1. BRAND MANAGEMENT
& COMMUNICATION
Applying the concepts of multi‐channel brand
equity management onto the tourism industry
by Alexander Lebedev

2. Brand management & communication
Contents:
1. Short overview of the concept.
2. Generalization of the concept.
3. Implication for the tourism industry.
4. Conclusion.

3. 1. Multi‐channel brand equity mgnt
Goal – maximize short-term sales and long-run brand
equity with the help of different communication techniques
and channels.
1. Channels and communications have direct and indirect
effects on brand equity;
2. Brand resonance model helps to interpret these effects:
• Awareness,
• Attitudes,
• Attachment,
• Activity.
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• Associations,
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4. 1. Multi‐channel brand equity mgnt
3. Marketers must “mix and match” channel and
communication options so that they collectively
maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
4. A channel or communications strategy is considered to
be well integrated when the target market is fully
covered, each consumer has channel or communication
options to his liking, and the channels and
communications work together in a cost-effective
fashion so that they individually are effective and, at the
same time, synergistic, that is, “the whole is great than
the sum of the parts.”

5. 2. Generalization of the concept
• Independent from the industry businesses have to
understand how communication channels work together.
• Important is to follow emerging communication channels
and stay well informed.
• Conflict between producer of service and retailer- who
has to pay for communication design?
• Consumers today are also brand-builders.

6. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Brand resonance model can be successfully implied in the
tourism industry as well. There are the same brand
elements:
• Awareness,
• Associations,
• Attitudes,
• Attachment,
• Activity.
However some adjustments have to be undertaken.

7. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Awareness:
In tourism it is not of less importance for a brand to be
known and recognized.
• How often and easy, under which circumstances
consumers think about our brand?
E.g. If you think about luxury beach holiday, the first thing
that comes to your mind are probably Maldives. This brand
enjoys very high brand awareness.

8. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Awareness:
Peculiarities in tourism:
• Tourism products are not everyday products, people do
not purchase tourism services that often. Therefore
creating awareness is much more difficult.
Communication has to be done all year round, intensified
before top seasons and conducted during low seasons in
order to stimulate demand. Customers have to always be
aware of your brand.

9. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Associations:
Tourism deals with expectations and trust which is build
between service provider and traveler.
It is more and more difficult to control all communication
channels your brand in involved into. A lot of these
channels are created by customer himself (review
platforms, forums, blogs, social networks etc).
Not only tourism brand has to perform well in order to have
positive associations but it also has to manage its picture in
the consumer’s minds, to use right images and emotions.

10. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Associations:
Peculiarities in tourism:
• Once trust is abused tourism brand can lose that
particular customer forever because of the wider time
periods between purchases in comparison to retail
industry. There is less chance to be granted the second
opportunity to make a good impression.
E.g. In Kaprun there are almost no Austrian tourists, only
Russians, Slovenes, Slovaks, Czechs etc. Reason – very
bad associations.

11. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Attitudes:
What really matters is how positive customer attitudes
towards the brand are.
Brand has to deliver consistent quality, be credible (this
refers us to the previous point – associations and trust),
and outstand all other brands in particular niche, be
superior.

12. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Attitudes:
Peculiarities in tourism:
• It is easier in tourism industry to identify customer
attitudes towards brand as in retail industry. Tourism
businesses usually contact with their customers over a
longer period of time and can observe customers, ask
them questions (questionnaires) and follow their opinions
on numerous online evaluation platforms.
• And if you know the attitudes of your customers you can
capitalize on that and improve perception of the brand.

13. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Attachment:
A next level of consumer attitude when he becomes loyal to
the brand. This is when consumers love the brand and
recommend it frequently to their acquaintances.
Attachment creates feeling of fellowship and sometimes the
necessity to spread a positive word about the brand
(evaluation platforms, personal messages to managers,
twitter, facebook, blog posts).

14. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Attachment:
Peculiarities in tourism:
• Attachment in tourism is build over years. Here you can’t
just make consumer a part of your money making
machine like for example Apple does (iTunes, Apple TV,
Apple Store etc). In tourism the consumer can always go
somewhere else and will probably get the same service
quality. So in tourism communication and cherishing the
relationship with the consumer is crucial for winning loyal
customers that will stay with the brand for many years.

15. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Activity:
How active is our consumer in his daily live regarding our
brand. Does he think about us? Does he want to be with us
in the future?
It is nothing else then the question of “how often” and “how
much” do they purchase. When customers decide to stay
with brand in their usual life and contribute their time to that
particular brand – be active for it.

16. 3. Implications for tourism industry
Activity:
Peculiarities in tourism:
• A great example here would be Visitbritain.com and their
communication strategy (“Spend less, invest smarter”). They
try to make their visitors active and participate in all kind of
online as well as offline activities connected to the brand
VisitBritain.
Users upload their pictures, take part in numerous
sweepstakes, promote Britain all over the world via Internet. It
doesn’t cost much for the brand but hell it is effective.
Users are promoted to brand ambassadors and are even more
active, try even harder to be the respected member of
VisitBritain community.

17. 4. Conclusion
• Some brands in tourism understand the importance of
brand communication and utilization of different channels.
In most cases these are big brands (like Austrian NTO,
Visitbritain, 100% pure New Zealand). Small companies
and family run hotels in most cases do not realize the
necessity of brand communication and rely mostly on the
existing loyal consumer base.
But in the future they will be left behind because brand
communication should not be underestimated and they
should invest time in it, which other tourism companies
are successfully doing for building a thorough brand with
the help diverse channels and communication techniques.