DESTINATION BRANDING STRATEGIES: FIVE KEYS TO SUCCESS

There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it, you

need to be as mad as a hatter. Which luckily I am.

--The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland

HOW IMPORTANT IS DESTINATION PROMOTION?

� International tourismgenerates 9% of global GDP and employs 235 millionpeople worldwide

� Internal investment generatesnearly 6% of global GDP (16% for the US)

� Emerging destinations, notmature destinations, are fueling growth

� Latin American countries havebeen particularly active promoters

� Tourism has political clout

5 KEYS TO DESTINATION POSITIONING SUCCESS

1 • Research

2 • Communications

3 • Apolitization

4 • Coordination

5 • Measurement

RESEARCH

� What features make you relevant and different to your targets?

� Who is your best prospect today? Who could be tomorrow?

� What do your key audiences think of you? What do they think of your competitors?

� Why do tourists want to visit your destination and why don’t they?

POLLINGMESSAGE TESTINGMEDIA ANALYSESCOMPETITIVE ANALYSES

COMMUNICATIONS� Lots of destinations have

visual identities; few have true promotional campaigns

� A logo is not a substitute for stakeholder engagement

� Destination promotion programs should be communications-led

� Strategies that target multipliers produce the greatest ROI

COORDINATION

� Among government institutions

� Between the government and private sector

� Internally and externally

� The importance of a branding committee

APOLITIZATION

� Politization runs counter to effective destination promotion

� Tourism promotion officials/executives should be civil servants

� Internal communications and external promotional efforts should be separated

� The private sector and operational teams play a key role in maintaining continuity

MEASUREMENT

� No promotional campaign is complete without tracking and measuring effectiveness

� Customize measurement to the program’s nature and objectives

� Establish metrics before the campaign begins, through a collaborative effort between destination, agencies and service providers

� Analyze every activity: not just activities but impacts and outcomes

THANK YOU!Theresa Rice

Managing Director, Destination Promotion

Burson-Marsteller Miami/Latin America

601 Brickell Key Drive, Suite 900, Miami, FL 33134

theresa.rice@bm.com