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.

Indigenous Tourism Brings the Challenge to Do the Right Thing

I recently came across an article by Anita Mendiratta in eTurbo News in which she outlined the importance and influence of indigenous people in tourism development. Importantly, Anita provided great advice for tourism organizations wanting to integrate indigenous people into their destination development. She highlighted how they are the truest guardians of the history, folklore, traditions, arts, culture, natural environments, ideology, spirituality and sensibilities.

Anita said, “Worldwide, indigenous peoples are 370 million strong – almost 5% of the world’s population. Living in over 70 countries across the globe, they cover over 20% of the surface of the Earth. They reach across over 5000 different groups of peoples, and speak approximately 4000 different languages. This global community, which embraces peoples from the Aboriginals to the Zulu, the Masai, the Mayan, the Mohican, and the Maori, the Bedouin, the Bushmen, and thousands of other communities – are the heartbeat of a nation. And for the global tourism community committed to the growth and development of nations, they are invaluable. In so many ways, it is the indigenous community that has become the litmus test of the industry’s ability to ‘keep it real’.”

Around the world there are both positive and negative examples of indigenous people in tourism. The article identifies critical issues and suggests approaches to ensure that participants are treated with dignity and the experiences that showcase traditional art, dance, music, cuisine, language, storytelling, and other features of the lives of indigenous people are grounded in authenticity, with objectives for the long term sustainability of the culture. Sadly, these are not always at play.

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.

Ad Featuring Argentinian Nationalism Upsets Britain

 

Tapping resident pride and patriotism is often one of the objectives of national branding efforts. The Olympic Games provide an environment in which many countries try to project their national identity in ways that will aid their economic development, advance polical objectives and boost national self esteem. However, it seems as though Argentina may have gone a tad too far in advancing its geo-political and self esteem objectives in a commercial run on local television.

The ad that features Argentinian Fernando Zylberberg, a star field-hockey player, training for the London 2012 Olympics in the Falkland Islands (the two countries fought a brief war over in 1982). The islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory, with the United Kingdom responsible for their defense and foreign affairs. The voice-over in the ad says, "to compete on English soil, we train on Argentine soil"  as Zylberberg is seen running, exercising and even climbing over a British World War I memorial.

The International Olympic Committee denounced the ad and said that it sent a letter to Argentina’s national Olympic committee saying the games should not be part of a political platform.

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Are London Games Logo and Mascots The Worst Ever?

It didn’t take this article in The Atlantic Cities to cause me to wonder if the London Olympic logo and mascots are the worst in Olympic history. From the time the logo was launched in 2005 I saw that we would be in for an interesting ride with other designs to follow. Olympic logos need to be quirky and not predictable and they should cause people to think differently about the host city and nation.

While the London Games are winning kudos for its organization, the logo and mascots have drawn ridicule over the past two years.

I agree that the logo looks like it was dropped on the floor and I think the mascots look like rejects from a kids television show.

 What do you think?

Nice Job America!

 

How do you create the first brand advertising campaign for a country that has around 100% brand recognition and abundant national icons that are known globally? Oh, and it has fifty states that compete with each other and it’s not exactly popular in many places around the world. That was the task for Brand USA.

I think they have done a great job in the first of the television ads created for a global launch featuring the song “Land of Dreams” written and performed by Rosanne Cash, daughter of Johnny Cash and June Carter. What I like is that the ad projects experiential themes, is multicultural, has great music and doesn’t dwell on any of the icons or self-serving themes that national branding efforts sometimes fall into.

Brand USA, the public/private entity charged with increasing America’s share of international visitors, will invest $12.3 million in TV, the Internet, billboards, print advertising and social media beginning May 1 in the U.K., Canada and Japan. A second wave will include Brazil and South Korea, with several other markets to follow.

I look forward to the next installment.

Is it Possible to Successfully Rebrand or Reposition Nigeria?

Several prominent Nigerians are fueling a debate regarding the need for Nigeria to address its negative international image which is negatively impacting all regions of the country and every aspect of the economy.  They spoke at a recent event for the launch of a book by Chief Austin Nonyelim Izagbo, “Re-branding Nigeria: Leadership and the National Image Project”.

