Small City Branding Around the World

New Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities – Second Edition, Now Released

I am pleased to announce that my second book, Destination Branding for Small Cities - Second Edition has now been released. This expanded and revised edition has updated our 7A Destination Branding Process and includes new place branding elements, advice, checklists and techniques. Some of the changes include:

• Explanations of the different forms of place branding, branding in tough times, selecting place branding expertise and the important role of product development, placemaking and wayfinding in place branding.  
• Actions to introduce a stronger strategic focus to enhance city competitiveness.
• Interesting insights from some of the world’s leading place branding consultants, academics and practitioners.
• Worldwide examples from the USA, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Australia, moving beyond the USA focus of the first.

While the title is Destination Branding for Small Cities, the underlying principles and processes can just as readily be applied to regions, counties, Downtowns, Main Streets, resorts, and even states and countries.

I hope that you enjoy this edition as much as the first. Worldwide sales are available through Amazon.com.

Will the Hobbits be the Biggest Boost Yet For New Zealand’s Brand Awareness?

The Sydney Herald reports that Tourism New Zealand has announced the national tourism organization is very close to signing a deal with the makers of The Hobbit movies to promote the country as a tourism destination.

Released between 2001 and 2003, the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings was credited with boosting tourism to its New Zealand locations, where visitor numbers rose by 40 per cent. Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said, "I think The Hobbit is going to be that and more. We learned a lot of lessons from Lord of the Rings and we are doing everything we did back then plus some more."

The two movies by Sir Peter Jackson are expected to be a bigger boost for the country’s tourism than the three Lord of the Rings films. The first of the Hobbit movies is due for release in December.

The Lord of the Rings gave New Zealand an incredible boost and is a hard act to follow. It’s hard to believe that the Hobbit movies will top that. But then I haven’t seen the movie!

You can watch the trailer here.

Consumer Behavior: Spenders (and Travelers) by Nature

Tourism arrivals for most destinations are holding up well, despite the continuing economic problems. This is particularly the case in the USA. Although I do appreciate that this is not the case for many Mediterranean destinations because they are contending with issues other than economic.  A great blog last week on Branding Strategy Insider by J. Walker Smith, Executive Chairman, at The Futures Company pointed out “consumers want to believe (in shopping) again. So help them.”

He went on to state, “People are tired of doing without. The term being bandied about right now by market observers is “frugality fatigue,” meaning the pent-up desire among hard-pressed, anxious consumers to pick up their buying. Obviously, some consumers remain too distressed for their spending to rebound. But most people feel hopeful about renewing their engagement with shopping.”

He correctly points out, “It is important for brand marketers to get this right. If the presumption is that a new normal of frugality has set in, then marketers will miss the opportunity to build their own momentum to recovery. Glass-half-empty rhetoric will continue to color the tonality of marketing messages when consumers are ready, instead, to hear something that speaks to them in the language of a glass half-full.”

The  post is well worth a read. I see a direct link to the psychology of spending on vacations and getaways. The concept of vacations and escape in today’s high stress, hard work society is that they have become essentials and people adjust their plans to suit their budget. While “frugality fatigue” might be at play for the retail sector, it also highlights that the need for escape has never been more acute as a motivator for travel and tourism destinations.

Pure Michigan Campaign Changing Michigan’s Image

 

One of the more successful state rebranding efforts in recent years has been Michigan’s Pure Michigan campaign which was launched in 2006. Paul Brown, vice president of capital services for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, provided an update recently during the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on tourism and travel in Grand Rapids.

Brown said, “That (Pure Michigan) campaign alone created a 180-degree change in people’s outlook on Michigan. That made a difference on large national banks’ willingness to lend here as well as large corporations around the country considering either moving here or using some of our resources to their advantage.”

“We were really suffering from an image problem on the business side,” said Brown. ”We were getting redlined not only from banks, but also businesses not interested in locating here or looking here as a potential market.”

“It was the commercials,” he said. "They changed everyone's perception."

When a campaign reaches the point where it is positively impacting banker’s attitudes, then it is making progress way beyond tourism. I believe that the impact to Michigan from this campaign will be long term benefits because the State wisely chose to invest in the campaign throughout the recession while competitors were cutting back. This will probably also lead to long-term increases in market share for many business sectors. A great case study for many others to follow.

