Small City Branding Around the World

Final Blog on this Site

This is the final blog by Bill Baker and TDM on this Typepad site. All future blogs will be
at the TDM website

http://www.destinationbranding.com/blog

Be sure to register to receive the series of free PDF e-books titled ‘Branding Small Cities’ by TDM. 

The series tackles many of the issues facing tourism leaders and government officials when launching and managing a branding initiative. Each e-book is a hands-on toolkit that tackles a different topic related to destination branding of places. The series covers:

1. Introduction to small city and place branding
2. Why bother with branding cities?
3. Why does city branding need a strategic and long-term focus?
4. What’s needed for a city’s brand journey?
5. How should you manage your community branding process?
6. How can you reveal your city’s most potent brand positioning?
7. What are the secrets to a successful logo design?
8. What are the keys to winning taglines?
9. How do you deploy a destination brand?
10. What is branded wayfinding for cities and destinations?

While the series is titled ‘Branding Small Cities’ the ideas and advice can be just as readily applied to regions, counties, scenic byways, Main Streets, heritage districts, suburbs, destinations and neighborhoods – and even states and nations.

Register here to receive the series. 

The Mayor Doesn’t Own Your City’s Brand!

Last week I was reminded of the fragility of place brands and how they need to foster deep community roots from the start of their brand planning process. The marketing manager of a small destination marketing organization (DMO) told me that his city had completed a brand strategy during the past two years which had been well received. But with the election of a new mayor, they had abandoned the strategy. Fortunately, this was not one of our clients.

This discussion brought home to me that from time to time people who are essential to the vitality of a destination brand move on. The result can be that their replacement wants to “do things their way”. It goes without saying that community-based brands have to be built following a highly consultative and transparent process - along with broad buy-in and a shared sense of ownership.

The brand does not belong to any one person or organization. And a new mayor should not be empowered to arbitrarily reject a strategy that community members and key stakeholders contributed considerable blood, sweat and tears in defining. The marketing manager told me that there is now deep cynicism and aversion among stakeholders and staff toward starting a new brand planning process just two years after the last effort.  

The mayor doesn't realize that a place brand is more than the logo he didn't like and it belongs to everyone in the community to a greater or lesser extent. It should never be established in such a way that it is reliant on one individual – even if they are Mayor.

Sponsored by: Book:  Destination Branding for Small Cities

What’s Involved in Destination Leadership Success?

I was delighted to recently receive a copy of my friend Bill Geist’s new book, ‘Destination Leadership’. I found his last book of the same name to hold so many epiphanies in regard to understanding and responding to the challenges that face DMOs. 

I’m delighted to say that this edition again hits the mark time and again. It makes sense of much of the landscape that DMOs are dealing with. It helps that Bill has several decades experience working with over 200 DMOs to provide him with real world insights.   

‘Destination Leadership’ shows how to build the most effective DMO, structure and Board for today’s destinations. He explores the nexus between economic development and tourism, and how places can orchestrate the greatest synergy from them. I found his advice on creating and managing the DMO Board to be particularly important for successful destination leadership. He also points the way for recruiting the best and brightest to the Board.

This is the ideal book for DMO staff, executives, board members and key stakeholders, as well students, academics and government officials wanting to better understand how to introduce and sustain successful tourism organizations of all sizes.

Will Hudson Yards Totally Disrupt Midtown Manhattan?

A recent article in Institutional Investor is a timely reminder that every place, no matter its size or popularity, must always keep an eye over its ‘shoulder’ for unexpected competitors and threats. Midtown Manhattan would seem to be on an unassailable high with new buildings, iconic tenants, millions of visitors and soaring real estate prices. But, amazingly 60% of Manhattan’s buildings are over 50 years of age making the city’s commercial real estate much older than cities like London and Beijing.

But there is a new city rising on the west side of the Manhattan. Hudson Yards is about to disrupt Manhattan as a place to live, work and play. Hudson Yards is the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States and the largest development in New York City since Rockefeller Center

Hudson Yards will consist of 16 skyscrapers containing new office, residential, and retail space. Among its components will be a huge retail center with two levels of restaurants, cafes, markets and bars, a hotel, a cultural space, performing arts center, a 750-seat school, and huge public open park space. It’s designed as a ‘playground’ for Millennials.

Many iconic commercial tenants are planning to vacant marquee buildings for Hudson Yards. While Hudson Yards will be a significant competitor to Midtown as a trendy and modern alternative for commercial and residential real estate, Midtown will remain a formidable tourism destination because of its iconic attractions and neighborhoods.

This is a great reminder that every place, no matter its size or popularity, must constantly innovate, invest and stay on watch for tomorrow’s unexpected competitor.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

The Logo Bureaucrats Run Amok in NSW.

Place and destination branding is tricky at the best of times. Among the ever-present challenge is managing the possible influence of politics and the whim of politicians and bureaucrats.

The Sydney Herald reports that the tourism industry, and especially the attractions owned by the Government of New South Wales (NSW) Australia, were blindsided last month by an announcement from the State's Premier (equivalent to Governor) that the state’s government-owned attractions must all ditch their individual logos and replace them with the State Government logo which is the State flower, the Waratah.

These include the world famous Sydney Opera House, Taronga Park, Sydney Olympic Park, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Australian Museum and many more. Each of these enterprises is competing in highly competitive markets i.e. they must have a very strong customer focus.