Interestingly, they suggested tackling graft, providing social amenities, increasing security, poor management of resources and improving the standard of living of citizens.

It was refreshing to see the brutal honesty of some of the officials. According to Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, who said “Leaders are often misadvised and misdirected because 99 per cent of those who approach them are sycophants, who rarely tell them the truth.” Wow! One of the essentials for successful place brands is that they must be founded on truth and devoid of self-delusion. It is truth telling like this that must be followed, otherwise Nigeria will make zero progress in addressing its image problems.

It will be very interesting to see whether they will be able to introduce the changes to cultural behavior, resource allocations and political priorities necessary to truly rebrand Nigeria.

India’s Brand Awareness Increases Need for Rural Tourism Development

The Incredible India marketing campaign launched in 2002 has increased brand awareness for India as a global destination. Despite its outstanding cultural and natural tourism assets, its development in rural areas has been patchy because of shortfalls in infrastructure and service standards. Major steps are underway to address these situations

The 2022-12 Annual Report of the Indian Ministry of Tourism reports that the Ministry has approved 160 tourism projects worth approximately $160 million, mainly in rural areas. The Ministry has given special focus to the development of important destinations and circuit routes through approval of fifty-three mega projects. Mega projects are a mix of cultural, heritage, spiritual and eco-tourism attractions. Priority is also being given to projects involving construction and upkeep of wayside amenities along highways/roads leading to tourist destinations, cleanliness at tourism sites and development of tourism in rural areas.

A study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Yes Bank identifies the positive influence that the “Incredible India” marketing campaign has had on rural areas. It recommends that there should be increased focus on capacity building in regard to human resources in key rural areas. It suggests programs to address service-oriented needs, citing this as a major reason why Indian tourism falters in some regional areas. It also highlights the need to train entrepreneurs. "Rural entrepreneurs, in recent times, have proved to be the success story of the emerging Indian economy, and provided that a clear direction is given, they can very well champion the cause of sustainable tourism models." The study also recommends conserving tradition and values, besides ensuring infrastructure development.

Several decades ago, China was referred to as “the sleeping giant”. Considering the vast tourism appeal of India I think that in tourism terms, the title aptly applies to India, and particularly many of its rural areas.

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!

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.

Australia Re-positions for Education Markets

While there may be strong reasons for nations and cities to create an overarching brand that will embrace tourism, investment and education, it’s not always possible to define a single brand platform that will be sufficiently potent to meet the diverse needs of their target audiences. It can be done, but one always needs to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach which is based on a series of compromises and moves the focus off customer hot buttons and onto points of commonality that are not distinctive, meaningful or compelling to those audiences. In some cases politics and turf protection can work against efforts to develop a competitive and viable brand strategy for each part of the nation or city’s marketing portfolio.

The challenge of establishing a national brand that will resonate with target audiences comprising visitors, students, investors and new residents is highlighted in an article by Stephen Matchett in The Australian.  He outlines how Austrade, the organization responsible for the marketing of Australia as an international study destination has launched a new campaign Future Unlimited. This campaign involves the repositioning of Australia for the international education markets and downplays the lifestyle and tourism strengths of the country that have been at the heart of the nation’s brand strategy. Instead the new focus will be on the quality of the educational institutions and the programs being offered.

Austrade executive Quentin Stevenson-Perks told The Australian, “People looking at investing time and money in education don’t want to come and look at kangaroos. They want a qualification recognized by governments and employers. Future Unlimited is much more than destination marketing.”

What’s The Difference Between Brand Image and Brand Identity?

We receive many questions and requests for advice from city leaders, practitioners and students around the world. I have decided to start sharing some of these requests and our responses with readers of this blog.  Here is an email from Marc a tourism marketing student in South Africa, “I see materials that use the terms ‘brand image’ and ‘brand identity’ as if they are the same thing. Can you please clarify their meanings, and if they are the same thing. Additionally, how does this relate to cities and tourism destinations?”