French Ad Campaign Caught Using Beaches of Hawaii and South Africa

Two of the essentials for successful destination branding is delivering what you promise and being true to who you are because brands are built on trust.  France is one of the most popular destinations in the world and has accumulated considerable brand equity and trust. Unfortunately, a recent print advertising campaign inviting Brits to visit French beaches has caused considerable embarrassment for French tourism officials and has possibly diminished trust in the nation’s brand and its marketing.

It seems that many of the images that are central to the advertising campaign are actually stock images shot at beaches near Cape Town, (South Africa) and in Hawaii, which were then edited to make them look as though they were shot in France.

The Daily Mail reports that in one shot a bikini-clad woman emerging from what looks like the Mediterranean and captioned as 'backflip in Corsica’ is actually a stock photo of a Hawaiian scene with the background altered to feature an image of the Corsican coastline.

What were they thinking! Brits may be excused for wondering if the French beaches are really so unattractive that they can’t be used in an advertising campaign.  It will be interesting to see their response. The immediate priority for the tourism office should be to re-establish trust with their British audience. Without trust, brands have nothing!

Colorado Invites Audiences to “Come to Life”

 

Colorado Tourism Office is taking an interesting approach in its forthcoming television advertising campaign aimed at boosting summer visitation. Instead of focusing on its geographic and iconic features alone, the advertising features the transformative qualities of the state with an invitation to Come to Life. The focus is squarely on the prospective visitor and the emotional rewards of spending time in the outdoors away from their everyday hectic lives. Actually, Colorado is not identified until the end of the 57^th second of the ad.

The emotive film shows how viewers can come to life in lakes, cascading waterfalls and open fields, and prods them to rejuvenate by exploring spectacular mountains.

The campaign is supported by print advertising, a visitor guide and web and social media marketing programs providing critical links to towns and operators throughout the state. It will be interesting to review the results of the advertising and how it translates to increased Summer business for the state’s towns and tourism businesses.

Xiamen Slogan Competition to Create a Brand Without Research or Strategy

Xiamen also known as Amoy is a major city on the south east coast of the People’s Republic of China and is known for its scenic beauty and tree lined beaches.  

The Xiamen Tourism Bureau is calling for public suggestions for a new tourism slogan, logo and souvenir to represent the city.  The Bureau has established a web site for the competition which closes on April 30. The winners will be announced after public online voting and expert review, seemingly in that order.  Winners will receive approximately $US 3,200 each.

Unfortunately this is another example of a DMO attempting to take a shortcut to acquire some of the key elements for shaping their city’s brand identity.  Not only is it a mistake to run a competition to obtain logo and slogan suggestions, but to then turn it over to residents to make the choice further compounds the problems of this strategy-less and research-less approach. The Xiamen Tourism Bureau will be left to then shape their brand strategy around their new logo and tagline, rather than have those elements emerge from a well-researched strategy that is based on their most competitive positioning, personality and benefits.

Xiamen could be well advised to take a page from the research and strategically focused branding approach of nearby Shaoxing which I blogged about several weeks ago.

Newcastle, Australia Rebrands With Comprehensive Brand Strategy

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with Simon McArthur, the Tourism and Economic Development Manager for Newcastle City Council, Australia. I wanted to gain some insights into how their work for the Brand Newcastle project is coming along.

An aspect that caught my attention was their product development focus to ensure that the city delivers on its brand promise. Central to this is attracting and reinvigorating events (many associated with the beach and sports), the opening of the Newcastle Museum, the development of innovative harbor tours, and City Evolutions which will feature digital projections on buildings and lit moving sculptures that interpret some of the key stories that formed and rebuilt the city. The next phase is likely to feature a function center overlooking the beach, a coastal spa, regional convention and exhibition center, new hotels and expansions to Newcastle Airport. Another interesting feature is the plan to rebrand several of the city's key suburbs and visitor precincts such as Hamilton and Downtown Newcastle.

“This rebranding will enable us to consistently promote a more contemporary view of the city - a genuine, ever-changing, vibrant and energetic place that is home to hardworking people and world-class industries,” Simon McArthur said.

