Nick WredenChief Executive OfficerFusionBrand

THE NEW PARADIGM IN DESTINATION BRANDINGTourism Malaysia uses data-driven branding to drive tourism

Abstract

The increasing role of the Internet, consumer-driven branding and shrinking impact of mass media are creating a paradigm shift in destination branding. Although creative-driven tactics currently predominate in current destination branding efforts, destinations are looking toward data-driven branding strategies that incorporate relevant accountability benchmarks that reflect tourist requirements for economic, emotional, and experiential value. Such data not only provides quantifiable input for targeting, segmentation, operations, service, but also baseline data, trackable over time, to determine if branding efforts are working. Such data is critical to ensuring marketing accountability. By contrast, traditional branding constructs like “brand essence” or “positioning” have no intrinsic measurements to enable accountability and effectiveness measurement. Tourism Malaysia, the tourism marketing arm of Malaysia, embarked on a three-stage program to accommodate new destination branding imperatives. The first stage of that effort was a comprehensive, six-month, 12-country research initiative that encompassed internal, external, and communications audits, mystery shops, focus groups, and Internet surveys. A special feature of that research was collecting and analyzing Consumer Generated Media (CGM), including real-time traveler input from blogs and other Internet sources. Generally, findings using one methodology correlated with findings using other methodologies. The findings indicated that “one-size-fits-all” marketing may fall short because of regional differences and differing requirements for value among segments. The integrated results led to numerous strategic, operational, and communications recommendations, and are incorporated into a 300-page comprehensive Global Brand Plan and localized Brand Plans for each of the countries studied.

Keywords: destination branding, destination marketing, Malaysia, data-driven branding, value, accountability

INTRODUCTION

The concept of destination branding has been extensively explored. After summarizing the evolution of destination branding definitions, Blain, Levy and Ritchie (2005) developed a revised definition that incorporated earlier efforts:

Destination branding is the set of marketing activities that (1) support the creation of a name, symbol, logo, word mark or other

graphic that readily identifies and differentiates a destination; that (2) consistently convey the expectation of a memorable travel experience that is uniquely associated with the destination; that (3) serve to consolidate and reinforce the emotional connection between the visitor and the destination; and that (4) reduce consumer search costs and perceivedrisk. Collectively, these activities serve to create a destination image that positively influences consumer destination choice.

This definition implicitly addresses the three important components of branding – economic, experiential, and emotional (including spiritual) value. If a destination cannot provide value to tourists, businesses, and investors, it is unlikely to become a brand that generates revenue or tourists.

But it does not address an increasingly important issue in branding, especially for taxpayers, governments, and convention and visitor bureaus (CVB) – measurement. Look at all the recent books that address branding measurement – Return on Marketing Investment, Marketing Metrics: 50+ Metrics Every Executive Should Master, Marketing ROI: The Path to Campaign, Customer, and Corporate Profitability, ProfitBrand: How to Increase the Profitability, Accountability, and Sustainability of Brands and many more, plus innumerable conferences.

Measurement is important for three reasons. Measurement provides data, crucial for better decision-making. Without data, decisions become a matter of guesswork and opinion (which may account for the political issues that often create problems in destination branding). Next, this data provides benchmarks for performance, not only in the area of branding expenditures but also in the areas that affect branding, such as service levels, attraction/infrastructure maintenance, accessibility, and accommodation. Finally, and most important, data is crucial for accountability, including the ability to determine whether branding resources are achieving expected returns.

The American Marketing Association defines marketing accountability as: "The responsibility for the systematic management of marketing resources and processes to achieve measurable gains in return on marketing investment and increased marketing efficiency, while maintaining quality and increasing the value of the corporation (AMA, as cited in Ambler, 2005)." Without data, it is impossible to achieve systematic management, measureable gains, or increased value to destination or any other kind of brand.

Despite the importance of data to management, benchmarking, and accountability, destination branding is wedded to creative-driven approaches that primarily relies on visuals, "positioning" theories and difficult-to-define constructs like "brand essence" and "brand personality." Such theories and constructs lack intrinsic measurements, making them difficult to use in branding programs requiring accountability.

One reason that current destination branding is creative-driven is that relevant data has historically been hard to obtain. The link between a visit and, say, viewing an advertisement, was difficult to track, especially if the visit occurred much later. "Perception" or "image" resulted from a stew of internal and external sources that could range from a news article to retail purchases, also making measurement difficult.