 Marc, the terms ‘image’ and ‘identity’ are often confused. Brand image relates to how the brand is perceived from the customer’s point of view, while brand identity is the unique set of visual, auditory and other stimuli that express the brand and shapes its image.  Each must be deeply rooted in the foundations of the brand.  Think of brand identity as being like the identity of a friend, comprised of his or her name, appearance, personality, speech, ethnicity, and personal style among many other elements.  Image, on the other hand, comes from the external view and in this context relates to what people may think of your friend. It is their perceptions and therefore their reality of who that person is and what they represent.

Strong brands are built on trust. There must be alignment between what the brand promises and the reality of the actual experience. If the two are out of sync the brand will not be sustainable unless there are plans - and resources - to bridge the gap. In the case of a city, if its performance is of a high standard and its image is bad or non-existent, then it has a deficient brand strategy and may need increased or more accurate communications.

A city has a real image challenge when people outside of it do not accurately know the reality of the place. The imbalance between the internal identity and the external image of many places limits their development. This often happens when the city is projecting itself as one thing, but the reality is much different. For example, the city promotes itself as a place for romantic beach getaways, but visitors find that restaurant service is a nightmare, hotels are substandard, and that after-hour beach walkways are hard to find or poorly lit. Strong, successful brands don’t display this kind of dissonance. Destination managers must constantly monitor customer satisfaction and “test drive” the services and experiences in their own city to ensure that they the images matches the reality and is aligned with the promises that they are making.

Can Mexico Re-brand itself?

While many regions in Mexico are important international visitor destinations, the nation has been the focus of intense global media coverage of the drug cartels, violence, murder and kidnappings. These are hardly the most attractive tourism messages for the country. An added problem is that these negative images are rubbing off on areas that are unaffected by this type of criminal activity. This is a case of some areas being guilty by association and thus suffering negative impacts.

I read with interest a BBC article that Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has called in Simon Anholt, a British expert on country branding, for advice. Anholt produced a detailed report on Mexico's image for the President which concluded that Mexico had "an already weak and in some cases badly flawed reputation" which was "undergoing a further downward correction" (because of the crime wave).

My suggestion for Mexico is to rebuild its international reputation with “sub-brand” strategies focused on its priority regions and cities, rather than on the overall Mexican nation brand. For example Cozumel and the Yucatan Peninsula do not seem to have the same image and crime problems as say, some of the nation’s border states. Maybe it needs a multi-speed approach to addressing the country’s brand image by building on its strengths and where the product does deliver excellent customer experiences.

An Epidemic of Anemic City Taglines

In recent weeks I have seen what must be an epidemic of anemic and insipid taglines that had me reaching for the quote that my colleague Tom Buncle at Yellow Railroad in Scotland gave me for my forthcoming book. Here it is…

“Taglines are brilliant when they are inspired, convey a destination’s benefits succinctly in a way that evokes the essence of the place, and could be nowhere else. It helps too if they say something new to you and say it in a way that grabs you, make you smile or think “yeah, that’s nicely put”  i.e. impactful, memorable and, usually containing one strong idea. But mostly they fail spectacularly. And how much money has been wasted with expensive agencies generating mediocre calls to action in insipid taglines?”

Buncle adds, “The risk is that a destination looks amateurish and hick if it tries too hard and fails to come up with a compelling tagline – in which case no tagline at all is better than an embarrassingly lame one that patronizes consumers – and residents. If you can’t come up with the Holy Grail of a killer tagline, use a descriptive one or one that anchors the place in a single powerful idea, e.g. Angus: Scotland’s Birthplace or Innsbruck: Capital of the Alps which at least paints a picture of your destination, or be brave and don’t have one. In other words trust your product, get your brand and marketing right, and treat consumers as potential visitors who want to be inspired and informed, but not patronized.” 

These are wise words that every place, committee, leader and firm should read before they start a place branding assignment.

Disney/Pixar in Cooperative Marketing Link with VisitScotland

A global marketing campaign promoting Scottish tourism will be based around the launch of Disney/Pixar's forthcoming animated film, Brave to be released in August.  The film is set in the Scottish Highlands and features the voices of Scottish personalities Billy Connolly and Craig Ferguson. VisitScotland will invest £7m in the campaign which will be its biggest yet, and the first time that Disney has linked up with a country's tourism organization on such a large scale.

VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay told the BBC,"This is an incredible opportunity to extend the reach of VisitScotland's marketing activity across the world. This film will be shown in more than 70 countries and will give us the opportunity to convert cinema goers into visitors in the biggest campaign VisitScotland has ever launched.”

While many destinations have benefited from being the setting for movies, the majority of places leave it to the movie alone to convey the attractiveness of it as a tourism destination. Another option is to leverage the short-lived opportunity presented by the publicity for the initial cinema and video releases of the movie. One of the best examples of this integration that I have seen in recent years was the global integrated marketing campaign launched by Tourism Australia in conjunction with The Movie Australia.    VisitScotland would be well advised to take a leaf from Tourism Australia’s marketing plan. 

With Vanishing Storytellers Morocco Loses Part of Its National Identity

There are two elements of a place brand that can add greatly to its competitive edge and distinctiveness. These are authenticity and storytelling. Marrakech, Morocco is a place that instantly evokes exotic images for many people.

Morocco is one of the last places in the world where storytelling still exists as a public entertainment and adds to its exotic authenticity. But it is quickly dying out. Richard Hamilton is the author of The Last Storytellers: Tales from the Heart of Morocco and has an fascinating article in “New Africa Analysis” about the vanishing storytellers of Marrakech.

The storytellers have been part of an informal education system in the country where the illiteracy rate is forty percent. Oral tales were therefore the best way for people to understand the world. In the 1970s there were eighteen storytellers in Marrakech, now there are less than half a dozen and they are all old men, with no apprentices. The country’s young population is turning instead to television and the internet.

UNESCO did have plans to record the stories on its website. It was ironic that technology which had been the storytellers’ killer, could turn out to be their savior, but sadly this project has lost momentum. If these storytellers disappear Morocco will lose part of its national identity and Marrakech part of its authenticity. And since the stories have universal themes, they are the world’s inheritance and we will all be poorer with their passing.

Disney Keeps Living the Brand, While Relaxing Some Grooming Rules

Walt Disney said, “You can dream and create the most wonderful place in the world, but it takes passionate people to make the dream a reality.” Walt recognized that if Frontierland, Main Street, and the Pirates of the Caribbean were going to delight millions of guests it would take dedicated, skilled, trained, and enthusiastic cast members to create the “Happiest Place on Earth”. It would also require that their dress and grooming standards be strictly set and followed for decades.

Most employers impose a dress code to keep things professional around the office. But Disney goes one step further, requiring its staff to maintain what it calls a “clean, natural, polished” look that steers clear of “cutting edge trends or extreme styles.” The company disallows things like visible tattoos or body piercings on its cast members. But now, The Daily Beast reports that Disney is relaxing a little bit by lifting its 55-year ban on beards. The article runs down some of the company’s more unusual rules and regulations for employees. No trendy eye glasses, colored hair, tats, piercings, long fingernails, goatees or moustaches.

I can just imagine the disappointment of some of the seven dwarves, the bad witch in Cinderella, Merlin, Captain Hook and Geppetto if they had to apply for a job through the HR department. And didn’t Walt have a moustache? But then, that’s what makes Disneyland different and I don’t think we would like it as much if everything was the same as in the outside world.

This is all part of the escape that the Disney brand represents, and the cast members are simply living the brand.

All That Glitters Isn’t Always Olympic Gold

One of the first things that I learned in researching tourism strategies in conjunction with the Sydney 2000 Olympics is that the world’s biggest sporting event is not necessarily a boon for all tourism operators or nearby destinations. In fact, it can be an extremely quiet period for them.

Firstly, the “Olympic family” fills many hotels before and during the Games, thus dislocating the normal flow of visitors to the host city, sometimes for months in advance. This includes both leisure and business travelers who will find rooms hard to come by. In turn this can mean that local attractions, restaurants and nearby destinations experience a downturn in visitation. Then during the Games, most of the accommodation is taken by people involved with the event as officials, athlete families, sponsors, media and event attendees. Again, their attention is on the Olympic events, possibly from early morning to late at night. And residents may be inclined to watch the event on television or in public venues rather than visit domestic destinations and local attractions.