Newcastle is attempting to shed its long established ‘Steel City’ image with a comprehensive rebranding program.  This includes a new logo and tagline (See Change) as well as increased promotions through tourism websites, brochures and signage. The city has also installed sixteen visitor information kiosks throughout the city, in lieu of operating a traditional tourist information center.

An Irish Boost for a Visitor Information Center

At a time when destination management organizations (DMO) worldwide are evaluating the role of their visitor information centers (VIC), I was surprised to see in the Irish Examiner that a VIC in Ireland is looking to double its visitation. 

It seems that the The Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre in Tullamore is to be redeveloped with the aim of doubling its annual visitor numbers to 40,000. I then discovered that it was to be developed in a once bonded warehouse for Tullamore Dew whiskey. Tullamore Dew is currently the second largest Irish whiskey brand in the world, selling more than 8.5m bottles annually.

Visitor information centers work best when they are located in precincts that directly link them to the community’s key experiences. Could it be that their strategy to double visitor numbers is linked to free samples of Tullamore Dew?

New Destination Video Sings the Praises of Brand Vancouver

Tourism Vancouver’s new destination film takes an innovative approach in projecting the city’s brand messages using multiple platforms. Central to the film is the original music of local band Watasun and their song, “It’s You… Vancouver”.

Watasun is a Vancouver-based duo that fuses urban beats with traditional folk sounds. One-time buskers on Vancouver’s Granville Street, singer/songwriter Adam Bailie and percussionist Reid Hendry now record, produce and sell their own albums, taking inspiration from everyday experiences in the city.

Throughout the three-minute video, the duo perform their catchy tune while making appearances in, near or atop iconic Vancouver attractions. It’s nice to see a destination really trying to make all of its brand communications distinctive and authentic – and hopefully exposing a few locals to a larger audience.

Connecticut Develops a New Brand Strategy, Quickly

Connecticut is one of those states that people think they know, but have extreme difficulty in naming what to do there as a visitor. Beyond some brand associations such as financial and insurance companies, rich people and Yale University, not much comes to mind for many people. I have always seen it as a place with a fascinating history, idyllic small towns and certainly part of the New England experience.  It’s good to see that after several years of virtually no tourism marketing, the government is now investing in tourism again.

The Day.com reports that the first actions are establishing a brand strategy for the state and identify its strongest positioning. Randy Fiveash, director of the Connecticut Office of Tourism , said “The branding initiative, which normally would be an eight- to nine-month process, has been condensed to a three to four month period in order to hit the ground running with a state tourism campaign this Spring.”

It’s great to see the state recommence its tourism marketing programs by re-evaluating its brand positioning and platform. This is being done through local consultation and perceptions research in external markets. My concern is that three or four months is insufficient time to develop a genuine destination brand strategy for a place as complex as a state and will only result in little more than a tagline and theme for an advertising campaign created in a rush for a launch in the Spring. If so, let's hope they are looking to complete the strategy after the ads are released.

England's North East Tourism Secures Its Brand Equity

Well-developed place brand strategies can falter for a wide variety of reasons.  Some of the most common pitfalls can relate to a lack of funds for consistent implementation or changes to the structure and emphasis of the lead organization.

An interesting situation has been resolved in North East England, where their successful destination branding strategy was under threat because the lead organization One North East is due to close in March due to government cuts. The Passionate People Passionate Places campaign was launched in 2005 by One North East. The region’s tourism industry was very loyal to the brand and recognized its value to business i.e. its brand equity. Importantly, they didn’t want to contemplate life without the brand.

BBC reports that the Passionate People Passionate Places intellectual property and brand elements have been purchased by NewcastleGateshead Initiative on behalf of their tourism partners across the North East for £2,500.  It’s good to see that the region can capitalize on its hard-earned brand equity and ensure that it continues to deliver for them.  This highlights our conistent point that a destination brand is not owned by the DMO but its stakeholders and residents.

Santa Monica’s Place Brand Ambassadors Take to the Streets

While visiting Los Angeles over the weekend, I took a walk through Downtown Santa Monica to see the latest additions to Third Street Promenade.  I used to live nearby and over the past twenty years I’ve enjoyed observing the evolution of this lively precinct.

