Building a Destination Brand (Syllabus Topic 6.2)
Hey there! Welcome to one of the most exciting parts of Destination Marketing. Think of a destination brand as a country or city’s personality and reputation. Just like you choose a specific brand of sneakers or soda, tourists choose destinations based on how they make them feel and what they promise.
In this chapter, we learn how destinations create this "personality" to stand out from the fierce competition, attract visitors, and keep them coming back. Let's dive into how destinations build their unique identities!
6.2(a) Reasons for Branding a Destination
Why do destinations spend millions on logos, slogans, and ad campaigns? The core purpose is to manage perception and create value.
The Importance of Identity Management
1. Change the perception of unfavourable stereotypes of a destination
If a destination has a reputation for being unsafe or lacking attractions, a strong brand campaign can challenge those outdated ideas.
Example: Before 2000, Colombia was often associated with conflict. Its branding campaigns have successfully shifted the global perception to focus on coffee culture, nature, and friendly people ('The Answer is Colombia').
2. Create a common vision for the destination and its potential for tourism
Branding helps align everyone involved—governments, hotels, local vendors, and residents—on what the destination stands for. It’s the shared dream of the future.
3. Provide a consistent representation of the destination by all stakeholders
If the official tourism website promotes relaxation, but the airport staff are stressed and rude, the brand message is inconsistent. Branding ensures all stakeholders present the same image, whether it's the taxi driver or the luxury resort owner.
4. Enhance local, regional, national and/or global awareness of a destination
Simply put: it helps people remember you! Good branding makes the destination famous, increasing its reach beyond domestic borders.
5. Make it more appealing
An attractive brand package (logo, slogan, beautiful imagery) draws customers in and makes them choose you over a similar competitor.
Quick Review: Branding is essential for *reputation management* and *consistency*. It’s about controlling the narrative and making the destination attractive.
6.2(b) Characteristics of an Effective Destination Brand
A good brand isn't just a catchy slogan; it must meet several criteria to be effective and sustainable long-term.
Criteria for Brand Success (M-A-T-C-H I-S-R-T-A-C)
1. Memorable and Easily Understood by Customers
The brand must stick in the visitor's mind and be simple enough to grasp quickly. Example: New York’s simple, iconic "I Heart NY" logo.
2. Attractive and Matched to Destination Attributes
It must look good, but crucially, it must accurately reflect what the place actually offers. If you brand yourself as an adrenaline destination but only offer quiet museums, the brand fails.
3. Consistent with destination's popularity ranking
A brand for a niche, eco-tourism spot shouldn't promise the crowds and excitement of a highly-ranked mass tourism spot (like Orlando). The brand promise must align with the destination's current position in the market.
4. Integrated into promotional activities at a local, national and global level
The brand must be used everywhere—from local souvenir shops to international TV adverts. Integration means seamless application across all platforms and stakeholders.
5. Sustained over a significant period of time
Brands take time to build trust. Changing the logo and slogan every year confuses tourists. Successful brands like *Australia’s* campaigns are run consistently for decades.
6. Reflective of customers' actual experiences and Credible
This is crucial! If the brand promises clean beaches, but tourists find litter, the brand loses all credibility. The marketing promise must equal the real-life delivery.
7. Targeted at both existing customers and at prospective visitors
The brand must reassure past visitors they made a good choice (encouraging repeat business) while simultaneously attracting new groups.
8. Accepted by stakeholders
The local community, businesses, and government must all buy into the brand vision. If locals hate the new logo, they won’t promote it, and the brand effort will fail.
Key Takeaway: An effective brand is consistent, accurate (credible), and long-lasting (sustained).
6.2(c) Creating a Brand Identity (The Elements)
The brand identity is the collection of visible features that communicate the brand message.
1. Brand Name
The official name used (e.g., Visit Scotland).
2. Slogan/Tagline
A short, memorable phrase that captures the destination’s essence. Example: Malaysia’s "Truly Asia".
3. Logo
The visual mark or symbol. A good logo is instantly recognizable.
4. Unique Selling Point (USP)
What makes this destination different or better than the competition? This is the core of the brand.
Example: Dubai's USP might be "The world's most luxurious and futuristic city break in the desert."
5. Use of colour
Colours evoke emotions. Blue suggests water/calm; green suggests nature/sustainability; gold suggests luxury.
6. Price in association with image
The brand image suggests a price level. A brand featuring five-star hotels implies a high price point (luxury brand), while a brand featuring hostels suggests a budget price point (value brand).
7. Distinctive packaging and Corporate identity
This refers to how the brand is presented across all touchpoints (the 'look and feel'). This includes uniforms of tourism staff, the design of brochures, and the style of furnishings in tourist information centers.
Did you know? The concept of a USP is crucial. If your destination is just "a nice beach," it has no USP because every competitor has a nice beach. You need to identify something truly unique, like "the only beach in the world where you can watch elephants swim."
6.2(d) Planning the Launch of the Brand
A brand launch is like opening a major film—it needs precise coordination and resources to succeed.
Step-by-Step Launch Planning
1. Set objectives
Define what the brand needs to achieve. Objectives must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound). Example: "Increase brand awareness in the Chinese market by 15% within 12 months."
2. Agree timing for action
The launch must be timed carefully. You wouldn't launch a campaign promoting skiing immediately after a massive earthquake, for instance. Timing often aligns with major industry trade shows or the start of a key tourist season.
3. Agree costs and resources
Determine the budget needed for advertising, design, public relations, and promotional events. This requires securing funding from various stakeholders.
4. Decide upon guardians of the brand and level of involvement of key personnel
A Brand Guardian (usually the DMO or NTO) is responsible for ensuring the brand identity is used correctly by everyone. They police the brand to prevent other organizations from using the wrong colours, logo, or message.
5. Design promotional materials for the brand launch
Develop the initial website content, social media templates, brochures, and press kits that use the new identity.
6. Decide the communication methods and events for the brand launch
Will there be a press conference? A social media viral campaign? A series of familiarisation (FAM) trips for travel agents? These decisions determine how the world finds out about the new brand.
7. Agree the overall campaign for the brand launch
This ensures all launch activities are harmonized and working toward the same goal, creating a unified and powerful impact.
Quick Takeaway: The launch phase moves the brand from a concept to reality. It’s a strategic process that focuses on coordination, resource allocation, and maintaining brand integrity through its guardians.