer looking for and what it says about me and my personality Emotive Needs Example: Defining the need layers of destination choice Functional Needs: Duration, travel time, price, weather, recreation Traveler Needs Identity Needs: peer group identification, social level, lifestyle

31. Identity Needs Emotive Needs Symbology Social Values Physical Features Destination Image Example: Defining the need layers of destination choice Symbology: Open, honest, friendly, easy going, warm, Functional Needs Social character: Families with children, cosmopolitan, sporty people, Descriptors: Not too expensive, no surprise expenses, warm weather, planned sightseeing & recreation, airport pickup, English guide

32. Doing, Stimulating, Adventurous Sophisticated, Educative, Impressive Refined and high on culture For everyone fitting in open, easy Tranquil, calm, soothing Linking the Destination to a traveller’s needs Page 33

33. Australia as a holiday destination 2007 These are the attributes which German travellers associate with Australia. Australia Germany Brand Image 2007 [Australia], n=259 Page 34

34. Developing multiple positions for complementary needs and different occasions Page 35

35. Lifestyle and Attitudes: Risk taker, adrenaline sports Disposition: optimist, spontaneous Like socialising, outgoing, likes crowds Leader, successful, like control of life Influential: Friends and family advise and travel Work: > 40 hours, stressful job, job priority Holidays: Comfortable interacting with other cultures Express who they are Be part of world Several different destinations New different experiences Acceptable to take frequent holidays from job Travel to escape Demographics: More likely males, senior professional Financial: Enjoy life’s indulgences Technology: Enjoy shopping for, download MP3, important latest, keep up with trends More MP3, Digital camcorder, PDA Like to try new products Activities: Like to spend on hobbies / entertainment Swimming (Yoga / Pilates / Meditation, Golf, Tennis) Follow: Golf (Badminton, Ice hockey) United Kingdom – Interactive Traveller Profile

36. Socialise Invigorate Challenge Play Distinguish Share Refine Recharge Develop Learn Rejuvenate Rest U.K Niche Opportunity: Revival and Discovery: New World Wine, Oils, Cheeses, Cuisine. The thrill of the new in a benign environment Shared experience with family / friends Learn about New World Food and Wines Revive in beautiful natural and man made environments

37. Socialise Invigorate Challenge Play Distinguish Share Refine Recharge Develop Learn Rejuvenate Rest U.S Niche Opportunity: Learn and Rejuvenate. Residential Food + Wine Courses with Guest Chefs- Some NZ- Some U.S with visits to vineyards etc Shared experience with family / friends Revive in beautiful natural and man made environments Learn about New World Food and Wines

38. Socialise Invigorate Challenge Play Distinguish Share Refine Recharge Develop Learn Rejuvenate Rest Germany: Active and Passive Nature Lovers : Beaches, Mountains, Bush, Gardens, Animals. • Dolphins • Snorkeling • Whale watching • Rafting • Tramping • Garden Tours • Vineyard Tours

39. Converting Brand Positioning to...... Compelling Stories Page 40

40. Tell Unique and compelling Stories about your place to the right audience “Our appetite for story is a reflection of the profound human need to grasp the pattern of living, not merely as an intellectual exercise , but within a very personal , emotional experience. Fiction gives life its form” Page 41

41. What kind of story should be told ? As story design moves away from arch plot the audience shrinks as fewer people can understand , remember and retell that story. ( Robert McKee )

42. Will this dictum ( moulded in Hollywood) hold true in the future ....? ...Not necessarily • As media fragments ..... It enables more people to be transformed from The passive audience receiving a broadcast story To active creators of their own story Relayed through digital social media FaceBook Twitter Blogs Page 44

43. Impact on tourism branding and communication... • What’s the story about ? • - the destination or the travellers experiences at the destination ? • Who tells the story ? • The tourism board and its agency ? • Travel guidebooks and websites ? • Other travellers ....co-ordinated by a tourism board ? ..... Self-directed by the travellers ? Page 45

44. An open invitation to visit Australia..which not everyone understood or wanted to accept... it was more about Us, “OZ Power” than You, the Visitor Page 46

45. Great brands help people to feel better about themselves ( and not vice versa) , and confident about their decision to choose your brand Page 47

46. New improved version of the story ....visiting Australia will transform you..in many ways Page 48

47. Online decision making for real world experiences : who can you really trust ? • Influence of online Consumer Word of Mouth on Decision-Making: • Unlike many other big purchase decisions such as a house, car, a boat, one cannot trial, touch or experience the destination before one actually arrives. People making high anxiety, high risk decisions often look for endorsements from people at institutions they can trust • For almost a century, travelers have relied on some form of official travel guide to inform their choice of destination. Once this market was dominated by a few large or well established authorities such as Fodors, Let’s Go, A Rough Guide or Lonely Planet • While these publications still inform and influence the choices of destinations, the readily accessible online information and opinion on travel destinations have mushroomed enormously recently, particularly since the advent of individual’s travel blogs Page 49

48. Online decision making for real world experiences : who can you really trust ? • This new information and communication platform is again a challenge and an opportunity for tourism marketers. It cannot readily control its message in such a fragmented and uncontrolled medium. Moreover, it will be even more important that the travelers’ experience matches the initial brand promise established by destination marketers Page 50

49. Who tells the story.... Keeping it real with Tourism New Zealand • UNITED KINGDOM: 'What do you say UK?' 2008 Launch • This new $7.3m campaign was developed based on research that shows Brits are most likely to make their travel decisions based on word-of-mouth. The campaign features real travellers in New Zealand talking about their holiday experiences and is designed to give plenty of reasons to 'come now'. Page 51

50. More Traveller generated content • Visitors having their say about their 100% NZ experience through the lens of tourism NZ and their agencies http://10yearsyoung.tourismnewzealand.com/ Page 52