What caught my eye this time were several very well-uniformed, enthusiastic people who were located strategically throughout the precinct as “Downtown Ambassadors”. They were proactively greeting visitors in a very friendly way, and seemed to be well trained and genuinely enjoying what they were doing. I discovered that there are approximately forty of the ambassadors, with eight usually rostered for weekends throughout Downtown.  I was also impressed to learn that they are paid and not volunteers.  Their uniforms were sharp, well suited to the beach environment (and the Santa Monica destination brand), and clearly identified them as being there to help visitors.  There was also a small visitor information kiosk located conspicuously in the center of this pedestrian street – staffed by a live person!

At a time when many DMOs and communities are wondering about the future role of their visitor information centers, Santa Monica is solving the problem where people need assistance – in the pedestrian precinct. I have no doubt that this is contributing toward extending Santa Monica’s lengths of stay and holding and dispersing people throughout the neighborhood, as well as contributing toward increased satisfaction and return visits – all the while reinforcing the Santa Monica brand – the essence of California lifestyle. A wise investment!

I realize that other communities conduct programs like this, but this is one of the best I have seen. I also appreciate that not all places can adopt this approach because they do not have the critical mass of visitors within a precinct.  Several things impressed me, but most of all it’s the commitment, consistency, professionalism and resources dedicated to this program. So big props to Bayside District Corporation and the team at Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau.  I’d really like to hear of similar programs in other cities or towns.

Tampa Bay Considers Increased Brand Focus

Tampa Bay FL seems to be finding its way onto the national stage more and more in recent years. In 2009 it hosted the Super Bowl (it has hosted the event four times), and later this year it will be front and center for the Republican National Convention.

The area’s rapid growth and publicity is causing some to consider the need to develop a brand strategy and clear brand promise. Tampa Bay Online observes, “(What’s) tougher to figure out is the Bay area's brand promise - a clear message about what the area offers”. Kelly Miller, the new chief of Tampa Bay & Co, the local DMO, says "Tampa doesn't have one".

Miller adds, “New Orleans and Las Vegas make sure everyone involved in local tourism knows what the city stands for, down to cab drivers who recommend attractions.”

If Miller can recreate the brand awareness and focus for Tampa Bay that Asheville NC has been able to achieve, then it might help lift Tampa Bay to the next tier of American cities.

IMage: Ybor City, Tampa Bay

Know Any Interesting Place Branding Examples?

I am currently sourcing place branding examples for an updated and revised edition of my book, Destination Branding for Small Cities, which will be published in early 2012.

I am particularly interested in identifying small cities and regions that have handled an element of their brand planning and development process in an interesting way.  For instance, in cases where a place may have conducted its stakeholder consultation, research, strategy development, positioning, outreach, experience delivery or other actions in a noteworthy manner. Alternatively, there may be places that have approached difficult challenges in their rebranding.  I am looking for both successful and unsuccessful stories which could provide interesting lessons for other places.

In recognition of the international interest in the first book, I am seeking examples
from places around the world. If you have suggestions, I’d be delighted to receive them.  If you have any questions or ideas, please send them to me at billb@  destinationbranding.com.

BP Ads Increase Awareness of the Gulf Coast with New Audiences

 

The response of the many DMOs and Cities along the Gulf Coast to the oil spill last year and their collaboration with BP will possibly be studied in future tourism and marketing courses as a case study in crisis communications excellence. We were able to see some of the preparations and response first hand while working in Gulf Shores AL a few months ago. 

This week KATC3 reported that BP has announced a new television spot, titled "Best Season." The spot highlights 2011 as the best tourism season in years - despite a sluggish national economy - and will be part of an integrated television, online and social media campaign. The campaign will bring the Gulf Coast to the attention of many potential new visitors around the country who might not normally have considered the region – or have even been aware of its appeal.

This integrated campaign has been able to weave together the interests of several major beach destinations across three states that are usually competitors and has them focused on increasing the brand awareness and desirability of the Gulf Coast as a destination brand. Combined with the introduction of several major tourism developments, the end result may well be that the Gulf Coast becomes established in many new markets around the country.

Despite the Economy Travel Passion is Unquenchable

Another survey, this time by Cheapflights.com shows how important holiday travel is to US travelers despite the current state of the economy. The survey revealed that travel is an unquenchable passion for Americans, as an overwhelming 80 percent of the 8,092 respondents say they have cut back their expenses in other areas to protect their travel budget.