In the meantime, many tour operators and domestic tourism destinations find that there’s no gold in it for them. The Daily Telegraph reports that a survey by the European Tour Operators Association of 38 different travel companies - responsible for bringing a total of two million overseas tourists to London each year - revealed that bookings for travel during the 2012 Olympics were down 95 per cent year-on-year, while bookings for travel during the rest of the 2012 have fallen by a fifth. The Olympics do however provide an outstanding opportunity for countries and host cities to take advantage of the unprecedented media coverage to add new dimensions to its brand identity. Something that Visit Britain is working hard to achieve.

What’s the Difference Between Branding and Marketing?

We receive many emails from city leaders, practitioners and students around the world. I have decided to start sharing some of the responses with readers of this blog. 

My first is an email from Sharon at a chamber of commerce on the East Coast of the USA, “Some members of our Board are confused about the difference between branding and marketing a city. I am finding it hard to explain. Can you help me?”

Sharon, your Board members are not alone in their confusion because I often hear dicussions where the terms “branding” and “marketing” are mistakenly used interchangeably. They shouldn’t be. There are distinct differences.

City branding provides a framework for organizing, differentiating and focusing around the city's competitive and distinctive identity to ensure that its messages and experiences are as distinct, compelling, and rewarding as possible. Most importantly, it is a promise that must be grounded in truth and reality.

Marketing comprises the processes and actions for communications, product development, pricing, and promotions directed toward facilitating transactions with end customers. It involves conveying the brand strategy elements such as positioning, personality, core experiences and tone of voice.

On one hand, branding is long-term and strategic. Marketing is supposed to be strategic (or at least should be), but it is usually short-term and mainly tactical.  Brands are distinctive, where marketing isn’t.

Marketing is a part of branding. Not the other way around. And marketing alone can’t build your city’s brand. Branding requires that you orchestrate the on-brand actions by a wide variety of stakeholders and partners to ensure that you deliver the promise that has been made.  In essence, marketing is what enables you to communicate your brand messages or promise to customers, while branding relates to your competitive identity and how you keep the promise.

Scotland Launches Year of Culture Advertising Campaign

VisitScotland has launched a new television ad to mark the start of a year-long celebration of the nation’s culture and creativity. The video, voiced by television historian Neil Oliver, is part of VisitScotland’s Surprise Yourself campaign which the organization said generated additional tourism income of £90 million for the Scottish economy last year.

The ad features everything from fireworks at the Edinburgh International Festival to a Northern Lights display, a performance of Macbeth and a Robert Burns storytelling session. And not a set of bagpipes or kilt in sight!

Frank Gehry Weaves More Architectural Magic for City Brands

Bilbao (Spain) is a Basque port city that has a long history stretching from medieval times. But it was  Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum that enabled the city to gain international acclaim. This was the result of city leaders wanting to reposition the place as a second-tier world city - a bold objective for a city that was regarded as a rust belt city. The engagement of Gehry, a stunning new museum and $110 million later, Bilbao has enjoyed a Cinderella-like transformation.

Atlantic Cities magazine has an interesting interview with Gehry and his views on the urban impact of his architecture and how architects can play a stronger role in creating better cities. Gehry says, “The professionals that know my work consider me a contextualist because I spend a lot of time thinking about the environment that I’m working in. I try to respect the neighboring buildings, and not to overpower them or talk down to them. You might not like the building that’s next to you, but it’s there. You don’t criticize the building, but in your actions make a continuum. So I try to do that”.

Gehry's next iconic building will be the stunning Guggenheim designed for Abu Dhabi due to open in 2015. This will be after the Louve’s opening in Abu Dhabi in 2013. No doubt the Gehry magic will work for the repositioning of Abu Dhabi as well.

Apocalypse Tourism. Really?

Happy New Year!

In recent years there has been a drumbeat of fear, even on The History Channel, about the coming “apocalypse” caused by the ending of the Mayan Calendar on December 21, 2012.  No doubt that drumbeat will only accelerate in coming months as people see ways to capitalize on the fear generated by the approach of December.

The enterprising national tourism offices of Central America have announced that they are not letting the chance go by without inviting visitors to experience the Mayan sites throughout the region.