While logos aren’t brands, they do play a valuable role as identifiers to distinguish entities and provide the foundation for their distinctive visual identity or look. A point of concern in the NSW directive was that the government logo was needed to "ensure consistency across public sector communications and improve the recognition of NSW government projects".

Who do they think is their customer?

Was there any consumer research conducted to test this idea?

What about other elements of their visual identity?

The greatest ‘head-scratcher’ was the statement by the spokesperson that the cost of the exercise would be "minimal" because the ‘Waratah’ was an existing logo and it could do so as part of routine communications updates. Seriously? What about wayfinding systems, websites, brochures, uniforms and vehicles that still have plenty of use? That means there will be multiple designs in use at the same time.

A logo should act as a cue for thoughts and feelings that people hold about the entity. In this case, someone should tell the NSW Premier that NOBODY is traveling to experience NSW government departments and that all of these entities do not share the same brand essence as government departments.

Fortunately, logos are only one part of any marketing toolkit. But this is a very worrying example of bureaucratic interference in the serious business of destination marketing.

What’s the Difference Between Branding and Marketing?

We receive many emails from city leaders, practitioners and students around the world. From time to time we share some of the responses with readers. 

I had 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 e xplain. Can you help me?”

Sharon, your Board members are not alone in their confusion because I often hear discussions 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 your city's competitive and distinctive identity to ensure that its messages and experiences are as distinct, compelling, and rewarding as possible. Most importantly, it’s a promise that must be grounded in truth and reality.

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

We can consider branding as long-term and strategic, while marketing is supposed to be strategic (or at least should be), it is usually short-term and mainly tactical.  Brands are distinctive, where marketing isn’t.

You can consider marketing as being a part of branding. Not the other way around. And marketing alone can’t build your city’s brand. 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.

Which Towns Have The Most Unfortunate Names? And Does it Matter?

The name of a place is the most powerful part of its identity. It has often been said that being introduced to a brand is like meeting a person. Their name is important - it’s how we remember them, make associations, and refer to them. It’s as if there is a filing cabinet in our brains where we keep everything relevant to that name. When we hear London, Paris or Saigon, we recall the many pieces of information, thoughts and feelings large and small, that we have assembled about each over the years, even if we have never been there.

I recall that in a survey a few years ago, Toad Suck, Arkansas, was voted America’s “most embarrassing or unfortunate” town-name, in a global poll. It beat Climax in Georgia, Boring in Oregon (and its namesake in Maryland) and Hooker in Oklahoma in a poll of almost 2,000 people by findmypast.com.

The web site and its global network of partner sites asked users in seven English-speaking countries (U.S., UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) to pick from its own shortlist of 11 unfortunate or embarrassing American town- and place-names. True, it’s not the worst thing you might unearth when tracing your ancestry. But some people are disconcerted to learn that their forebears came from somewhere called, for example, Toad Suck, Roachtown or Monkey’s Eyebrow.”

However, rather than feel embarrassed, residents of many towns with unfortunate names embrace their odd names with pride, have a laugh and use them as a feature to promote their towns. Of course, Intercourse PA has done that for decades. Boring OR and Dull Scotland have proclaimed "Boring and Dull Day in Perpetuity" in honor of the two communities. In today’s stressed and over-worked society the prospect of visiting places that embrace boring and dull might actually have some appeal to it. It might create some interesting economic development opportunities for visionary leaders. Make no mistake though - capitalizing on their unusual names will take more than providing a humorous photo-op with local town signs.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

A City's Brand Strategy Isn’t a Magic Wand!

I recently had a conversation with the president of Midwest DMO at a conference who was being pressured by some of his lodging partners because the community’s brand strategy, which had been revealed three months earlier, had not generated an increase in business for them. While we at TDM didn’t develop this strategy, it did seem to be a fairly robust and credible brand they had launched.

While there may be some short-term increases in visitation, the real benefits of branding won’t be apparent overnight. If this DMO wanted to increase heads in beds, perhaps they should have invested more in their tactical marketing and sales. Even then, it may take time to break through the clutter of competing messages, build awareness and convert interest into actual bookings, unless they are offering deep discounts.

We are living in an era in which some brands like Uber and Air B&B have become household names virtually overnight. On the other hand, others have soared and then crashed just as quickly. Do you remember World Football League, Webvan.com and eToys.com? Cities are different. Their identity and image has usually been established over a very long period, in some cases hundreds of years. They almost always have small marketing budgets, need to overcome generations of preconceived thoughts and opinions, and must mobilize myriad stakeholders, many of whom are competitors, to adopt and use the brand accurately and consistently.

The benefits from city branding, if done well, are considerable. The article, “What are the Benefits of Place Branding?” provides more insights into why the benefits of city branding do not materialize overnight. From the outset, you must be sure that the objectives are clear and realistic, programs are well funded and that there is an understanding of what branding is and isn’t. This includes ensuring that no one expects a magic wand. And when the brand strategy is finally launched, that’s when the hard work really begins.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

 

Welcome Signs Show How Many Places Are Out of Touch

Welcome signs can play an important role in the marketing and branding of cities. They not only provide a sense of arrival, but also communicate a welcome to travelers and can signal that the place is ready for them. They can also serve to convey the distinctive identity of the place and why it may be of interest to prospective visitors and new residents. One of the most famous of course is the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign which was erected on what was then the outskirts of The Strip in 1959. 

