For anyone in or interested in the tourism industry to explore issues associated with branding a country, region, destination, attraction, hotel, tour etc
A look at the top international hotel brands of 2026
It will come as no surprise to anyone thatin the world of hospitality, chain dominate as they have done for quite some time. And here I take a look at the world´s top brands and sub-brands, ranked in order of size and influence - and while most are familiar, there are a couple which might not be (thanks, China!). read post
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One thing that the Brits are good at is re-inventing the past and presenting it in modern ways, especially in areas such as fashion and design. I am actually in the process of creating a luxury consumer goods brand based on this Heritage Inspired concept.
This linking of past, present and future in campaigns can help avoid confusion and dilution of the message. The Industrial Revolution as part of our tradition and heritage, linked with the message about innovation is the best illustration of this I can think of. The campaign audience might then see the logic in the message.
Alan's comment about past and future rail heritage in Nabraska may work on this level also?
Thanks for starting a new and exciting discussion on State Branding USA:
Michigan
The branding issue here is: Should Michigan have moved from a narrow-focused 'The Great Lakes State' to a wider-focused 'Pure Michigan'? Will 'Pure' survive over the next 2 years or will 'Lakes' prevail?
Nebraska
To find the great state of Nebraska's big brand idea, look for the cultural clashes and collisions.
I'll kick-start the search by looking at the culture clash between rail travel and air travel. Nebraska has a great railroad heritage, culture and infrastructure: Home to the world's largest railroad yard. With the recent announcement that $8billion is to be invested in high-speed rail projects, could Nebraska build a future-focused big brand idea on the renaissance of great railway journeys - for tourism as well as inward investment and exports (ie. new jobs)?
Over to you Tripatinos...
"A branding success such as Pure Michigan, which has made www.michigan.org the most-visited state tourism website,is "not just a marketing campaign," says Mitch Nichols, a Phoenix-based consultant.
"It repositions the very identity of the state."
Some states have a brand. Maine is lobster and lighthouses, Vermont cows and maple syrup, Florida sea and sunshine. But what is Kansas or Ohio or North Dakota? Tourists want to know. And so, seemingly, do the state's own residents.
That's why state officials hire branding consultants, who try to peer into a state's soul and plumb its psyche in order to grasp its essence, which can be expressed in a catchy slogan, sharp logo and hummable tune."
Did they get it right? And can anyone here brand Nebraska?
Great points you bring up, Alan. As for your question re: how best the tourism market could be targetted by the Innovation Isle big brand idea... well, that's a great question. The average tourist is not going to UK for innovation, unless, as Paul points out, they're going for specific events such as Fashion Week... but there are, of course, a great minority. What is cutting-edge about the industry in the UK? Well, the Eurostar comes to mind, but at this point that seems like old news. Any high-speed trains of more recent vintage? Any truly far-out hotels? I can think of the 10-story (I think!) living wall of greenery on the outside of London's Athenaeum hotel as one example of something that's pretty cool, but apart from that one would have to analyze how UK tourism fits into that "innovation" idea.
Personally, I think it's important to be REALLY sure it's wise to shake, stir and dilute the very valid cultural code most people have for the UK -- tradition -- as that already brings many people to your shores. If we send a diametrically opposed message (innovation rather than tradition) are we just going to leave people confused, somewhere in the middle? And dilute a very valid brand?
I'm not an expert -- you guys are -- but the topic is fascinating to me. And it really does seem to me that if a brand is working -- bringing in tourists, in this case -- why dilute it?
Brand Britain
Thanks for the constructive debate and interesting insights. Here are a few more:
1. Video Background Music: You're right, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (MoonSon) wasn't appropriate from a Brit viewpoint. It was just simply free of copyright while most of Britpop such as The Beatles is not. Also MoonSon is great for calming the conscious mind allowing access to the unconscious mind where alot of innovation takes place.
2. Tradition: Depending on one's definition of 'Tradition' there is also a great heritage of British inventive tradition from Charles Darwin to Issac Newton to Michael Faraday right through to modern-day Brits:
- Tim Berners-Lee: Inventor of the World Wide Web
- Jonathon Ive: Apple's principal designer of the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad
- Tim Brown: CEO of California-based IDEO product design co.
- Geoff Kirk: Design engineer for Rolls Royce aero engines for the Airbus A380 and the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner
- James Dyson: Inventor of the Dyson bagless vacumm cleaner
3. Greenwich Meridian: There is a great advantage for Brits to be able to communicate across much of the world during their normal waking hours.
4. Innovation Isle: This is more about a future-focus rather than an existing perception. Going forwards, BrandBritain needs a new big brand idea to not only compete with the world's most valuable country brand - USA - with arguably the most powerful, single-focused big brand idea: Home of the American Dream, but Britain must also compete with Brand Asia and its sub-brands such as China: The Factory of the World.
The Innovation Isle drives all three elements of the Three Vees: Visibility for Exporters (Visibles and Invisibles), Viability for Investors (Commercial & Residential) and Visitability for Visitors (Business & Leisure).
I would be most interested in getting your views as to how best the tourism market could be targetted by the Innovation Isle big brand idea?
4. Food: Sadly, despite massive improvement in its food offering, BrandBritain still suffers from a bad food image. This is where its sub-brands need to be brought into play - from London the capital to small town Ludlow: Britain's First Slow Food Town, not forgetting Bray, home to two Michelin-star establishments including Heston Bluementhal's Fat Duck, vying with Spain's El Bulli, for the title of the world's best restaurant.
Seems to me using sex appeal to sell a destination is about as obvious and basic as you can get. Any destination could put its most nubile nymphets on screen, but what is unique about these ones? What do you all think? Is using sex to brand a destination lame, or does it work?
We do still have some good innovation, but I think current innovation, except in a few areas, is hardly reason in itself to make people want to visit the UK. And, if they do, this tends to be very focused e.g. London Fashion Week and London Design Week. I can't imagine too many people seeing the UK as a destination because of the technology clusters like Cambridge Science Park, unless for business purposes.
I think campaigns need to connect the past, present and future. They perhaps also need to address some issues head on. For example the UK still has a bad image for food, a reputation it did deserve, But these days the quality of British food is very good and often exceptionally good.
Oh one last thing: I think a lot of current innovative British musicians might not be amused that the soundtrack of this video is by a foreigner... Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, which is both not innovative and not British.
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