In recent weeks I was on a Caribbean cruise with my family and one of our excursions was to the Mayan ruins at Tulum (Mexico). We had an excellent guide who fielded all kinds of questions, including plenty about the ending of the Mayan Calendar.  He repeatedly told us that the Mayans believe that life never ends as it’s a cycle of renewal. He also said that the Mayan Calendar is never-ending and that the ending of the calendar in December also marks the start of a new calendar. What a relief! 

So that’s one less thing we have to worry about in 2012. Now we have to concentrate on the economy. And seeing that it won’t all end in December, I had better get back to writing my book.

So rest easy my friends, and have a great doomsday-free 2012!

Iceland President’s Very Personal Invitation

One of the essentials for successful place branding is to gain the endorsement and support of the highest level political and business leaders. Iceland has gone one step further than gaining endorsement and is directly engaging the President and other national leaders in the nation’s latest tourism marketing program.

Last week Iceland's president, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson invited tourists into his own home for traditional Icelandic pancakes with whipped cream and rhubarb jam as his contribution to the tourism promotion, "Accept Iceland's Invitation". The program calls for Icelanders to welcome visitors into their homes to enjoy unique experiences only Iceland can offer.

Participating in the campaign, Visit Iceland added, are several other high profile Icelanders including the Mayor of Reykjavik who is inviting guests to dine on sushi made from fresh Icelandic seafood.

With so many political leaders around the world just giving “lip service” to tourism, it’s good to see the level of engagement that Visit Iceland has been able to encourage among many of its politicians, as well as business leaders and celebrities. Although, I'm sure there are plenty of places that would like to keep their elected officials a long way from extending hospitality to their visitors!

Hello Kitty-Painted Aircraft a Sign of The Times?

There was a time when national carriers were very important to the diplomacy and promotion of their home countries. They carried the national flags and the mail to far flung corners of the planet.  The sight of Pan Am, Lufthansa, Qantas and KLM aircraft were important statements about their host nations and their influence in the world. The nation of origin of carriers was an important point of difference in generating sales in foreign markets.  But things have changed.

Concierge.com reports that Taiwan’s EVA Air will celebrate its 20th Anniversary by introducing three Hello Kitty-painted A330 aircraft. Hello Kitty is a Japanese-owned trademark which generates over $1 billion annually in international sales. This is another interesting example of the power of consumer brands, globalization and the diminished role of airlines in projecting national identity - and their comoditization. It’s interesting that a Taiwanese carrier and not a Japanese airline is using japan's Hello Kitty.  

With national identity being of less importance and co-branding on the rise, it might be fun to see an airline embrace The Family Guy, The Simpsons or South Park. That is so long as the characters don’t inspire the service standards!

Opportunities for Rwanda and Uganda to Turn the Page on Negatives

The New Times reports that the Rwandan tourism industry is looking toward the release of the country’s first brand strategy in 2012. It is anticipated that the brand will be the very much centered on the opportunities to observe gorillas in the wild.

The strategy is going to be important to engage small communities throughout the country and will provide opportunities for them to expand the services and quality of experiences offered by local tour operators and hotels. Kabera Callixte the Rector of Rwanda Tourism University College, said that institutions have embarked on training professional and skilled personnel to address the issues of poor customer care and inadequate service delivery. He added, “there is the need to train more people to handle customers, especially providing basic skills to supervisors and customer care staff,” he said.

Rwanda’s tourism officials would be well advised to learn from the experience of Uganda where the country’s image is still shaped by Idi Amin, the devastation of HIV Aids, war, and corruption rather than it being the land of the Nile or the land of the Mountain Gorillas, or as the Pearl of Africa as Winston Churchill referred to it. Despite having many very positive tourism credentials, Uganda has not adopted an approach to overcome its negatives. As a result the country has underperformed in international tourism and the benefits it can bring to local communities.

I hope that Rwanda and Uganda can both develop brand strategies, then systematically and consistently implement them.  Otherwise, the images of both of these beautiful countries will continue to be dominated by perceptions of the negative aspects of their past.

What are The World’s Leading Creative Class Countries?