Because of the measurement difficulty, creative-driven approaches ruled the roost during the mass-media era. In fact, the early 1960s is often cited as the “Golden Age of Advertising,” where Volkswagen’s “Think Small” and other high-impact advertising made their mark.

But the mass-media market weakened with the explosion of cable-fragmented network television, and games, Internet, and other diversions. According to a survey from the IBM Institute for Business Value, consumers now spend as much time on the Internet as they do watching TV. "Moreover, researchers said the traditional TV set is increasingly taking a back seat to PCs and cellular handsets among consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 (Newsfactor.com, 2007)." The trend will likely continue, with worldwide broadband expansion, computer prices in freefall, and organizations driving to give computers to every global citizen.

Creative-driven tactics have also been weakened by the explosion in advertising messages. According to the market research firm Yankelovich, US consumers are exposed to up to 5,000 ad messages daily UK consumers receive about four billion pieces of direct mail annually (Yeoman and McMahon-Beattie, 2006). Such tactics can annoy consumers. About half of 4,110 people surveyed by Yankelovich believed marketing and advertising was out of control (The New York Times, 2007).

Creative-driven tactics often rely on "positioning," "brand essence," "personality" or similar constructs. Yet these often result in generalities that can apply to almost any destination. For example, a major world destination "positions" itself as "a unique blend from the best of the modern world and rich cultures to deliver enriching experiences (Henderson, 2007)." What location does that apply to, and how does it differentiate that city from other major cities? (Hint: The "brand personality" is described as "confident, sophisticated, elegant, colourful, and good-humoured (Henderson, 2007).")

Because of clutter, overexposure, and fragmentation, returns from traditional marketing are diminishing. In fact, in an Internet-influenced world, consumers are more likely to believe peer-to-peer commentary from other consumers than any corporate-driven "positioning" statement. As the consulting organization McKinsey & Co. (2007) pointed out:

Shifting patterns of buying behavior concide with another seismic challenge: the increased role of third parties in marketing and

reputation-building efforts…. The Internet's growth has tremendously increased the importance of user-generated media (for instance, blogs, independent sites such as Wikipedia, and YouTube and other video-sharing sites). User-generated media account for almost one-third of all the time individuals spend on the 100 most visited US Web sites, up from roughly 3% just two years ago. Consumers skeptical of push ads are flocking to a medium they trust more.

One result has been to make consumers more powerful in branding. Because of the disintermediation of mass media, “skepticism” about advertising, and Internet-enabled ability to share brand commentary and experiences, consumers now define brands, based on economic, emotional, and experiential value received. (Wreden, 2005)

Despite these changes in the marketplace, destinations often put their faith in creativity, hoping that an image, tagline, or promotion will resonate with tourists. In some cases, it works. "I (Heart) NY" and "Virginia is for Lovers" continue to appeal. In other cases, it does not. Remember "Cool Britannica," "Yokoso! Japan," or "SayWA" for the US state of Washington?

While data was slow or hard to obtain during the mass-market era, the rise of the Internet, increasing computer power, and sophisticated market research techniques now enable destinations to obtain information about tourist and business requirements for value, demographics, behaviour, sales trends, promotional results, and other information. Key tools for data-driven branding include internal and external audits, communications audits, Internet monitoring of consumer-generated media (CGM), surveys, focus groups, sales and marketing data, pricing, competitive activities, and more.

Such data can not only drive advertising, but other areas critical to attracting business, tourism, and investment. These include operations, customer service, product development, tour operator, and other strategic partner (eg, airlines) relationships. Data provides a baseline, trackable over time, to determine whether branding efforts are working. Data enables more accurate differentiation, segmentation and targeting, and helps avoid look-alike “positioning” statements."The tendency towards convergence and similarities in brands and supporting campaigns, possibly encouraged by a common stance and mode of operation among consultants, is also to be guarded against. Brands are launched with great enthusiasm, but energy must also be devoted to monitoring and evaluation to permit properly informed judgments about outcomes." (Henderson, 2007)

Finally, measurements can provide quantifiable justification for budgeting and other activities, easing the politics often associated with destination branding. Stakeholders can passionately disagree over whether an attribute is part of a "brand essence," but it is much harder to quibble with research-proven data. (See Table 1.)