“Our research clearly shows that Americans are still eager for a vacation getaway and will make room in their budgets, even if it means cutting down on other expenses to fit in their travel plans,” said Lauren Sullivan at Cheapflights.com.

This is reinforced by recent visitor statistics for Florida and Las Vegas where both have enjoyed increased visitor numbers. Visit Florida reports that tourism was up five percent in the third quarter. They also reported that the leisure-and-hospitality sector added more than 50,000 jobs in the third quarter compared to a year ago. 

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority claims nineteen straight months of increased visitor counts. The LVCVA reports that just as the tourism industry recovered first in past recessions, they're counting on tourism to lead southern Nevada out of the current economic slump.

U.S. Travel Association shows that travel and tourism bucked the national trend in October and added 11,000 jobs for the month, accounting for more than 1 in 8 of the total jobs created last month and was the biggest increase since June.

Tourism jobs are frequently face-to-face jobs and cannot be easily outsourced to other places. Tourism spending is also a great boost to small businesses and Main Streets.

While we are seeing tourism gaining recognition in many communities for its economic contribution, other places are slipping even further behind. Many of those that are being hurt and losing market share are those that felt slashing their tourism budget and their tourism organization was the best response to the recession. This is a time when investment is needed, otherwise they will continue to lose market share at a time when Americans are demonstrating that taking vacations and getaways are essential to them and international arrivals are on the rise.

New Mexico Discovers It’s Image Problem

“Snooze. Close to Arizona. Arid and barren. Dull. Artsy. Dreamcatchers. Not a lot of activity”.  Those were among responses from focus group members in Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles who were asked what comes to mind when New Mexico is mentioned according to State Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson.  Speaking to The New Mexican, she said that the research highlights that New Mexico suffers from an image problem and that potential visitors don't know much about what the state offers.

Jacobson said the department is working to come up with a "magnetic" brand for the state as a tourist destination, something she said would be more than a logo. She talked about trying to brand the state with such themes as "adventure steeped in rich culture" and "the destination that feeds the soul." The department has issued a request for proposals for an ad agency and will issue one for a public relations firm.

Much of the campaign will focus on adventure, she said, but not necessarily thrill-seeking. The state needs to emphasize the adventures in its art, its Native American and Spanish cultures, its outdoor activities and its unique food, she added.

I hope that before they jump to the advertising and public relations agencies, they take the time to develop a true brand strategy that will define the brand platform and develop the blueprint to generate support for product development and stakeholder implementation.

Alberta Launches Stunning Brand Advertising Campaign

 Differentiated and compelling experiences and emotional connections are the hallmarks of strong destination brands. The brand advertising campaign recently launched by Travel Alberta displays these hot buttons in excellent fashion. Travel Alberta unveiled several visually stunning and emotive television spots that are full of the usual icons - mountains, horses, cowboys and skiers –but they were filmed and paced to allow viewers to share in the emotion of the experience. Some stunning work and the tagline, "remember to breathe" is so appropriate.

Alberta’s new tourism brand is the result of an 18-month process which included consultation with industry stakeholders representing all regions of the province as well as opinion research with frequent travelers in Alberta’s target tourism markets in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia/Pacific.

Though Travel Alberta has had logos, slogans and brand promises before, this is its first overall tourism brand, said CEO Bruce Okabe. “And not having a brand in this competitive market is like going into a street fight with one arm tied behind your back.” I couldn’t agree more. However, it’s one thing to have a brand strategy; it’s another thing altogether to execute it brilliantly! Mind you, it does help when you have a place as stunning as Alberta.

Minneapolis Launches “City by Nature” Brand

Meet Minneapolis, the organization contracted by the City of Minneapolis to market the city has unveiled its new strategy for positioning the city as an attractive convention and visitor destination.  The tagline is “City by Nature” and seeks to capitalize on Minneapolis’ natural environment.

KARE 11 Television reports that the State tourism organization, Explore Minnesota is also conducting research for a statewide re-branding. "We hope to have a state brand and a narrative soon," says John Edman, the Director of Explore Minnesota Tourism. "People around the country only know about our weather, we need to change that. People look back to that TIME magazine with (former governor) Wendell Anderson on the cover, holding up that fish and talking about the good life," says Edman. "We need to get back to that."

