Small City Branding Around the World

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.

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

 

 

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

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

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

Schedule a one day TDM Brand Retreat.

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

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.

+++++++++++

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.

A Destination Brand is Still a Brand

This is the fourth in a series of posts in response to the predictions by some that branding, and specifically the branding of cities, is obsolete because of the disruptive qualities of digital media and that this also means there will be no future role for DMOs.

The fundamental principles of branding have not changed. Brands are still about making and delivering on a valued, differentiated promise. Smart organizations have always known that brands reside in consumer’s minds, not in their corporate headquarters or factory. They have never been simply what products and places say about themselves. Brands have always been based on perceptions and feelings irrespective of how they have been formed. The touchpoints where and how people form their perceptions have been amplified by the digital world and now sit outside of the total control of the brand owners. The most important component of successful brands has been the delivery of the experiences they promise. That hasn’t changed. 

The congestion, noise and abundance of choice in the marketplace means that brands must stand out and represent distinctive values and benefits. Even peer reviews are often totally contradictory and can be making it harder not easier. Building and maintaining trust has always been important and will continue to be the key force at work. Brand relevance and success still demands that destinations have meaningful differentiation, outstanding experiences and a robust brand platform to guide programs. The days of trying to be all things to all people are over. And there’s no room for generic and bland brands. There never was!

Digital innovations have expanded the methods that brands can communicate and engage people. I think Charlie Wrench, Chairman and President of Landor, was right on the money when he said, “The digital world has not changed the principles of branding but rather has magnified everything we know to be true about building a great brand.”

Marketers now must adjust to, and choose from, more media channels and more brands clamoring for attention. The new digital assets enable deeper consumer insights, narrower targeting, narrower messages, greater influence, and the ability to reach customers and make the sale at just the right time.  Therefore you must consistently deliver outstanding experiences at every critical touchpoint. This is where DMOs must play a more active role in designing, facilitating and monitoring experiences across partners and touchpoints.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

What Has Really Changed for Destinations in the Digital Age?

The Digital Age has created a hyper-connected world in which traditional and digital media converge and prospective customers are bombarded with a dizzying array of choices, media channels and information. They are always online, sometimes multi-screening with devices that interact with each other.  It’s a world where speed, choice and expectations have morphed and marketing is no longer a one-way dictate from organizations, but must fit within an environment that demands interaction, transparency, flexibility and relationships.  

An Expanded Toolkit

The fundamentals of branding haven’t changed, but marketing as we have known it is largely superseded. Savvy DMOs are tapping social and mobile networks, smart phones and tablets, GPS apps, e-commerce and booking engines, Google maps, user-generated-content, kiosks, crowdsourcing and the opportunity to economically reach consumers globally. Their websites can now deploy video, text, audio, photos and real time comments from customers. At the same time, their customers are being lured by a wide range of third party services and options that were once the domain of DMO’s. These provide bookings, navigation, maps, destination information, product reviews, trip planning advice, and a “showroom” for local tourism products – and these are available 24/7 and almost anywhere.

We are really only at the dawning of this amazing era, yet we find some DMOs are not adapting anywhere near fast enough. Waiting to further transform destination management are next generation mobile applications, cloud computing, gamificiation, augmented reality and game-changers that haven’t been discovered yet.

New Rules of Marketing

While there have been many technological innovations, the most profound changes have been to consumer behavior influencing how we communicate, buy, work, relax, learn, consume and react. All of these have a direct influence on destination brand image, preference and affinity. Whether DMOs choose to play in the digital realm is beyond their choice. User-generated content enables consumers to thoroughly compare options, rate experiences, post images, and make comments to assist others. All these actions are possible with or without the involvement of a DMO. This leaves no room for hype and boosterism. It means that the experiences and benefits delivered must always meet or exceed what has been promised.  

It’s easy to understand why some tourism offices around the world in the early days had the word “propaganda” in their names. However the days of a DMO simply pumping out advertising and PR releases to influence consumer preferences are over. The places that adapt to the new rules and continue to use their brand as their beacon and rallying point for partners will thrive and build meaningful brands.

The next post will take a look at how customer touchpoints have changed and offer destinations unprecedented opportunities to engage and delight their visitors.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

 

Is Destination Branding Obsolete in the Digital Age?

After a keynote presentation a few months ago, the CEO of a Chamber of Commerce approached me and said, “I enjoyed your presentation, but isn’t branding cities obsolete?” He went on to say that because of digital media, and particularly sites like TripAdvisor and the new digital power of consumers it make branding obsolete. I was reminded of this conversation while reading a blog, “A Cure for Digital Myopia” by David Cooperstein in Forbes magazine.