CityLab has assembled a slide show of some of his favorite welcome signs around the USA. I think that Mark must have quite a sense of humor. Some are funny, some interesting, but unfortunately many of them reflect small towns that are totally out of touch with the needs and interests of prospective visitors and new residents.

At a time when places of all sizes are locked in competition for their economic well-being, I found myself looking at many of the signs and asking “who would care?”  The signs reminded me that cities of all sizes in the next decade will have to work much harder at marketing themselves and developing a competitive identity than they have done in the past. Their audiences are becoming more discerning and demanding and their competitors are increasing and becoming more sophisticated. There are so many other choices.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Place Branding: What’s the Difference Between Theory and Practice?

I was honored to recently speak at the Inaugural International Place Branding Association Conference in London. This was a very stimulating and informative event with academics and professionals involved in the principles and practices of brand development and brand management for places (cities, regions, nations and destinations).

With such an eclectic audience, the focus of my presentation was on the differences between theory and practice in place branding. To start my presentation, I borrowed from the German statesman Otto von Bismarck who said, “politics is the art of the possible, the attainable … the art of the next best”. I believe that because politics and place branding are so inextricably linked we can easily substitute “place branding” for “politics” in von Bismarck’s statement.

Some of the main points of the presentation were:

1. The #1 challenge in place branding is the lack of understanding and awareness of what it is and how to utilize it successfully.

2. Good theory should be simplified to underpin and improve practice.

3. Our peers are not our clients: We must focus on the practicalities of what will be understood, valued, implemented and  sustainable for our clients.

4. Words have meaning. There needs to be a clearer and better defined vocabulary used by clients, practitioners and academics in regard to place branding.

5. While it may sound great in theory, an overarching brand for a city isn’t always possible. There may be power and budget struggles within the city with no agreement as to who should lead the branding effort. At the same time, there may be different budgets, objectives, customer hot buttons, control and silos in competition to influence the project.

6. Projects may involve balancing many conflicting and competitive interests within the location.

All of these points help validate the view that “place branding is the art of the possible, the attainable … the art of the next best”.

Or you may prefer Yogi Berra’s take, “In theory, there’s no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is!”

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Avoid a Place Branding Headache: Don’t Hire a Painter if You Need an Architect

I used to think that positioning was the trickiest part of place and destination branding. However, I now believe that getting the RFP or Expression of Interest, scope of work and agency selection processes right in the first place are probably the most problematic and can most easily send a place branding project off the rails from the start.

Many communities do not fully understand the nuances of place branding and are somewhat tentative and imprecise in how they ask for the services required to undertake the process. Or they have been misled into thinking that all they need is a new logo, tagline or advertising campaign theme. This view has been verified in recent months as we notice a steady flow of poor outcomes for communities. They announce weak or bland positioning and cheerleading taglines that are only designed to make locals feel warm and fuzzy, but are doomed to fail with external audiences.

We have seen situations where advertising, web design and communications agencies have successfully pitched for the development of place branding strategies. Unfortunately, few of these agencies have any tourism, placemaking, community development or city brand planning credentials, but that didn’t stop them from being appointed to their first jobs in the field. Branding is strategic!

Yes, creativity and designs are important. But more important is establishing a strategic guidance toolkit to inform your operations, communications and experience delivery. We have even seen cases where cities have simultaneously issued RFPs for web design and brand planning. Of course, they then merged their requirements and selected what they considered to be the best agency to tackle the combined assignments. That’s right. The painter will design the house as well as paint it!

Here is an article in our Library, (Don’t Hire a Painter if You Need an Architect) provides good advice, which, along with the blog by Derrick Daye of the Blake Project provides some valuable considerations for communities about to start their brand planning.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Do Billboards Destroy Community Character?

Project for Public Spaces has highlighted an excellent article in the Planning Commissioners Journal (PCJ) by Ed McMahon, who is a Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute. Ed is a nationally renowned authority and speaker on sustainable development, land conservation, and urban design.

In his PCJ article, McMahon argues that billboards are not only unsightly, but damage community character. He also responds to arguments commonly heard in favor of allowing billboards.

McMahon claims that “in a relatively short time, outdoor advertising has gone from from small and folksy to huge and intrusive. We have now entered the era of digital billboards – huge outdoor TV screens wasting energy while degrading the landscape and distracting drivers.”

On a recent drive from Portland to Seattle, I observed the size and attention-grabbing techniques of some of these mega-sized digital billboards. I would add that they may also be a tad more distracting and dangerous for motorists than the passive displays of a few years ago. I think in some cases they are also reshaping the identities of the communities that have these displays along their corridors. I’m with Vermont, Maine, Alaska and Hawaii all of which have banned billboards.

I don’t hate commercialism, I just prefer nature and attractive communities a whole lot more. 

Photo Credit:  Los Angeles Billboard - Flickr photo by Awecelia

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

It Takes a Culture of Collaboration to Deliver a Place Brand

Early this year, we conducted a Tourism Assessment Review for a small city that discovered that its tourism performance was declining. This was an attractive small city with an historic downtown that had successfully established a state-wide reputation as a destination for antique shoppers. However, our research soon revealed that in addition to facing increased competition from online antique stores, the city’s antique stores were falling short of the “antiques capital” reputation.

It didn’t take long to realize that antique store owners were disconnected and totally focused on their own businesses, making little or no effort for cooperation and collaboration with other businesses or civic organizations. In fact, most store owners did not speak to each other and simply regarded the others as competitors. It seems that over time stores were sold and new owners came in and rested on their laurels in the belief that the city’s reputation as a favored antiques destination would sustain itself without any effort on their behalf. They didn’t realize that the reputation was created by the totality of antiques-related experiences in downtown.

