Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
time, distinct from it (Hall 2004). Similarly, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland have
a gestalt image and are seen by potential tourists as a single entity, linked by association to general
'Scandinavian values' such as tolerance and innovation. In contrast to these endorsement brands,
the third strategy - the sub-brand strategy - involves much stronger links and shared associations
so that both the supra or umbrella brand and the sub-brand are strong drivers infl uencing
consumer perceptions. A good example of this is Australia, whereby the country shares similar
overall values with its regional brands (such as Western Australia) and its city brands (such as
Perth) (see Crockett and Wood 1999; Morgan and Pritchard 2002). This approach has the benefi t
of creating a fl exible brand framework that allows sub-brands to maintain their individuality
while complementing the suprabrand and it allows the suprabrand to leverage certain sub-brands
to attract niche markets. However, it can be costly and time-consuming as each sub-brand has to
be developed in close collaboration with the umbrella brand. There is also an issue of brand
fi t as sub-brands may have to adapt to suit the suprabrand proposition, in addition attempts
to over-stretch the master brand into too many sub-brands may result in brand dilution, overlap
and confusion.
The fourth and fi nal strategy is the branded house strategy, characterized by a single brand
with a dominant driver role which supports other descriptive brands. This achieves economies
of scale and cost savings due to low investment for each successive brand extension and is also
effective in creating high brand awareness. A good example is New Zealand, whereby the nation
brand essence is 'landscape' which has associations with growth, purity and nature (Morgan and
Pritchard 2005, 2006). These qualities are embedded in the silver fern, New Zealand's country-
of-origin symbol which functions as an anchor in New Zealand's branding and which plays a
crucial driver role in leveraging New Zealand in areas such as tourism, sport, trade and enterprise,
fi lm and education, getting high impact from the All Blacks (rugby), the Silver Ferns (Netball)
and Team New Zealand (yachting). Whilst New Zealand is perhaps the most successful example
of this strategy (and perhaps of any destination brand strategy), it runs the risk that, whilst
positive associations impact on all the linked brands, so too do negative images, making them all
vulnerable to any 'shocks'.
Decisions about which type of brand architecture strategy a destination should adopt should
be made once a brand audit has been completed. This involves analysis of: external and internal
factors (including awareness, associations, etc.); the nature of the brand (its essence, symbols,
icons, etc.); the key audiences (both internal and external). The answers to the audit determine
whether the brand needs to be leveraged and supported, amalgamated to reduce overlap or
whether a new brand needs introducing to target new audiences or to broaden the offer. Once
a DMO has identifi ed the key elements of the brand strategy platform, i.e. what kind of brand
to develop (house of brands, etc.), the next steps are to identify the brand personality and the
brand promise. This should refl ect all the key components of a destination brand including its
positioning, its rational (head) and emotional (heart) benefi ts and associations. The brand
personality should guide brand enhancement, development and marketing and refl ect the
benefi ts identifi ed in the destination brand benefi t pyramid (
Figure 30.1
).
Phase three of a destination brand strategy - creative development
This phase shifts the emphasis in the process away from strategic issues and focuses on creating a
destination brand's visual and verbal identity - what Pride (2012) calls its tone of voice. This
phase of the brand strategy development turns the fi ndings of the discovery research which
informed the brand platform into engaging, creative communications and campaigns, all of
which share the same tone of voice. Place tone exists in the material, symbolic and virtual worlds