The issue of relevance in regard to tourism organizations, Chambers of Commerce, economic development agencies and yes, destination and city branding, is increasingly being discussed. Do I think DMOs* will become irrelevant or obsolete? In quite a number of cases the answer is probably yes, many are going to become obsolete. Actually, many of them have been irrelevant and obsolete for decades because they have done little to move the favorability or preference for their cities or generate sustainable ROIs. To be among the “survivors” DMOs will certainly have to adjust to many new realities. It doesn’t necessarily mean they will become obsolete.

I’m not going to bang the drum too much here about how DMOs need to change or they will go the way of the dodo bird. This subject has been covered at length by DMAI and others who have been advocating that DMOs dramatically change their business models. However, I do think it’s important to stress that destination branding is not obsolete or irrelevant for destinations. I might reconsider when I see Coca Cola, Toyota, or Starbucks shutting down their brand departments. Destination branding isn’t easy. Many efforts have not been done well and more focus is definitely needed on using it as the destination’s strategic guidance system. Quite simply, it’s not just an add-on.

The first challenge in adopting this approach is to understand what branding really is, what it isn’t, how it works and how to use it most effectively. Unfortunately, some still can’t get past thinking of a brand as little more than a logo, tagline and or an advertising campaign.  They don’t consider its role as the guidance system for communications, unifying stakeholders, product development and where possible orchestrating the experiences that make the place distinctive.

While the Digital Age has bought many new tools and opportunities, the fundamentals and principles of branding haven’t changed. And it certainly hasn’t become obsolete. But how you go about brand management has changed. Branding has become a whole lot more exciting because thinking in terms of a “digital platform” and not simply in the terms of media or digital media, opens a new world for your destination.

Destination managers now have the opportunity to connect with customers at many more communications and experience touchpoints than ever before to influence visitor satisfaction, loyalty and word of mouth (social media). In this environment, the relevance of DMOs should center on their role as “destination management organizations” influencing all aspects of the relationship with visitors, not simply focusing on sales and communications.

Over the coming weeks, I'll be exploring the benefits, role and challenges of destination branding in the Digital Age in an ongoing series of posts and articles. I’m also looking forward to your thoughts and comments.

*Destination Marketing Organization or in some countries, Destination Management Organization

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Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

 

Confront Reality if You Want a Better City Image

I recently spoke with the CEO of a small chamber of commerce on the East Coast. She said they wanted to “create a new city brand and change their city image in the next six to twelve months.” Rather than outline how we may be able to help them achieve their goals, I instead focused on managing their expectations and what a brand can and cannot do for them.

I explained that branding can, and does, bring short-term benefits but the true value and rewards of branding are long-term and cumulative. After all, it probably took decades to shape the current image and identity of her city. Successful place branding is achieved from many small victories, again and again. A city’s image is the result of thousands of influences and influencers over an extended period. On the other hand, a Grand Slam approach to branding a city on the basis of one big ad campaign is a sure fire way to blow the budget with little long-term impact. True success will only come from the consistency of messages and the delivery of outstanding experiences from many sources hitting their mark again, and again, and again.

Big budgets and better communications alone will not turn around the city’s image if its reality is standing in the way. It could be unattractive public spaces, crime, outdated infrastructure or lack of cooperation between businesses and among government officials that is holding the place back. Today, city branding can engage urban planners, architects, elected officials and placemaking specialists as readily as businesses, tourism and economic development marketers.

The benefits of city branding are considerable, however they will not materialize overnight because it will take time for the brand to gain traction within the community, among key partners and with key markets. 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 revealed, that’s when the hard work really begins – and it will take much more than a great ad campaign!

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Successful Place Branding: Don’t Forget Honesty and Accountability

During recent months I have conducted brand coaching seminars for small cities in USA, Canada and Australia. These sessions usually attract a wide range of interesting and challenging questions from participants. Interestingly, at the end of my presentations in all of these countries I been approached with a surprising number of questions or comments relating to intrusions and interference that had over-ruled or heavily influenced the defining of their city’s branding and tourism marketing. These seminar attendees lamented that they were compelled by city officials to introduce strategies that were deeply flawed and frequently failed once launched.

Place branding and marketing demand honesty and objectivity. Success calls for the city to be customer-focused, strategic, open-minded, and imaginative in order to reveal its brand in ways that will generate positive feelings, respect, and loyalty among target audiences.  It must be crystal clear about what it is, what it does, why it is interesting, and why it should matter to its key audiences.  In other words, success takes brutal honesty and reality-based decisions!