Table 1COMPARISON BETWEEN DATA-DRIVEN AND CREATIVE-DRIVEN

BRANDING

Data-driven branding Creative-driven brandingAffects advertising, production, supply chains, customer relationships, R&D, & operations

Affects logos, design & advertising

Places strategy in hands of executive management

Places strategy in hands of design or creative agency

Focuses on building & strengthening customer relationships based on requirements for value

Focuses on creativity or “impact,” “awareness,” “image,” etc.

Focuses on customer acquisition & retention

Focuses on customer acquisition

Based on measurability Difficult to measureLeverages vast data collection/ measurement capabilities of Internet

Leverages visual display capabilities of Internet

Based on determining customer/ prospect economic, experiential, or emotional requirements for value

Based on “positioning,” “brand essence,” “brand personality,” or other construct

Enables benchmarking of promotional & other activities

Impact difficult to measure

Enables segmentation & targeting Enables visibility in mass markets & mass media

Creative-driven advocates endorse research, including focus groups and brand audits. However, such research usually revolves around "perceptions" and "attitudes," rather than specific actions, or more important, visitor or business requirements for value. Sometimes, even this research is secondary. Describing the creative-driven attempt to brand the United Kingdom, Hall (2004) wrote, "The strategy and research phases are crucial elements of a project, but they tend to take on a disproportionately high level of importance relative to the creative expression."

LITERATURE REVIEW

Cities, regions, and countries seeking the advantages of branding primarily turn to consultants who place a premium on creativity, visuals, and non-metric-based branding constructs rather than data based on business or tourist requirements. For example, a campaign to increase tourism in Western Australia was based on "a positioning campaign to reposition the state in 'top-of-mind awareness (Morgan, Pritchard & Pride, 2004).'" When Wales wanted to promote golf, it hired a marketing agency who argued for a "positioning and strategy that had a challenger

mentality (Morgan, et. al., 2004).” Portugal commissioned the design firm Wolff Olins to "position" Portugal (Wolff Olins, 2007).

Creative-driven destination branding efforts have often resulted in logos, images, and other visual elements. In 2005, Tourism Toronto and its partners "unveiled the results of a 13-month, $4 million search for a brand for the city. The result was 'Toronto Unlimited' and a nifty water-droplet logo (Toronto Star, 2007)." The Kingdom of Jordan, Florida, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Cincinnati, Madrid, and Oman have used the design consultancy Landor Associates (Landor Associates, 2005).

Research also supports the assertion that many destination branding campaigns are creative-driven. Blain, et. al. found that DMO executives "tended to equate the development of destination logos and associated 'taglines' with the more comprehensive process of destination branding." The CVB CEOs surveyed generally equated branding with logos and taglines featured on business cards, letterhead, and promotional merchandise.

Additionally, the logo development process among those surveyed did not involve significant research, even among stakeholders. "The logo design process does not currently involve, to any significant extent, DMO members, local hospitality firms, and visitors." (Blain, et. al.) Research was usually not a factor even when destination consultants were used. "This was despite the fact that it might be assumed that consultants would have a greater appreciation for the need to involve these key stakeholders in the design process. Of the DMOs that hired an outside consultant, only a minority involved tourism businesses (32%) and visitors (26%) to a substantial extent, while a surprisingly high percentage of consultants did not include local firms (32%) or visitors (42%) in the logo design process at all."

Research involving creative-driven approaches remains lacking, despite the millions that has been spent worldwide. Blain, et. al. note that "although logos are critical components of establishing destination brand identity and image, no tourism-specific literature has addressed elements of the logo development and design process." They underscore the importance of data-driven branding based on experience measurement, advising "research must include measurement of visitor perceptions of the destination logo and image before and after visitation to determine if the transmitted image that formed visitor expectations is matched by actual experience, which forms the heart of visitor satisfaction."

Logo and other image-based efforts are handicapped by the shifting nature of perception. Henderson (2007) points out that "images are therefore highly subjective, often subconscious and may not be easily articulated or measured. They are many faceted and fluid and one person can hold a plurality of images which are the outcome of countless internal and external forces operating together. These dynamics indicate the difficulties of controlling and shaping images, which is a goal of destination marketing organizations." Another issue with using images as the bedrock of a destination campaign is that the same image can be viewed

differently. "While it is theoretically true that places evoke all sorts of emotional experiences, it is difficult for a marketer to provide an image such as relaxation, pleasantness, a challenging experience or something inspirational that would be interpreted in the same way by all potential visitors (Nickerson & Moisey, 1999)."

