Brand Pyramid

Brand Wheel

Key challenges in developing and effectively applying a destination brand

• Understanding customers and non-customers

Qualitative perception research __________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________• to understand deeper motivation__________________________________________

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Find out what ‘non-visitors’ as well as ‘visitors’ think_________________________

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Focus on key target segments____________________________________________

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• Achieving stakeholder buy-in to the brand_______________________________

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• Brand architecture - the relationship between national and sub-national brands.

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• Stretching the brand through partnership

Unlike commercial product brands, which risk becoming devalued if used by others, a destination brand increases in value the more it is used by other ‘suitable’ organisations – the more it is used by different stakeholders, the more visible it will be; and therefore it will have greater market penetration and awareness__________

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The most powerful way of stretching a destination brand is by persuading suitable partners/stakeholders to convey the destination brand values in their own marketing communications_______________________________________________________

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Identify key stakeholders who would be suitable and prepared to incorporate the brand in their own marketing communications_______________________________

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Consider appropriate non-travel partners as well as those in the tourism industry_

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A destination logo (as distinct from the NTO corporate logo) can be useful in stretching the brand through its usage by stakeholders in their own marketing communications_______________________________________________________

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Stakeholders’ usage of a destination logo needs to be carefully controlled through licensing for authorised users only________________________________________

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• User-generated content and social networking: threat or opportunity

Firstly, comments posted by visitors about tourism products and destinations on blogs and on the most used sites tend to be both frank and mostly positive_________

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Secondly, it offers an opportunity for visitors to post their holiday photographs, and perhaps more significantly, their holiday videos, on public sites_________________

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Thirdly, it offers a massive, low cost extension to the NTO’s own marketing effort___

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Fourthly, this poses a significant challenge for NTOs to remain relevant to potential visitors______________________________________________________________

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• Brand coherence: image without cliché__________________________________

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• Branding on a budget________________________________________________

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• Brand lifespan_______________________________________________________

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