To the annoyance of many city leaders, the commonly held view of their city may be out of sync with what they personally see as its strengths. Successful place branding demands a consultative and community effort which ensures that the reality experienced by its customers must match the brand promise being conveyed by the city and its partners. When a brand strategy is shaped by the whim of an official it’s not likely to generate local support and enthusiasm – and quite possibly miss its target by a mile!

An added problem with city officials heavily influencing the nature of the brand is that in four years a new mayor, city manager or councilor might continue the cycle by changing the brand strategy to mirror their personal view. When we think of accountability in the branding and marketing of cities, we frequently think of the staff directly responsible for marketing. This accountability should also extend to mayors, councilors and city managers because when it comes to the city identity and image, they are playing with public funds, not to mention the city’s economic well-being in the form of income, jobs and new businesses.

Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

Brand Planning Should be the CEO’s Baby

At the conclusion of a recent presentation on place branding, I was approached by the CEO of a mid-west Chamber of Commerce who lamented that their brand planning had resulted in a bland and uncompetitive outcome. To my surprise, the CEO went on to take the blame himself by saying, “I made the mistake of delegating the project to our marketing manager and not taking responsibility to drive the process myself.” I’m sure that he hasn’t made the admission within his community or to his Board, but it’s commendable that he recognized this as being a major factor in the brand's mediocre result.

The president, executive director, or CEO of the organization leading the effort on behalf of the community must be actively engaged in every aspect of the brand planning and development, and breathe vitality into the assignment. We have found that the only way for the brand to take off is having a leader who “gets it” and has the passion, authority, skills and vision to make it work. If he or she takes a passive role, the brand will almost certainly fail.

Understandably, there may be many legitimate distractions that consume the CEO’s time. However, the brand is at the heart of every activity directed toward the way the place will present itself for years to come, so it is worth every minute that he or she can devote to it. While the CEO may want to delegate aspects of the day-to-day management of the process to others, he must remain intimately involved in crafting and managing the strategy. 

 Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

 

Developing a Place Brand Calls for a Different Approach

When discussing the differences in branding places and consumer products with friends in advertising agencies, they frequently maintain that there is no difference between the two. To some extent they are correct. However there are differences that have a profound influence on the brand planning, brand implementation and brand management. These relate to the complexities of ownership, consultation, decision-making, product development, and experience delivery.

The path to revealing a city or place brand can be a tricky one that usually involves a multitude of stakeholders and departs somewhat from that generally followed for branding corporate products and services.  One reason for the variation is the composite nature of places which are a compilation of many independent and competing businesses, products, and experiences that are owned and managed by many different organizations with no single management team or custodian. 

A city has many faces and identities. For instance, it may be known as a destination or medical services, golf, education and shopping as well as being home for esidents, each with different levels of political, financial and community support. Gaining consensus can be challenging.

Here is an extract from my book, Destination Branding for Small Cities which provides more insights into the differences between branding places and physical consumer products and services.

 Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

Change Management is at the Heart of Successful City Branding

After decades of developing brand strategies for places of all sizes, I recognize that to be successful they are fundamentally an exercise in change management. Success invariably involves shifts, changes and new focus that can leave some feeling disempowered or losing. For others, they simply don’t like anything outside of the usual routine. I have found that when leaders are prepared for resistance they are in a better position to unify stakeholders and nurture the support and actions that are needed.

A successful place brand often requires changes to regulations, laws, systems, budgets, processes, resources, and recruitment. Above all, it may call for a change of attitudes and relationships. The first casualty may be the old “that’s the way we’ve always done it” attitude. For many people, the prospect of innovation, along with new focus, concepts, priorities, and partnerships causes extreme resistance. It removes them from their comfort zone and challenges entrenched attitudes. In these situations you need to expose key partners and stakeholders to the benefits that can come from alternative approaches so they can gain the confidence and trust in the project and its outcomes.

Here is an extract from my book, Destination Branding for Small Cities which provides more insights into the need to prepare to engage the principles of change management when branding destinations and cities.

 Produced by: Total Destination Marketing

Best Selling Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities

 

End the Guessing Games! We Need Budget Disclosure in RFPs.

Last week, I had a rather unusual phone call from a CVB executive. She was enquiring as to whether her CVB should include the budget in the Request For Proposal (RFP) for destination branding they were preparing to send out. The person went on to enquire as to whether including the budget might actually deter “the big companies from bidding”.   My reaction was instantaneous. Firstly, you might not want “the big companies” bidding.  But by telling them the budget they would then know whether they should even bother bidding.