Destination brand positioning based on nature is a fairly crowded field. The new positioning for Minneapolis immediately reminded me of Seattle’s MetroNatural, but without the edginess. I am also not sure if it goes very far enough toward addressing the overwhelming negative perception that they are trying to combat of being regarding as having a very cold climate.  It will be interesting to see approach taken by Explore Minnesota on behalf of the state.

How the Past Five Years Really Have Changed Travel Marketing Forever

No doubt many of you can tell stories about when you started your career and there were no fax machines, personal computers or websites to aid your marketing. The travel and tourism industries have expanded massively over the past thirty years aided by technological innovations that have introduced new and more efficient communication channels at an amazing rate.

When we try to recall the changes that have taken place in travel and tourism marketing we might like to consider a span of ten or twenty years. An excellent article on the UK website, Travolution points out the dizzying changes that have occurred during just the past five years. It’s a very interesting recap of where we are today and provides a hint of where we may be heading.

There was a time when we spoke of the new digital frontier. Now there seems to be new frontiers within the frontiers! Exciting times!

Will the New Tanzania Brand Overlook its Greatest Assets?

Over the past decade the East African nation of Tanzania has been grappling with its brand strategy and its slogan has changed several times to where it is currently, “Tanzania: The Land of Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and the Serengeti.”  Earlier this year the Tanzania Tourist Board presented a new slogan for public comment: “Tanzania: Feel Great with Friends”.

I have been a great fan of Tanzania since I was a kid and the place was known as Tanganyika. Just the name of the place would have been enough for me to pack my bags.  The recently announced brand strategy is to be based on the country’s friendly people and beauty. I feel that the slogan in capturing this is selling this amazing country way short. The same can be said of many other African destinations.

Tanzania features Ngorongoro Crater, regarded by some as the Eighth Wonder of the World, Mount Kilimanjaro - the highest free-standing mountain in the world, Selous Game Reserve - the largest game reserve in Africa, famous Serengeti National Park - boasting over five million big African annimals, plus the island of Zanzibar. This is not to forget Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile and the largest lake in Africa, as well as Lake Tanganyika, the deepest and the longest lake in Africa. And they want to base their brand on friendly people. The Tanzanians are extremely friendly, however it is the above attributes that are drawing visitors. 

Europeans, Americans and Asians have plenty of places to visit that are a lot closer to home where they will find friendly people. But they won’t find Ngorongoro Crater, Kilimanjaro, Selous, Serengeti and Zanzibar anywhere else but Tanzania!

Tanzania Tourist Board is seeking comments or new slogans by September 30. I get the strong sense that they are really focusing on a new slogan that will keep locals happy and not a true brand strategy. Otherwise, they would not be randomly calling for new slogans. The slogan must be the product of a strategic process and be derived from the brand promise and essence. Tanzania has a distinctive competitive identity and basing its brand on something as generic as friendliness really sells this amazing country way short.

Capetown Recognizes the Brand-building Value of Residents

While the residents of many large cities think they know their city very well, they are often stumped when they’re hosting out of town friends and family. Not enough cities try to harness the power of their residents as potential brand ambassadors to invite and host friends and relatives in their city. Cape Town, South Africa is very much aware of these benefits and for the third year will host My Cape Town, a month-long celebration of the city for residents and a chance to be a tourist in their own city.

The My Cape Town campaign is coordinated by Cape Town Tourism in partnership with brand ambassadorsmajor attractions like Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, Cape Point, City Sightseeing and many other city attractions, all of which encourage locals to experience their city as a tourist, and through new eyes. Cape Town Tourism will give away $US 50,000 worth of vouchers to the city’s attractions through competitions on local radio stations and newspapers.

 “Many Capetonians believe that because they’ve lived here all their lives they know the city like the back of their hand, and they have experienced much of what our city has to offer, but that’s not to say that a diverse, ever-changing city like ours won’t surprise every now and then! And still, there are many locals that have never been to the top of Table Mountain or to Robben Island. September is the month to do it and My Cape Town provides them with the opportunity to truly know and love your city,” said Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism.

It’s a great initiative and one that could easily be replicated by many other cities and regions.

Does Tucson AZ Need a More Compelling and Meaningful Identity?

Nicholas K. Smith, is a journalist from Tucson AZ now living in Vienna, Austria. He takes a very critical view of the image and reputation of his former city in an article in Inside Tucson Business. He advocates that Tucson needs to present a unified vision of why Tucson matters.

