Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
but to have impact in destination reputation management it must be consistently and effectively
communicated in all these worlds. Places are trying to engage visitors, residents and other
stakeholders in a stimulating conversation and place reputations must be communicated with a
strong, distinctive and engaging tone of voice in all online and offl ine interactions with the key
target audiences (Pride 2012). A place's tone refl ects its ambience, the attitudes of its people, its
heritage and narratives and is inseparable from a destination's sense of place. Yet communicating
this is no simple undertaking and opens up controversial challenges of place authenticity, brand
narratives, leadership and authorship, performativity, story-telling and aesthetics (Dinnie 2008,
2012; Allan 2012; Fyall 2012; Hornskov 2012; Parjanen
et al
. 2012). It is diffi cult to overstate
the emotional power of a destination's tone, its identity and sense of belonging. A destination
tells its stories in its everyday fabric, communicating a message to its residents and visitors
more powerfully than any marketing campaign. The public management of space is thus a key
ingredient in any destination brand strategy. Creative destinations present residents and visitors
with opportunities to continually rediscover and enjoy their spaces, which are designed from the
bottom-up with an emotional as well as a utilitarian dimension to allow the originality of the
local people to shine through in the making of place (Boschma and Fritsch 2009; Vitiellio and
Willcocks 2006, 2012).
This phase in the strategy is about creating a buzz around the destination which harnesses
word-of-mouth and creates a destination with conversational value. The phase includes the
development of a brand tagline and logo, and copy style and brand stories, remembering that
a logo and tagline are not the brand. A tagline is a word or short phrase that captures the spirit
of the destination promise (e.g. Spain: Everything under the sun); it can be a short descriptor,
a call to action or an explanation. It needs to be credible (so tourists believe and value the
underlying proposition); differentiating (to make the destination stand apart in a meaningful
way); enduring (capable of resilience and evolution); motivating (to inspire and entice);
relevant (to each audience); and strategic (so it fi ts with the destination's vision, strategic
objectives and community values). This is also the time to (re)design the destination's web portal.
The digital revolution has forced DMOs to fi nally realize that they never had control of their
brands and that they are open to consumer scrutiny. This poses a number of challenges for
the DMO (e.g. of content, socialization, integration and measurement, see Weber 2009;
Munro and Richards 2012) but when DMOs strike the right note - as with the Queensland
Best Job in the World campaigns of 2009 and 2013 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t
NxvKT_z_U ) or the Your Singapore portal and living logo (www.yoursingapore.com) - there
is conversational social media capital to be made, which extends beyond segment boundaries
like tourism, business and studying.
Phase four of a destination brand strategy - implementation
Far too many DMOs commission brand strategies and tourism master plans without due regard
for their implementation. The adoption of a destination brand strategy must be about more than
using a new logo or adhering to a brand identity kit: the brand must be alive, have resonance
with the community and be owned by stakeholders and community partners. This phase in the
process concerns how the brand promise must be delivered on the ground, particularly focusing
on the role of partnership, on the importance of creating a sense of place and on the role of
people in creating the pulse and heart of a destination. While there are many creative tools in a
DMO's branding tool-box, it is people who are the credible communicators of brand experiences
and in this respect the implementation phase can often be very much about change management
as it can call for transformed relationships and partnerships (Baker 2007).
