| Great Destination Brands Have Much in Common |
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Great brands spring from a few simple principles that we use when developing a new destination brand.
Great destinations are unique or the absolute best within their market area. Many destinations today promote outdoor recreation, arts and culture, wine and food, just to name a few ?generic? brands. Maybe your destination has some of these same things. If someone can get the same thing closer to home, why would they come to your destination? Successful destinations give visitors something that is compelling and different or a better experience. The best destination brands are narrowly focused and known primarily for one thing, even though they might offer several other experiences as well. Promoting a wide array of visitor interests means opening yourself to more competition and diluting the brand focus. Advertising that "We have it all" or ?Something for everyone? means nothing to the consumer, and strains credibility. Good destination brands to have a singular focus, an image that comes alive in the minds of consumers in your market. Popular destinations have wide appeal. No matter how unique your brand might be, if no one cares, it is not a great brand. Battle Creek Michigan is known for breakfast cereal, but there is no visitor experience that makes it work. On the other hand, Hershey Pennsylvania is associated with chocolate and there are many visitor experiences that make this work, from chocolate factory tours to chocolate spas. Successful destinations offer the visitor a real-time experience. Museums and static displays don?t make good experiences. Destination brands may or may not spring from the history, culture or geography of the destination. There is a misconception that your best destination brand already exists, it just has to be dug out of your past. For many communities, brands have to be built from scratch. Visitors want to be engaged even if your brand has a historical or cultural component. Great destination brands have the ability to develop extensions after the basic identity is established. These extensions include various brand-related product development and other features that keep consumers in the destination longer. Contribute to economic development. Branding a destination is about bringing new money into the economy, creating new employment opportunities, and adding to the tax base of an area. Development of an effective destination brand, product development and marketing, will increase visitor spending with local businesses. Proprietors of local businesses, in turn, will spend this money for rent, workers, supplies, etc., multiplying the value of the visitor spending in the local economy. Create an environment for locals. The positive effect of developing a destination brand is the opportunity to make the destination more attractive to local residents. A reinvigorated branded downtown, for example, with unique shops, trendy restaurants, and engaging nightlife, provides locals as well as visitors places of interest in which to spend their time and money. Using these principles, our team of professionals creatively collaborates to develop brands for destinations that are focused and relevant, innovative and effective. Please contact us if you are ready to begin your brand discovery process. |