While I think that he may be a bit hard on his former hometown, he does raise some very relevant issues. It is interesting to note that his complaints do not relate so much to how the city is promoted, but instead go to the reality of the city and how locals project it. His critique highlights the responsibility for the brand identity of a city, or any place for that matter, cannot reside on the desk of the tourism officials alone. He points to the lack of distinctive landmarks, stories or symbols that make it easy for people to draw positive associations about the place.

The Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau does prominently feature the saguaro cactus as an integral part of its brand communications. While these are valid symbols or icons for the area, the city may need to develop other distinctive attributes that add greater richness and relevance for people when they are exposed to the name, Tucson.  While the saguaro is evocative and distinctive on one hand, it can also depict a place that is barren – and well, a desert. There are dimensions of the city’s brand identity that should resonate beyond tourists and are not necessarily the responsibility of the Bureau.

Developing a compelling and sustainable place brand involves much more than the tourism office and needs to also reside in the offices of the mayor, elected officials and community leaders. For Tucson, it goes to the heart of what the city wants to be “when it grows up”. Rarely is this type of challenge a short term project. It takes vision and a long-term commitment that must span political parties and the terms of officials.  In order to address how the physical persona of places shape their identity, I am seeing links starting to develop between the practices of place branding and urban design. I will be blogging on this subject within the next few weeks.

If the views of Nicholas Smith are correct, then the challenge for Tucson is to make the identity and image of the city a prime consideration for community leaders and not leave it to the campaigns of the Convention & Visitors Bureau alone.

St. Kitts Unveils New Brand Identity

The St. Kitts Tourism Authority has announced their new brand identity which includes a new logo, tagline and an update of its web site.

The new logo features an elegant script with an open-heart shaped signature graphic and a new tagline that encourages potential visitors to “follow your heart” to the island. The color pallet was inspired by the colors in St. Kitts’ natural landscape.

The new branding serves as the basis for the website redesign and has also been rolled out in a new cruise magazine, official social media accounts, e-newsletters, wedding flyers, tradeshow backdrops and banners, and will continue to appear on new materials as they are produced.

Some nice work, but I don't get the sense that it has clearly differentiated St. Kitts from competitor destinations in the Caribbean. This is the ongoing challenge for Caribbean islands needing to build a distinctive brand identity that captures the essence of the place.

Zambia’s Branding Effort Again Bypasses Distinctive Positioning

Which African nation can best support the slogan, Let’s Explore? I think that it’s a pretty hard choice. For a start, just about every one of Zambia’s competitors could claim it, yet that’s the new slogan that Zambia will be using. Let’s Explore Zambia replaces Zambia the Real Africa which has lead its marketing efforts for 30 years.

The Lusaka Times reports that World Bank senior private sector development specialist Marie Sheppard said Zambia’s new brand is a creative innovation that will attract more tourists from across the globe. She said the World Bank was one of the partners the Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) engaged to create a new brand for the sector.

In January I blogged about Zambia’s brand development becoming mired in a beauty contest in which stakeholders were trying to decide between various tagline options. I remarked that they should actually be researching consumers, then debating and agreeing on the strongest positioning possible and rallying support behind it, before making the common mistake of taking the shortcut to Tagline and Logoville, without going through the tough neighborhood of Positioning. It doesn’t come more bland and generic than Let’s Explore. This is so disappointing because Zambia is a much better destination than this effort represents. Although, the good news is that they have continued to use Victoria Falls prominently in the logo.

Mixed Reaction to the Name Change for Cape Fear Coast

Name changes are one of the most controversial and trickiest aspects of place branding. The Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau has discovered this challenge in proposing to change the destination name to Wilmington. River District and Island Beaches. The region has been previously marketed as Cape Fear Coast.

Star News reports that several months ago, officials representing beach communities told tourism officials they wanted a brand that more clearly identified beach towns. The change has not been greeted enthusiastically by some community leaders or by some visitors. The community leaders want to see their town names and the visitors miss the appeal of Cape Fear because of the movies of that name, the original from 1962 and the remake in 1991.

Name changes demand thorough research, careful consideration and consultation, and rarely present an easy solution – this one is no exception.

