Tourism Marketing

1. Branding in Tourism

2. Learning Objectives
To enhance your understanding of:
• the role of branding in tourism marketing
• branding as a co-creative process involving a brand identity, brand
positioning and brand image
• the seven-stage brand positioning process

3. Key terms
Brand identity
• The desired brand image that differentiates the organisation from
competitors. How the organisation aspires to be perceived in the market.
Brand image
• How the organisation is actually perceived by consumers, which might or
might not be similar to that intended in the brand identity.
Brand positioning
• A set of marketing activities that attempt to achieve congruence between the
actual brand image and the brand identity, through a focused value
proposition that is meaningful to consumers.

4. Branding rationale
• For any tourism purchase decision, consumers are spoilt by choice
of available services offering similar features and benefits.
• Owning a brand that stands out from the crowd and simplifies
decision making for the consumer represents a source of
competitive edge.

5. Three components of tourism branding
co-creation
Figure 7.1 – Three elements of tourism branding co-creation
Developed by the
marketer
Developed by the
consumer

6. Brand identity
• The desired image aspired to in the market place
• What is our vision for the brand?
• What are the brand’s core values?
• Does the brand have a particular personality?
• What are the key features and benefits offered?
• Who is the target audience?
• What is our source of competitive edge?
• On what basis should the brand be differentiated from competitors?

7. Brand image & Perception is reality
• The actual image of the brand held by consumers
• Might be quite different to that intended in the brand identity
(Perception is reality)
• Might not exist
• What people believe to be true will be real in its consequences.
• That is, whether an individual’s perceptions are right or wrong about a
brand, they will influence their purchase decisions.
• (see Thomas & Thomas 1928, in Patton 2002),

8. Brand positioning
• The attempt to achieve congruence between the brand image and brand
identity
• Clear differentiation from rivals
• Logo, slogan…and supporting marcom
• Succinct and meaningful value proposition
• 7 word, single minded, proposition
Three key aims of brand positioning
1. Increasing awareness
2. Increasing positive perceptions
3. Stimulating intent to purchase, repurchase, and recommendations to
others

9. Brand positioning stages
1. Clearly define the target market
• Segmentation by location (eg catchment area), demographics (eg age, marital status),
behaviour (eg frequent visitors), psychographics (eg learning style), benefits (eg
excitement), values (eg environment sustainability), socialgraphics (eg Facebook use)
2. Identify the competitive set of brands
• Who are the close competitors for a given purchase situation?
• Which brands are in consumers’ decision sets?
3. Identify the salient attributes/benefits for the purchase situation
• From the consumer’s perspective, which attributes are most important in the decision
process?
• See Chapter 5 – Tourism Marketing Research for discussion on attribute salience and
determinacy
4. Identify perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the
competitive set of brands
• A brand positioning theme must be based on a point of difference, which competitors
cant match….on an attribute/benefit that is salient in the purchase decision

10. Brand positioning stages
5.Identify a differentiated positioning proposition focused on a capability
gap
• What is the business’ key strength, relative to competitors?
• See Chapter 14 – Tourism marketing Performance Measurement for a discussion
on the value of Importance-performance analysis in identifying an attribute that
is most salient and when the brand is perceived strongest
6. Select and implement the positioning proposition
• The slogan is the value proposition
• Seven word single minded proposition
7. Monitor the performance of the strategy over time
• It is difficult to stand out in crowded markets
• Attention is in short supply out there (but it is gettable)
• It is difficult to change people’s perceptions
• Therefore, branding must be seen as a long term investment

11. Slogan criteria
• Remember, this is the value proposition to the target consumers,
to differentiate from competitors
• Propositional
• Meaningful
• Truthful
• Deliverable

12. Key branding principles
• All marketing communications must reinforce the brand identity
and value proposition
• Branding must be regarded as a long term strategy
• It takes time for a brand to gain traction (that’s why they are worth so
much)
• Resist the urge to change the slogan every year
• Focus on reinforcing positively held perceptions, rather than
attempt to change a negative image

13. Repositioning
• The attempt to create a new and different position in the minds of
the target audience
• Given the long term nature of branding effectiveness, this
approach is not commonly successful in the short term

14. Discussion questions
• Why is it argued branding is a co-creative process involving both
the organisation and consumers?
• Why does brand salience represent a source of competitive edge?
• Why is it preferable to focus marketing communications on
promoting positively held perceptions of the brand, rather than to
try and reverse a negative image?