The research and books of Richard Florida have caused many cities to reappraise their approach toward attracting creative workers. Creative class jobs are generally acknowledged as those in the fields of science, technology, and engineering; business, management and finance; design and architecture; arts, culture, entertainment, and media; law, healthcare, and education.

While most of his research has been devoted to cities in the USA, Florida in an article for The Atlantic ranks the top Creative Class countries.

At the top of the list is Singapore, followed by the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Germany. Interestingly, the USA was in  27th spot, with Russia coming in higher at 20th, but China was at 75th.

Florida notes, “economists have long regarded human capital- basically the level of skill and education across a population - as a key factor, if not the key factor, driving economic prosperity and rising living standards. Many have noted that America’s declining educational performance and dependence on foreign talent pose substantial threats to its long run of economic competitiveness”. On this basis, I don’t think that we will be seeing China content to sit at 75^th for very long. On the other hand, the USA cannot afford to slip further down the rankings because this impacts every city in America trying to enhance its capacity as a place for innovation and creativity.

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!

Expert Panel Discusses Place Branding Mistakes

I recently participated as a member of a place branding panel interviewed by Inna Imas from Pleon Talan PR Agency for a Ukrainian magazine. You can find the article here. I was honored to be included on the panel with so many acclaimed thought-leaders in place branding from around the world including Simon Anholt, Robert Govers, Teemu Moilanen, and Joao Freire.

The questions posed to us mainly related to the mistakes and pitfalls that cities and destinations should try to avoid.  I particularly liked the comments by Oliver Loode, Managing Partner at Con-sumetric, tourism development and place marketing consultant. He said, “Any place that attempts to repair its image via a face-lift while not addressing root causes of its poor or weak image will fail. It would be equivalent of Zimbabwe launching an image campaign without improving the human rights situation first. While it may be a convenient thing to do and it may even have some limited success, overall such superficial attempts are bound to fail.”

It’s interesting to see that the place branding pitfalls and mistakes are similar no matter the country the panel members were representing.

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.

Are We Ready for Affluent Chinese Visitors?

One of the changing dynamics in international tourism is the emergence of China as a source market for western countries. For example, about fifteen years ago there were only a few thousand Chinese visitors to Australia. This year, there will be 273,000 with a 20% annual growth rate to make it Australia’s #3 country source market. This dynamic is repeated in many countries around the world.

As new and larger markets emerge in China, Inside Retail questions whether the world’s multinational hotels, airlines and luxury retailers are prepared to handle the needs and expectations of China’s growing number of affluent travelers.

Travel experts in China say western hotels, airlines, restaurants and luxury retailers in Asia, the US and Europe are not ready to cope with the increase of Chinese tourists heading their way.

According to the World Tourism Organization, 66 million Chinese will travel overseas in 2011, a 15 per cent increase over last year and by 2020 that number will have soared to 100 million.

The rising number of Chinese travelers “will completely change the face of tourism,” especially in the hottest destinations for Chinese travelers, New York and Las Vegas, says Pierre Gervois, president and CEO of China Elite Focus, which specializes in affluent Chinese outbound tourism.

I think that in another decade the need to better cater to Chinese visitors is going to extend far beyond major cities and will be an issue that many regions and small cities will have to address.

Against The Odds, Greek Tourism is Winning

eTurbo News reports good news for many of the small communities and islands throughout Greece where tourism is holding up well for them, despite the country’s economic woes.  Greece is set to record a double digit increase in visitors for the period January to July. No doubt, the turmoil in some of the “Arab Spring” countries has benefited Greece, but it’s good to see that tourism is playing a positive role in cushioning the impact of some of the government’s austerity measures.

According to Federation of Greek Tourism Enterprises, the biggest increase in foreign arrivals was recorded by the island of Rhodes with an increase of 28%, and the other islands of the Dodecanese, including Kos, with an increase of 26%, while substantial increases were also recorded on the island of Crete, and in Thessaloniki.

This visitor spending at a local level in small businesses quickly finds its way into the economy and starts circulating, thus fueling more growth. Let’s hope that Greece can sustain their healthy growth, and that tourism for the “Arab  Spring” countries can also rebound.