Secondly, I told her that I thought knowing the budget or budget range for the project is extremely important to prospective bidders and that I guessed that most of our competitors would think so as well. I asked the CVB exec, “Would you walk into a car dealership and not tell the salesperson approximately how much you are looking to spend? How is the salesperson to know if you want a luxury or standard model?”

The equivalent of this happens every day when cities do not disclose their budget and this leaves the consultancy to play a guessing game in trying to estimate the budget and scope of services that they should include in their response.  A better approach is to disclose the budget and then evaluate the proposed deliverables according to their appropriateness, quality and value.

The RFP process is frustrating enough. At least disclosing the budget will save many of us the frustration of “guessing how many jelly beans are in the jar.”

Disney “Commandments” = Great Learning for Cities and Downtowns

I recently came across the informal guidelines that have inspired and guided generations of Disney Imagineers as they design and manage the Disney theme parks and guest experiences. These guidelines are based on the original insights that Walt Disney used when he built Disneyland in 1955.  But it was Marty Sklar who documented these principles and called them “Mickey’s Ten Commandments: Ten Things You Can’t Forget When You Design a Theme Park”. Sklar was one of the unsung heroes of Disney. He joined Disney one month before Disneyland opened, and until his retirement in 2009 directed the Imagineers using these Commandments.

The Commandments are very simple and the principles can be applied to many situations related to tourism development, branding and marketing, urban planning and visitor experience management.

1. Know your audience - Don't bore people, talk down to them, or lose them by assuming that they know what you know.

2. Wear your guest's shoes - Insist that designers, staff, and your board members experience your facility as visitors as often as possible.

3. Organize the flow of people and ideas – Use good storytelling techniques, tell good stories not lectures, lay out your exhibit with a clear logic.

4. Create a ‘weenie’ – Lead visitors from one area to another by creating visual magnets and giving visitors rewards for making the journey.

5. Communicate with visual literacy – Make good use of all the non-verbal ways of communication – color, shape, form, texture.

6. Avoid overload – Resist the temptation to tell too much, to have too many objects, don’t force people to swallow more than they can digest, try to stimulate and provide guidance to those who want more.

7. Tell one story at a time – If you have a lot of information divide it into distinct, logical, organized stories. People can absorb and retain information more clearly if the path to the next concept is clear and logical.

8. Avoid contradiction – Clear institutional identity helps give you the competitive edge. The public needs to know who you are and what differentiates you from other institutions they may have seen. (Yes, Walt Disney was advocating the principles of branding long before they were applied to places.)

9. For every ounce of treatment, provide a ton of fun – How do you woo people from all other temptations? Give people plenty of opportunity to enjoy themselves by emphasizing ways that let them participate in the experience and by making your environment rich and appealing to all of the senses.

10. Keep it up – Never underestimate the importance of cleanliness and routine maintenance,
people expect to get a good show every time, people will comment more on a broken and dirty environment.

In suggesting Disney principles and techniques I am not advocating the “Disneyfication” of cities and downtowns. Make no mistake, Disney properties are theme parks. They are not city or community downtowns where residents live, work, study and play. However, Disney locations have raised best practice standards in visitor experience design and consequently provide excellent learning opportunities for ambitious communities.   The genius of Walt Disney never ceases to amaze me, along with lessons from his systems that we can apply to communities everywhere.  

22 Immutable Laws of Place Branding (And a Few More)

I really admire the work that Ed Burghard of The Burghard Group is doing at Strengthening Brand America to advance the thinking in applying private sector branding principles to the field of place branding. His latest contribution is to take on the challenge of translating the landmark 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al and Laura Ries into a place branding context.  

I agree with Ed’s 22 Immutable Laws of Place Branding, but because it’s the season for giving, I would like to add two more Laws of Place Branding. These concern circumstances that are possibly more related to place branding than private sector branding and may have been missed from the original treatise.

23. The law of consultation. A place brand should not be defined behind closed doors by a select few. It must be defined and built through collaboration and consultation with multiple, diverse (and sometimes non-traditional) stakeholders to engage, inspire and generate future support and on-brand actions.

24. The law of future generations. The long-term vitality and success of a place brand requires that there be continuity in understanding, knowledge and energy in regard to the brand strategy.  The concept of “passing the baton” to the next generation of elected officials, brand managers and partners must be integral to the original brand strategy.  Without this attention we have seen the brand investments made by some cities become diluted and gradually fade away.  Usually, all that remains is a lonely logo searching for meaning.

Given the nuance and challenges of branding places there are probably other laws we can add to the list. But for the moment, if we pay attention to these we will be strengthening the way in which these brands are defined and managed. Would you like to add more?