This assignment carried several lessons for the city’s tourism performance. Firstly, the Internet can be a positive and a negative force for some destinations.  Secondly, sustaining a city’s brand identity, whether it has been formalized in a documented strategy or not, requires a concerted effort to collaborate, innovate and manage the promised visitor experience by everyone associated with the downtown.

Even though a downtown may have attractive architecture and well stocked stores, it’s the attitudes of residents and business owners that determine whether a place has a special sense of place and can elicit a sense of loyalty from visitors.  And once the culture of collaboration is successfully established, there must be a conscious effort to “pass the baton” to the next generation of merchants. As for being competitors, the merchants need look no further than a food court or freeway interchange to see fierce competitors working together to create a bigger “pie” so that they can all get larger slices.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

 

Showing Why Nation Branding Matters

The Olympic Games provide an interesting backdrop to observe an alternate competition between nations that isn’t happening on the playing field but in the court of public opinion. It seems that each Olympiad brings ever more intensive efforts to leverage the spotlight to gain recognition and enhance the image of nations in regard to tourism, trade and public diplomacy.

Nation branding and marketing were on display over the past weeks from the Japanese Prime Minister appearing at the closing ceremony to present Japan as cool and tech while dressed as Nintendo’s Super Mario, the Ethiopian marathon runner drawing attention to the persecution of the Oromo people in his country, to the black eye that the reputation of the USA received with the exploits of Ryan Lochte. And not to mention the panorama and iconic views of Rio broadcast to the world.

Nation branding is now firmly on the radar of the esteemed Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Wharton marketing professor David Reibstein has collaborated with U.S. News & World Report to produce the Best Countries Rankings. Reibstein has also produced a series of articles exploring the many facets of nation branding and why it matters. For the report, Reibstein and colleagues surveyed more than 16,000 global citizens on 65 different national attributes.

Just as Nike, Adidas and Puma are locked in brand battles at the Olympics, I am sure that future Olympiads will see more intensive competition between nations building their brands to establish their relevance, reputation and respect as international players.

I can’t wait to see what other costumes Japan’s high profile brand ambassadors will wear in 2020.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Oregon’s Ice Age Tourism Assets

My destination consulting colleagues and I often remark that residents of a city often don’t see what’s right in front of us when it comes to their city’s hidden tourism strengths. Well, on this occasion I must confess my guilt. A few years ago, I worked on a small project for the Historical Society in Tualatin, the small city where I live outside of Portland, OR. 

My assignment was to determine how the city can take advantage of the locally excavated remains of Ice Age animals such as mastodons and giant sloths, and promote how the great Ice Age Floods shaped the local landscape.

Despite having developed tourism strategies for nations, regions and cities, and even the Olympic Games, this is one of the most surprising and fascinating projects that I have ever worked on – and it’s right in my own backyard. And like much of the local population I had no clue about the Ice Age Floods. 

The Floods were one of the most cataclysmic events ever to happen in North America. They flooded Tualatin to a depth of about 350 feet and resulted in several geological phenomena that are still visible today.

A four state trail named the Ice Age Floods Trail has been established by Congress and will be administered by the National Park Service. As the Trail is developed over the next decade, I’m sure that Ice Age tourism will be a term that we will add to our tourism dictionaries.

The lesson for me is that sometimes you have to dig deep to find a city’s tourism assets, other times they come as part of a trend or as in Tualatin’s case, a small group of passionate scientists, academics and residents who have a great idea whose time has come.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Sponsored by Place Branding Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

Fifteen Ways to Protect Your City's Identity

Duke University, Durham

While many places can’t get past believing that their logo or tagline is their brand, Durham has done a stellar job in shaping and protecting its identity and image. The Durham CVB has paid close attention to the ways in which their city brand can be diluted and lose equity.

Total Destination Marketing developed the original brand strategy for the Durham and during the process we quickly recognized that the city had several unique challenges. For instance, the name of the city was frequently bracketed with the nearby Raleigh i.e. Raleigh-Durham and many important locations and organizations within Durham were frequently credited as being in Raleigh.

Reyn Bowman is the former President of Durham CVB and was extremely pro-active in addressing the key touchpoints that were essential to defining and protecting the Durham brand. Fifteen of these have been captured by Reyn in his blog Bull City Mutterings where he outlines steps that Durham NC has taken to protect and shape its identity and image.

Reyn says that his tips “involve some heavy lifting and they aren’t as much fun as just placing some ads or booking some conferences. But they are as much or more important."

"Think of it this way:  A little courage, determination and resilience can substitute for millions of dollars in promotion and advertising.  Think of it another way.  No amount of promotion and advertising can overcome the damage that inattention to these areas can create,” Reyn added.

I couldn’t agree more. It makes little sense to double down on marketing communications when there are serious leakages in brand equity that are going unattended.

Posted by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

Top 5 Place Branding Books to Read in 2016

 

I was pleasantly surprised and very honored to recently see my book listed as a "must read". Just in time for Northern Hemisphere summer break, Place Brand Observer (PBO) has released a list of the Top 5 Place Branding books to read in 2016. Their list contains books recommended by place brand experts in PBO interviews.