METHODOLOGY

Multiple TM research and anecdotal evidence indicated that Malaysia lacked awareness as a tourist destination, despite its wide variety of appealing tourist products as well as extensive, decade-long worldwide advertising. It was decided Malaysia needed to differentiate its offerings to specifically appeal to target segments. Data was seen as essential for this differentiation.

TM contracted with FusionBrand, a leading worldwide destination branding consultancy, for a six-month brand research project. The primary criteria were data-driven expertise and ability to make strategic, actionable recommendations. The research was part of a three-stage program:

Stage 1: Research to obtain current, data-driven insights into existing perceptions of Malaysia as well as visitor requirements for service, informational, and other value. Components included focus groups & online surveys; internal brand audit; external brand audit; communications audit (print and digital); internet monitoring (blogs, chatrooms, and other CGM); mystery shop; and reporting, presentation, and education.

Stage 2: Research-based comprehensive global and localized brand plans with programs to increase the number and value of first-time and repeat visitors.

Stage 3: Implementation of brand plan.

Research was conducted in: Asia (Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia); North America (Los Angeles, New York City); Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden); Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia); and Oceania (Australia). Research commenced in January, 2006.

Two issues were important during Stage 1 research. The first was retention. What would it take to get previous visitors to Malaysia back for another visit(s)? Despite its importance in enhancing a destination brand, retention remains a dark hole in tourism research. "Currently, there is, to the authors’ knowledge, no empirical study assessing the collective impact of the destination image, travel satisfaction, travel motivation, and travel inhibitors on repeat visitation (Rittichainuwat, Qu & Leong, 2003)." Another issue was determining prospect requirements for service and other aspects of value. "And the question 'What is the visitor’s perception for quality?' should always be asked (Paskaleva-Shapira, 2007)."

Focus groups and online surveys

Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used. Qualitative research involved focus groups in each of the 12 countries among three tourism categories – travel agents, long-haul leisure travellers who had been to Malaysia within five years, and long-haul leisure travellers who had never been to Malaysia. Quantitative research involved online, country-specific surveys among pre-qualified panelists (n=400 per country) as well as a worldwide opt-in online survey (n=1100). The focus groups were conducted from January to March, 2006 while the surveys collected data from January to April.

Discussion topics for travel agents included their role in recommending holiday destinations; sources and perceptions of information, especially the Internet; popular destination drivers and influences, including communication channels;perceptions and experiences with Malaysia, including service levels; and impact of communications to date, including the tagline, "Malaysia, Truly Asia (MTA)." One key question was, "what would it take to recommend Malaysia instead of alternative destinations?"

Discussion topics for Malaysia and non-Malaysia travelers included sources of information; travel decision-making process; purchase channels and timetables;experiences or perceptions of Malaysia, including service levels; consumer desire to visit/return to Malaysia and/or other regional competitors; and impact of previous communications, including the MTA tagline.

Online surveys were completed among leisure travellers aged 21+ who had travelled overseas for a holiday in the last five years in each of the targeted countries. Respondents were from qualified online panels and a survey, featured on the home page on the TM site. (Malaysian respondents were excluded.)

For both the focus groups and online surveys, attention was paid to the role of TV and print advertising, especially their comparative influence in driving awareness, consideration and decision-making; the role of the Internet, including the role of blogs, email, and TM and other industry sites in affecting travel decisions; PR; and word-of-mouth. Ongoing information requirements such as emails, discount offers, or brochures were also explored. Additionally, willingness-to-recommend was discussed, as well as the competitive reasons for choosing, or not choosing, Malaysia compared to competitive destinations.

Internal brand audit

An internal brand audit was conducted among 23 randomly selected TM employees. About 65% were based in headquarter offices in Kuala Lumpur; the rest were representatives of international TM offices. The confidential face-to-face and telephone interviews lasted between 40 and 75 minutes.

Internal audit objectives were to benchmark future brand performance and marketing activities; identify brand vision and capabilities that internal stakeholders would support; understand organizational vision, processes, and functions; identify training, , resource, or other requirements; learn how the organization identifies and communicates with travel agents, tourist prospects, visitors, and media; and identify issues between headquarters and international offices. Special attention was paid to understanding of customer requirements for value, operational strengths and weaknesses, and brand management issues.

