For anyone in or interested in the tourism industry to explore issues associated with branding a country, region, destination, attraction, hotel, tour etc
7 of the Top Destination Brands of 2023
Visit Maldives Over the past decades, destinations in Europe, North America, and the Caribbean have been the stars in both destination branding and popularity among travelers. And while all the above certainly remain among the world´s most powerful performers in tourism, the World Travel Awards (dubbed “the Oscars of travel”) in 2023 have underscored strong showings outside these traditional areas, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. Here´s a quick rundown of this year´s winners:…
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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.
1. I guess you'll never be a 'core' target market for Shakespeare Country. Fringe? Perhaps.
2. Cork: They've obviously done an amazing marketing job on you. But there are hundreds of places around the world that have fantastic coastlines & scenery, authentic food & hospitality & cozy guesthouses. There's something else - perhaps buried deep within your sub-conscious - that attracts you to Cork - something very unique about the Brand Ireland in general and Cork in particular? Maybe it's The Craic (and I'm not talking about the white stuff).
3. The Target is NOT the Market
- Long answer: Coming soon...
- Short answer: Think Wimbledon targetted at tennis fans but also full of visitors who have never touched a tennis racket in their lives. And Glastonbury targetted at the youth market but chocka with 50+ hippies re-living their second youth - but this time round with fatter wallets and waistlines to match in their posh marquees complete with chef at £6K per weekend. Rock-on Man!
The Target is NOT the Market
Does a single, narrowly-focused target such as ShakespeareWallah's (A BritRaj term for people who 'love' all things Shakespearean) attract a wider audience ie. beyond its narrow scope?
Meanwhile, here's how 'Shakespeare Country' uses its
Sub-Brands to attract different market segments:
- Rugby: Home of the Sport of Rugby
- Royal Leamington Spa: A Royal Town Twin (Twinned with Royal Tunbridge Wells in the county of Kent: The Garden of England)
- Nuneaton: Home to the Warks Carnival (Warks is shorthand for Warwickshire)
- Warwick Castle: England's Most Haunted (Featuring the Ghost Tower)
- Warwick University: Leaders in Industry Innovation
To develop Jose's point about 'Shakespeare Country', here's how a single-minded big brand idea transfoms itself into a powerful future-focused story-telling extravaganza on multiple-media channels - from offline to online to mobile (cellphone).
Let's say Jose, your earliest knowledge of 'England' generally and 'Shakespeare' specifically was during your most impressionable years - 7/8 years of age. In other words, 'Shakespeare' is currently residing deep within your sub-conscious - the part of your brain which actually influences your decision-making - but you are not conscious of that on a day-to-day basis. So any focus group that you participate in would not be able to 'extract' that bit of insight from you. Only a 'regression' into your early childhood would be able to do that. And let's say that one of your major roles in life is as a 'Business Person'.
So here are some ways that 'Shakespeare Country' influences the 'business' target market - of which you are a part of - by re-telling Shakespeare's plays and sonnets but within a contemporary business context: Power, Strategy, Identity, Persuasion, Mergers & Acquisitions, Presentation, Creative Partnerships and so on.
Here are some examples:
1. Richard III: The Art of Persuasion
2. Antony & Cleopatra: A Presentation Masterclass
3. The Merchant of Venice: Mass Storytelling & the Power of Advertising