The role of PlaceBrandObserver.com is to build bridges between place branding thinkers, shakers and doers, and to provide useful information, research insights and examples of credible, authentic place brands and responsible, sustainable branding, promotion and positioning of cities, regions, countries, nations, and destinations. In a nutshell they're a great source of information on place branding.

The books they listed are:

Top 1: Rethinking Place Branding: Comprehensive Brand Development for Cities and Regions. Edited by Mihalis Kavaratzis, Gary Warnaby, Gregory Ashworth (2014, Springer)

Top 2: Nation Branding, Concepts, Issue and Practice, Edited by Keith Dinnie (2nd Edition, 2015, Routledge)

Top 3: Destination Branding for Small Cities, By Bill Baker (2012, Creative Leap Books)

Top 4: Places: Identity, Image and Reputation, by Simon Anholt (2009, Palgrave MacMillan)

Top 5: Marketing Places, By Philip Kotler, Ronald Haider, Irving Rein (2002, Free Press)

Now to catch-up on my reading!

Posted by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Chattanooga Leads with Frontline Destination Training

When we conduct a brand audit or tourism assessment 9 times out of 10 participants identify a destination weakness as being the lack of knowledge of the local area by front-line hospitality staff. Despite how many DMOs recognize this as a problem, so very few ever do anything about it.

This week I was delighted to see the great work being undertaken by Chattanooga Visitors Bureau and Phil Bruno at Treat ‘em Right.

Not only has Chattanooga recognized the importance of front line destination training, for 25 years the Chattanooga Visitors Bureau has sponsored a live training event for workers to kick off the summer season.

In early June, 2100 ticket takers, servers, desk clerks and more attended four 60 minute sessions presented by Treat 'em Right Seminars. That's 25% of the 8200 tourism related jobs in the city!

There are so many benefits to a program like this: more satisfied visitors, longer stays, increased revenue, wider dispersal of visitors, increased return visitors and not to mention a stronger cross-selling network between tourism industry partners. 

Well done, Phil Bruno and Chattanooga!

 Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

Google Trekker Brings Oregon Destination Brand to Life

 

I recently posted about how the importance of place brands has not diminished because of the myriad new digital communications platforms. However, the ways that places go about branding has changed. This is perfectly demonstrated by our client Travel Lane County (Oregon) in marketing their destination region, Eugene, Cascades & Coast.

Several years ago we developed the brand strategy for Eugene, Cascades & Coast. Since then, Kari Westland and her team have been really inventive in the ways they have gone about building the destination brand.  

The Eugene, Cascades & Coast brand is founded on the county having Oregon’s most accessible adventure experiences where you can easily find yourself hiking to spectacular waterfalls or endless public beaches, kayaking white water or ocean estuaries, cycling through wine country or on Oregon's best trails.

Travel Lane County is constantly introducing innovative ways to bring the brand to life. Their latest initiative is Google Trekker which harnesses the latest technology, similar to Google's "street view” to make the destination’s abundant pedestrian trails accessible to viewers around the world. The Google Trekker is a backpack system crowned by rotating cameras capturing 360-degree views. The images are stitched together creating a visually immersive experience. When backpacking wasn't an option, they strapped the Google Trekker camera to boats, horses and bicycles.  

Another new initiative is Pinot Bingo. This is a fun, interactive way to tour South Willamette Valley Wine Country. It's easy to play. Visit a winery. Ask them to stamp your bingo card in their numbered space. When you bingo card is full redeem it at the Adventure Center for your prize. I wonder how this can be combined with Google Trekker.

I can't wait to see their next innovations to bring the Eugene, Cascades & Coast brand to life.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

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Benefits of a Brand Audit: The Case of the Poorly Fitting Suits

I have been reading a case study about Malaysia as a destination with global appeal in the book, "Stop Advertising Start Branding: How to Build the Brand That Will Build Your Business" by Marcus Osborne. I was quickly struck by how a comprehensive brand audit can not only fine-tune a destination's brand positioning and platform, but can directly contribute toward major cost savings and efficiency.

The case in point was when Malaysia had been spending about US$7 million per year advertising itself as a shopping destination to the Middle East. The advertising was generating prospective Arab shoppers who went to the stores in Malaysia with pockets full of cash only to find that clothing sizes were too small.  Many visitors from the UAE and Saudi Arabia had been suitably impressed by the design and quality of the clothes on offer, but they had almost all returned home without buying any of this merchandise. The items they liked were designed to fit Malaysians - and both men’s and women’s clothes were too small for the bigger-build of the Middle Eastern visitors.

Unless the Malaysian garment-makers and retailers were prepared to manufacture and carry stock specifically intended for sale to overseas purchasers, the idea of targeting long-haul shoppers from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States was simply never going to work.

The moral is to do thorough research with open-ended questions and carefully match your end products and experiences with target market needs before investing in efforts to demonstrate brand capabilities. And, of course, initiate outreach to key local stakeholders to get their buy-in and input. In this case, the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers who had failed to convince its members to manufacture larger clothing to meet the needs of foreign visitors who may be arriving in large numbers.

It’s a great reminder that a brand is nothing more than a valued and distinctive promise that must be consistently delivered. The Malaysian experience also demonstrates that when it comes to international destination marketing and branding, one size cannot fit all. No pun intended!

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Kindle Version of Stop Advertising Start Branding

New Book: Branded Wayfinding for Destinations

I am pleased to have been asked by my colleague Todd Mayfield at Axia Creative to contribute a chapter to his new book on Branded Wayfinding for Destinations – Successful Places & Public Spaces.