External brand audit

During the first six months of 2006, FusionBrand completed 142 confidential interviews in 12 countries with key "influencers" who could affect perceptions of Malaysia. Most interviews were face-to-face, although a small percentage were conducted by phone and email. Issues covered included activities organized by the local TM offices, experiences in Malaysia, activities by competitive countries, FAM (familiarization) trips, and reactions to the MTA tagline. Goals were to increase understanding of target audiences, evaluate TM service to key constituencies, generate ideas for improvement, learn relative effectiveness of communications channels, and gain insights into competitive national tourism organizations.

Three categories of influencers were interviewed. The first category was tour operators and agencies that send a substantial number of tourists to Malaysia. About 80% of all interviews were with executives (vice president and above) in this category. Interviews centered on experiences with local TM offices, requirements for assistance and other value, promotional tools, perceptions of Malaysia and competitive countries, and SE Asia travel trends. Media sources accounted for 15% of interviewees. Subjects explored were experiences with TM, FAM trip experiences to Malaysia, and media coverage of Malaysia. The final category was comprised of local tourism and business associations, and focused on community relations and TM visibility.

Each interview lasted 30 to 75 minutes. Special attention was paid to obtaining details about specific experiences and the "why" behind opinions.

Communications audit (digital and print)

The communications audit consisted of analysis of current TM Web and print communications material.

As the world becomes Internet-centric and brands customer-driven, TM’s online offerings will play an increasingly important role in attracting first-time and repeat visitors, as well as developing relationships with potential visitors. As a result, online offerings must offer visual, informational, and functional value.

Additionally, "Web 2.0" is changing target market interactions. Without getting technical, Web 2.0 essentially is characterized by increased interactivity, greater usage of video and visuals, and user-generated content (see Table 2).

Table 2DIFFERENCES BETWEEN “WEB 1.0” AND “WEB 2.0”

WEB 1.0 WEB 2.0Personal web sites BlogsEncyclopedia Britannica WikisPublishing InteractivityDirectories TagsHits LinksHTML SQLGoogle/Yahoo deli.ci.ous/technoratiStickiness Search engine optimization (SEO)

Page views Cost per click (CPC)

Publicize Web site Pings & trackbacks

CMS (content management systems) Wikis

Downloads Podcasts

BBC.com YouTube.com

To analyze digital branding capabilities, a tested proprietary scoring system was used to quantitatively analyze “www.tourism.gov.my” and related pages in terms of visitor requirements for value, including content (including legibility and readability), ease of navigation and use, uniformity, visuals/presentation, searchability, linkages, and interactivity. Such capabilities are important to satisfaction and visitor interaction. Using about 65 data points, home and numerous other pages were quantitatively scored on a scale of 1-10. For comparison, competitive pages were also scored. The second part of the digital analysis analyzed the site in terms of Web 2.0 capabilities.

The print audit analyzed 22 TM brochures and other collateral. Competitive materials from Singapore and Hong Kong were also reviewed. A tested proprietary evaluation system based on industry and design best practices was used. Each brochure was analyzed based on about 100 attributes, including content and information, messaging, brand story, design, and initial impression. Attributes were weighted based on relative importance to prospect value. For example, adequacy of content and information received the strongest weighting. Finally, all publications were compared to assess visual, message, and brand consistency.

Internet monitoring (CGM)

The rapid expansion of travel discussion, social networking, and individual websites; online bulletin boards; and blogs has provided new ways for potential visitors to learn about Malaysia and share experiences. These alternatives, collectively known as CGM, offer a wealth of marketing data. Pan, MacLaurin, and Crotts (2007) study of blogs about a US tourist destination "revealed that travel blogs reflect the kaleidoscope of a visitor's experience at a destination. Analysis of blogs on travels to Charleston, South Carolina, revealed strengths and weaknesses of this tourist destination. Travel blogs can be a useful tool in monitoring the competitive environment of a destination and provide valuable customer feedback that is richer and more detailed than Likert response survey measurements."

Why is CGM so useful? CGM is the online version of word-of-mouth (WOM), one of the most important sources for travel information and recommendations, with generally more credibility than advertising and other traditional marketing techniques (see Table 3). For researchers, it provides an unfiltered look at consumer perceptions without the limitations of a survey or focus group.