California Greets the Royals With Timely Travel Advertising and a Cuppa’

 Timing is everything. So kudos to the California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC) for their timing in launching a new "Three Days Isn't Enough" national television Advertising campaign inviting the royal couple and visitors across the country to explore California. While the commercial is inspired by Will and Kate’s first official U.S. appearance (July 8-10), the scenes actually highlight what the couple won’t have time to do during their three days in California.

“California is big enough to hold several small European countries, so three days simply isn’t enough for the royal couple – or any traveler – to experience everything the state has to offer,“ said Caroline Beteta, CTTC President and CEO. “We know the Duke and Duchess are here on official business and have a productive schedule ahead of them in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, yet we couldn’t pass up this golden opportunity to point out what they could do with more time in California. We welcome them to return, and we also invite travelers to take – better yet, enter to win – their own Royal California Holiday.”

Even if the ads don't encourage them to stay longer, Californians from San Diego to the North Coast will gather on the morning of July 8th to raise their tea cups in a statewide toast, celebrating the Duke and Duchess’s arrival to the Golden State.

If that doesn’t work, then maybe a few warm beers might do the trick! But I tend to think that the ads will be good enough to lure them back for another visit.

Can One Person Strengthen Ireland’s Tourism Brand?

The Irish tourism brand is well and truly centered on the country’s friendly people. However, one resident of Dublin felt that his city was not doing its best to live up to its promise and make visitors as welcome as they should. So Trevor White created the City of a Thousand Welcomes, a new Dublin tourism project that started last month.

Trevor’s idea is simple: encourage local volunteer “ambassadors’’ to meet with visitors and take them for a free cup of tea or a pint. He was hoping that 1,000 ambassadors would join. To date, more than 2,000 have signed up, including a number of prominent residents, such as presidential candidate David Norris and writer David McWilliams.

This is a great story and an idea that could be replicated worldwide. You can read about it here. Given the power of word of mouth and social media, I think Trevor is on a winner. This may prove to be one of the most potent and successful investments that Fáilte Ireland and the Dublin City Council will make in tourism.

Chicago’s “Second to None” Slogan Comes in Second

After launching its new slogan “Second to None”, the Chicago Convention & Visitors Bureau has found itself in second place in claiming the line.  It seems that the second largest city in Illinois, Aurora has been using the line “A City Second to None” since 2005. 

The Daily Herald reports that Aurora mayor Tom Weisner being a good sport said he is flattered by the bureau's imitation of his city's slogan, but Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau officials say the words best fit Chicago.

“Perhaps it's not totally original,” Weisner said. “But they're borrowing our slogan, which simply tells us that, indeed, we are ‘Second to None' if we have a big city like Chicago copying one of their smaller neighbors.”

I really have to wonder how thoroughly the existing use of destination slogans and taglines are researched before being introduced.

Is It Time For A Fresh Look at DMO Performance Metrics? : Part 2

This is the second part of this article. The first was posted yesterday.

"And what about our clients, the meeting planners? Because their attendees have discovered the interweb thingy, they’re booking outside the block, convinced that they’re getting a better deal. This results in planners only generating a fraction of the true room pick up in order to avoid penalty charges from hotels. Thus, a true 1,000 room night piece of business is now booked at 600 because a meeting planner doesn’t want to get stuck. And, just how does that impact room night measurements?

Even more troubling is that 70% of DMOs are measured on hotel occupancy. WTF? Are crappy beds, dirty hotels and bed bugs our responsibility? How can DMOs be measured on whether hotels reinvest in their properties to remain competitive and focus on the highest standard of customer service?

Where are the measurements of “intent to visit” or “intent to book?” Isn’t that what DMOs do? Create the intent...and then make it easy to consume?

Room nights will always be an interesting “indicator” of a DMO’s success (and a key marker for sales staff productivity)...but it cannot be the primary organizational measure. Somehow, we must, as an industry, come together to change the measurements that have been foisted upon us and create realistic measures for what our DMOs do for our communities.

I don’t profess to have the answers, but I know that, collectively, this whip smart industry does. So, here’s my suggestion. Let’s find time in conference corridors and over meals to discuss this with each other.”

 Once again, Bill raises some very interesting points which I am sure will be thoroughly debated. It is certainly time to get beyond stale metrics based on hotel bookings or the number of visitors.