Todd has written the book for organizations such as convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs), community committees, or civic teams that must know the basics about branded wayfinding to enhance the sense of place and the visitor and resident experience in specific locations.

He takes an in-depth look at the art and science of branded wayfinding, how it came to be, and the process required for its successful implementation – and the pitfalls to avoid. Todd examines how wayfinding has evolved into a specialized discipline. He then provides the detailed to help transform a place into a great experience. Importantly, he demonstrates the links between branding and wayfinding, and how committees can get both elements right.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

The Keys to Measuring Place Branding

My colleague, Dr Florian Kaefer at Place Brand Observer wrote an interesting article on evaluating place brands which has been published by fDIntelligence (Financial Times).  Florian presents techniques for a variety measures to monitor and evaluate place branding.

I particularly liked the comment by Mr Boisen from the University of Groningen who said, "in place branding we deal with the overall perception of the place, and there are many factors that influence this perception. A lot of these factors are external, and often beyond the influence of organizations in charge." To simply measure the success of a city brand in terms of bed nights and changes in revenue can distract from the underlying issues influencing demand.

In my book, Destination Branding for Small Cities, I presented some of the criteria and methods to consider when evaluating the brand, beyond the normal visitor performance measures. These include:

Brand adoption by stakeholders: Review commercial, government, cultural and community organizations to gauge the extent of their adoption of the brand - beyond the logo and tagline use. Consider the content and accuracy of brand elements in publications, websites and other communications.

Community pride and brand support: Conduct a survey of residents, businesses, tourism, government organizations. Repeat every two years.

Co-operative support: Track the level of participation in the city’s cooperative marketing.

Customer profiles: Assess shifts in customer profiles and source markets.

Customer satisfaction: Conduct ongoing customer surveys to monitor satisfaction with your experience delivery.

Brand consistency: Review the appearance and content of all marketing materials that project the city including those produced outside of the area, e.g. tour operators, websites.

Media coverage: Monitor the media for use of desired brand messages.

Stakeholder feedback: Survey key stakeholders, partners, and city messengers to review and monitor brand development issues.

Attitudes toward the city: Monitor shifts in customer attitudes, perceptions, and image of the city.

 Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Recommended Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

A Name Change Strengthens Travel Lane County

In 2008, Total Destination Marketing developed the brand strategy for Lane County, Oregon.  This large region embraces the Cascade Mountains, the McKenzie River Valley, stretches of the famed Oregon Coast, as well as the cities of Springfield and Eugene in the Willamette Valley.

Research revealed that Lane County was not readily recognized outside of Oregon and the name did not project it as an attractive destination. I recently caught up to Kari Westlund, President & CEO of Travel Lane County to discuss their name change and how it has impacted their branding and community relations.

Q. Why did you feel it was necessary to introduce a new destination name?

The concept of moving from Lane County to Eugene, Cascades & Coast came from our local stakeholders and customer groups. Our client groups of leisure travelers, convention planners and sports event planners did not know where Lane County or Lane County, Oregon was. Time and again it was not until we would reference Eugene, that clients' would say, "Oh, yes, I've heard of Eugene," or "Oh, yes, that's where the University of Oregon is, right?"

Q. How did you know if you had settled on the most appropriate destination name?

It came from our resident and customer stakeholder group focus sessions during the brand planning research, and the top three were tested by TDM.

Q. Did you encounter any resistance? How did you address this?

Yes, community leaders in Springfield were disappointed. Historically, Eugene-Springfield was commonly used, and our organization was originally the Eugene-Springfield CVB. Even though the immediate transition was from Lane County, they had a sense of loss for Springfield not being included. All community leaders are seeking recognition for their cities, so very transparent conversations leveraging recognition of Eugene for everyone's benefit have taken place since the new brand was launched and will probably continue to take place as we all watch the numbers and economic returns grow. It is a situation where it is logical, and everyone understands it intellectually, but it is still a bit painful emotionally for everyone outside of Eugene.

Q. Why does your DMO name differ from the destination name?

Our lodging tax funding comes from Lane County. We transitioned from the Convention & Visitor Association of Lane County Oregon. We wanted to leave a trail of bread crumbs for residents and customer groups, and we wanted to stay connected to our funder.

Q. What advice can you offer for other cities and regions that are contemplating a destination or DMO name change?

The shorter the better. The clearer, the better. The easier to say and type, the better. Our former name was 27 syllables long, but our new destination name, Eugene, Cascades & Coast also is long, and is difficult to type quickly without a mistake. It does speak clearly to our location and the idea that we have the Cascade Mountains and the Oregon Coast. Shorter and simpler might have been easier to implement, however.

Q. What benefits or results have you obtained because of the name changes?

Stronger destination positioning, increased recognition and increased metrics across measurable response mechanisms.

Q. Has the name change enabled you to accomplish things you would otherwise have not been able to realize?

The process of engaging stakeholders in re-naming the organization and re-positioning the destination was very powerful. We initially set out only to work on our organizational name, but also changed the destination name as well. During the first few years we made many, many presentations to local communities to outline our process, positioning, and brand promise – and how it can work for them. The result is that we are now more connected to our destination stakeholders than ever before.

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The Lane County experience highlights the need to thoroughly engage stakeholders at all stages of a name change process. While there is often no perfect solution, those that are transparent and take the time to engage stakeholders will gain traction much faster than those that simply make an announcement and never get to fully engage stakeholders. They soon learn that it’s hard to win the game when you are starting in negative territory.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Why Isn’t Anyone Supporting our City Brand?