Table 3COMPARABLE CONSUMER TRUST OF COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

Source: Forrester Research

The first phase of CGM monitoring consisted of defining objectives and search terms, such as "immigration" or "Malaysia, Truly Asia." Special care was taken to define search parameters to exclude political, economic, or other non-tourism issues. Data capture occurred between January 1 and March 31, 2006.

In phase two, proprietary content discovery and mining software crawled 6,000 website discussion forums, 60,000 usernet forums and 22 million blogs written in English. Blogs accounted for 59% and travel forum websites accounted for 26% of the 15,342 messages identified as relevant. In some cases, demographic information, such as sex, age and country of origin was captured.

These messages were analyzed, summarized, ranked for relevance, and categorized into categories. Categories included service levels, the MTA tagline, motivations behind visits to Malaysia, associations with Malaysia, information sources, competitive comparative rankings, and visit activities.

Mystery shop

Mystery shopping is a qualitative assessment tool, where mystery shoppers pose as customers to purchase products, request service, or have other interactions. Results can benchmark service and other improvements. If requirements for value are met, customers and prospects will likely have positive impressions, making them more likely to use and recommend the brand.

Prospective visitors come to TM offices for information about activities, accommodations, events, and places in Malaysia. They sometimes also research related information, such as visas or safety. These were the areas explored by the mystery shop.

A mystery shop took place in Malaysia and the 12 countries studied from April to June, 2006. A range of contact methodologies – telephone, email, post, fax and in person – were used over several weeks. (See Table 4) Each mystery shopper posed as a potential first-time tourist to Malaysia who was also considering Thailand and Singapore. For letters, emails, and personal visits, each mystery shopper asked the same questions. For the three phone calls, mystery shoppers were permitted to improvise, depending on responses. During personal visits, "undecided" shoppers asked TM personnel about the best place to visit in Southeast Asia. Issues examined included responsiveness, courtesy, and matching information delivery to the shopper's request.

Table 4THE MYSTERY SHOP PROCESS

Reporting, presentation, and education

TM had commissioned extensive brand research, but had been disappointed that findings were limited PowerPoint presentations. FusionBrand presented its findings in reports totaling 576 pages in four volumes, giving TM detailed data on methodologies and findings. More than 400 specific, actionable recommendations were made in three categories: strategic, operational and communications. Each category was prioritized in a matrix based on payback (ROI) and difficulty/expense of implementation. A summary PowerPoint presentation was also provided.

No branding initiative can succeed without the understanding and support of the organization. As a result, multiple two-day workshops were held throughout the TM organization. These workshops not only communicated research findings but also addressed implementation of key recommendations. Workshops were also used to elicit branding and other operational improvements from employees.

FINDINGS

Client confidentiality prohibits detailed discussion of findings. Generally, however, five target segments among long-haul leisure travelers were identified. Iconic attractions, relaxation, multi-cultural heritage, and diversity of experiences had varying degrees of importance for all segments in the countries studied. Reactions to the MTA tagline, core messages, and images differed significantly in each region. Other regional differences were found in vacation decision-making processes, purchase channels, media and other influences, and competitive perceptions. However, there were similarities in requirements for value among all tourist segments as well as agents and media. In general, findings by one methodology were validated by other methodologies. For example, the importance of WOM also ranked high among all segments, especially compared to such mass-market tactics as advertising.

The integrated results were incorporated into a 300-page comprehensive Global Brand Plan and 20-50 page localized Brand Plans for each of the countries studied.

CONCLUSION

Research across multiple countries involving multiple methodologies provided data-driven insights. Among multiple segments, TM learned the attributes, messages, and, most important, visitor requirements for value that lead to more than a positive perception but to an actual visit.

The primary conclusion was that an international “one-size-fits-all” destination strategy is less than effective in an era of market segmentation, media fragmentation, and consumer-driven brands, all compounded by increasing global and regional competition for tourist dollars. Past and current tourists indicated a preferences for differentiated offerings that met their requirements for emotional, experiential, and economic value. Each target market sought differing attributes in a destination. This means that different messages and even communications channels may be required for each market. Finally, the measurements also now provide a benchmark for determining returns from future strategies, activities, and investments.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTFusionBrand would like to acknowledge the input and support of the staff of Tourism Malaysia, both in Kuala Lumpur and in overseas offices. The author would also like to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of FusionBrand’s Managing Director, Marcus Osborne.