In recent months I fielded calls from two frustrated CEO’s of DMOs, one in Australia and one in the USA with the same question, “why isn’t anyone supporting our new brand?” Both had launched their brands about 3 years ago and were finding that their DMO was the only organization making reference to the brand. Adding to their frustration was that local partners were continuing to dilute their city’s brand message by not focusing on what they considered to be their brand strengths.

It seems that both brands were originally created by agencies that only engaged a small number of stakeholders in the process. Additionally, the DMOs received nothing more than a logo, tagline and guidelines for correctly using the logo and visual identity. Of course these are important parts of the toolkit, but it takes much more than that.

Both locations are now refreshing the brands by developing more robust brand management tools and stakeholder engagement which include:

• Product development and experience delivery sessions to gain their support of partners in bringing the brand to life;
• Partner guidelines for creatively and correctly communicating and using the brand;
• Brand education coaching for staff, partners and marketing vendors;
• Outreach programs to engage, inform and energize partners to use the brand;
• A comprehensive brand manual to aid current and future staff and partners.

The two DMOs I spoke to could have avoided their brand acceptance problems if their original processes had considered the need to generate stakeholder buy-in and support from the very start of the project. At the heart of the problem was the need to have been more alert to avoiding the narrow confines of considering their brand to being simply a logo and tagline. The reality is that successful place brands demand a highly consultative process and ultimately a comprehensive toolkit and outreach that will enable brand managers to rally the support of partners, stimulate the design of brand experiences and foster synergy from across the community.

Sponsored by: Brand Discovery Week

Whose Place Brand is it Anyway?

Last week I was reminded of the fragility of place brands and how they need to foster deep community roots from the start of their brand planning process. The marketing manager of a small destination marketing organization (DMO) told me that his city had completed a brand strategy during the past two years which had been well received. But with the arrival of a new Executive Director, they had abandoned the strategy. Fortunately, this was not one of our clients.

This discussion brought home to me that from time to time pivotal people who are essential to the vitality of a destination brand move on. They might be the head of the tourism organization, elected officials, board members, staff or key partners. The result can be that their replacement wants to “do things their way”.

For this reason, it’s important from the earliest stages to ensure that there is continuity in understanding, knowledge, energy and support in regard to the brand strategy.  Of course, it goes without saying that community brands for destinations have to be built following a highly consultative and transparent process. The brand does not belong to any one person or organization. And a new Executive Director should not be empowered to arbitrarily reject a strategy that community members and key stakeholders were engaged in for about eight months. The marketing manager told me that there is now deep cynicism among stakeholders and staff toward starting a new brand planning process just two years after the last effort.  

A brand strategy is not the same as an advertising or marketing campaign. The advertising should be designed to reflect the brand and will change from time to time. However, the brand should be based on the enduring essence of the place and not be changed as frequently as an advertising theme. It’s a strategic toolkit and needs to be given the opportunity to develop deep roots, resonance and loyalty.

Importantly, a place brand belongs to everyone in the community to a greater or lesser extent. It should never be established in such a way that it is reliant on one individual.

Sponsored by: The Essentials of Small City Branding

Branding a New Region: The Tillamook Coast, Oregon

Last year, TDM was invited to develop brand and tourism strategies for Tillamook County on the acclaimed Oregon Coast. This was an extremely exciting project for us because rarely do we get an opportunity to work with a “blank piece of paper” in a region with such a wealth of tourism assets.

Despite having a scenic coastline of 104 kms (65 miles) that includes vast unspoiled beaches, four bays, nine rivers, three National Wildlife Refuges, six County Parks and ten State Parks, Tillamook County had not been marketed as a unified destination. It also did not have a tourism organization and as a result there was fragmentation in tourism marketing because each community managed its own marketing with no singular regional tourism message.

In January 2014, a countywide lodging tax was introduced which facilitated the development of brand and tourism strategies for the region. It also funded the formation of a destination marketing organization (DMO) to lead the marketing on a regional basis and to implement the strategies developed by TDM.

Because of the many interesting facets of the strategies we created, The Place Branding Observer asked me to write a case study about branding the Tillamook Coast. I was honored to do so, and you can find the case study here.

When is the Right Time to Rebrand a City?

A month ago, I received a phone call from the convention & visitors bureau of a city we worked for about ten years ago. The Executive Director called to ask about the appropriate time to consider rebranding or repositioning his destination.

My first response was to clarify the difference between rebranding and repositioning. Rebranding involves a process where an outdated or irrelevant brand identity is modified and re-launched with a new focus. In the context of places the term “refresh” might be more appropriate. It’s sort of like a facelift and for consumer goods may include a name change, new logo and colors, new website, updated packaging, point of sale material, a new advertising campaign.

On the other hand, repositioning involves efforts to turn the page on issues that may be necessary to completely change people’s attitudes and perceptions toward the place. It could mean major changes to the features, benefits and experiences presented or targeting new audiences, or both. Repositioning comes with considerable risks.

I conveyed to my CVB collage that when it comes to rebranding his destination, the most common conditions that may necessitate the move may include:

1. Customer behavior and needs have changed and the city’s products, communications, channels and relationships may need to be tweaked.

2. Major changes with the city’s experience and product offerings may require a different communications focus.

3. Perceptions of the city among target audiences may have declined to a point where it is necessary to present a more positive and realistic identity for the place.

4. Adjusting communications to accommodate major changes within the city such as new infrastructure, high profile events or new experiences.

5. Consideration as to whether new, formidable competitors have entered the market.

6. The visual identity including the logo and designs are starting to look dated and could use a refresh or a complete redesign.

If there is a difference in the reality between how the city is projected and the actual experiences and reality of the place, then it’s time for rebranding, or maybe even repositioning.

The decision to initiate a rebranding program should not to be taken lightly as it will have wide implications within the DMO, with its partners and will certainly have an impact on customers. The good news is we will soon initiate a brand audit to assess the city’s current situation and then, as needed, we will assist the city with adjustments to re-align the brand. 

Tourism Really is About Small Businesses

After delivering a presentation recently a city official challenged me on the notion that tourism in his small city was “a business of small businesses”. I quickly convinced him of this obvious fact by reviewing the “mom and pop” motels and restaurants listed in his city’s local visitors guide. How could this escape him?

A few weeks ago while researching the economic value of beaches, I discovered the following quote from Dr. James R. Houston of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Perhaps Americans do not appreciate the importance of tourism to the national economy because 98% of the 1.4 million U.S. tourism-related businesses are classified as small businesses, and this makes the industry extremely fragmented”, Dr. Houston said. That’s so true!

I am sure that Dr. Houston was referring to the number of enterprises and not the volume of revenue generated. Nevertheless, while many communities and city officials do recognize the value that well planned tourism can bring to them, many are failing to grasp the fundamentals and their communities are leaking buckets of potential income every week.

Tourism is often dismissed because it doesn’t fit with the general thinking about economic development by local officials. It then follows that tourism doesn’t receive sufficient consideration when it comes to government policies, infrastructure and investment. In the future, successful destinations will be those that treat their tourism-related businesses as  components of a series of experiential themes or clusters. Economic development marketers have been using industry clusters for decades.  For tourism enterprises this provides opportunities for increased collaboration, improved visitor experiences, increased profits and more opportunities to build economic growth through expanding existing businesses. It may also help in gaining a stronger, more unified voice and new found political clout.

Sponsored by Rural Tourism Assessments

 

Are You Missing the Customer’s Most Important Question?

At the invitation of a friend I recently sat in on a Chamber of Commerce meeting where one agenda item was the design of their new website and brochure. Once attendees started discussing the merits of the designs, I was immediately struck by how their comments were limited to their personal preferences and own travel behavior, and were not focused on the Chamber's marketing and brand strategy and what will resonate the most with customers. 

One way to check that marketing communications are customer-focused and convey enticing benefits is to not only conduct research, but to also imagine the customer is looking over your shoulder as you prepare the materials. Or has a seat at the meeting. All communications, whether priority subjects, copy, images, video or logo design, must answer the customer’s perennial and most important question, “What’s in it for me?”. Failing to do this is marketing pitfall #1.

Sponsored by Destination Branding for Small Cities.

All Cities are Competing Whether They Like It or Not!

Several months ago while discussing the possibilities of conducting research for the development of a brand strategy we asked the executive director of a Chamber of Commerce, “Which nearby destinations and cities do you consider to be your main competitors?” She replied, “None of them, because we try to get along with all of them.”

This response revealed two unsettling things. First, though it is your customers who determine who your competitors are, this organization did not seem to have a customer focus or realize the power of the customer’s options or ability to choose. Second, the issue is not simply a matter of “getting along,” it is about generating and sustaining income, jobs, and prosperity for the community. 

No corporation would think the way of this Chamber executive, yet many communities forget that their tourism and economic development programs are not operating in a vacuum. They are operating in a dynamic environment frequently dominated by larger players. It is the response to the city’s external competition that draws partners together. Many of them may also be competing against each other, e.g. hotels, but are unified in winning a larger market share for their destination.

No place can afford to feel that they are entitled to prosperity and don’t need to compete. A place that doesn’t compete, develop a distinctive and meaningful identity and have a laser-focus on customers will fade away and become irrelevant.

See the full article here.

What’s the Role of Airports in City and Destination Branding?

A recent post by Malcolm Allan at Place Matters about the role that airports can play in the branding of places caught my attention. In working with small cities around the world I have been struck by the disconnect between many airports and the destination or city brand of their home area. Passing through some regional airports, with their blank walls and open spaces, its obvious most aren’t making an effort to communicate the strengths and personality of the surrounding region.

On a number of occasions I have waited for my flight home in a very sterile airport of a city where we have been working with an enthusiastic community to develop their brand strategy.  Some of our client cities have approached their local airport without success in the hope of working with them to project a stronger local identity in parts of the airport usually without success.

Malcolm Allan spotlighted the opportunities in a presentation at the annual European Regional Airports conference in Madrid. He advocated that airports should be involved in city region brand strategies. He advocates this because airports are a major driver of local economic development in terms of job generation, workforce expenditure, investment in direct business services and indirectly through visitor expenditure. They also have an important role to play in that they are, like rail termini, a "brand gateway". They are a place where visitors get a first "taste" of the brand offer in action and up-to-date information on its offer to reinforce any pre-trip research they may have undertaken. 

I am very fortunate that my home airport (pictured) in Portland (PDX) is an exception. It constantly works at being a welcoming gateway to Portland and Oregon through local merchandise, food, wine, culture and art, and displays. Any wonder that passengers vote for it as on of the best airports in the USA.