1. Retrieve, Revive, Relate.
OAKArt… A recommended
experience!!!
2014
COMMUNICATION FOR THE TOURISM IDUSTRY
CHARA YIANNIKOPOULOU, SOFIATSEMPERA
INSTRUCTOR: CHRISTODOULAKIS ELIAS
CN 6004 A1
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF GREECE
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Introduction
In this project we are going to analyze and focus on the Greek abandoned Olympic venues,
and on the O.A.K.A area. We aim to proceed to the restoration of the specific Olympic venue
through a very extensive communication plan. Our customer is OACAD University who want
to promote the OAKART idea to the Greek market and specifically to the Greece’s ministries.
We will emphasize on our research, through the prism of strategic communication tools and
we will examine the present situation after ten years of abandonment and its future
perspectives under the light of possible challenges, prospects and possible threats.
We are going to analyze the major aspects of our strategy based on the theories and
practices in order to understand better the needs of our case study and to familiarize with
the OAKART idea because we believe that we want to attract a very difficult key audience
that are the Greek ministries, it is a must to follow specific strategies that are going to lead
us in an agreement.
For that reason the concepts of stakeholders and publics, our goals and objectives we have
to take under consideration in order to guide us to the formulation of a detailed
communication plan.
Finally, we are going to focus on the message styles, on our tactics and how we will
implement on our campaign.
4. 3
Situation Analysis
Ten years have passed since the organization of the Olympic Games of Athens, but the
Olympic properties look like they are abandoned for one more decade. A visit in these
properties is enough and every citizen will understand and realize images of destruction
and abandonment. Whole stages as softball and basketball is in disrepair, images
misery observed and in other athletic priorities and people in these specific areas start
complaining.
It is obvious, a country that lives in economic recession cannot afford the high cost of
maintenance of the Olympic properties. For that reason in the year 2005 parliament
passed the law to change the use of Olympic facilities in order to allocate to private and
commercial use.
The problems started before the beginning of
the Olympic games, the responsible ministers
wasted time and money in order to find a
correct location for the properties because
their goal was to have the Olympic venues the best reclamation after the games and
finally selected the dispersion of facilities in no tourist areas the siting of facilities didn’t
follow the successful model from other countries where the Olympics used as a catalyst
for the regeneration of a depressed central urban area.
Also, in the location of O.A.K.A stadium that was the heart of Olympic Games, where
took place the opening and closing ceremonies we can find signs of abandonment. Until
today the stadium has not been utilized as a theme park as was the plan in 2004.
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However, the need is through extensive research ministries to find an initiative in order
to assert the stadium and the surrounding area in relation to the games in 2004, the
ministry of tourism is in contact with competent institutions and examine proposals in
order to transform the Olympic Stadium into a tourist and Greek citizen destination.
Our goal and role as a team of Public Relations specialists of TGHS strategic corporate
planning company is to make a clear and understanding communication campaign for
our customers Canadians architectures that want to make a proposal for the
restoration of O.A.K.A stadium to responsible ministries and municipalities. We believe
that the restoration of Athens Olympic Sport Center is an opportunity for our country
and we want to be part of the whole transformation journey.
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Our Product
The restoration of the Athletic Olympic Sport Center as a multidimensional destination
through the interactive
Kinect installation and
augmented reality.
Stadium’s renovation is not
the difficult part of our
project, we need something
to differentiate, to attract
the ministries and in the
future the audiences. In order the whole area to be a unique Greek attraction.
The originality of our proposal is documented and enriched by the history and culture,
the diversity, the tradition and every tourist source and authentic component of the
destination Greece.
Our product is named OAKArt is an interactive Kinect Installation about the History of
the Olympics, by contemporary Greek art it shows another side of Greek culture that is
sometimes overshadowed by its past.
The user stands in front of specific stations, each station will represent a unique sport.
When the user is in a position in front of the station, will see a historic image of the
sport projected to the big screen of the wall of agora area. When the user mimics the
7. 6
pose of the ancient athlete correctly the image will transform into a modern
contemporary Greek artist’s implementation of the ancient sport.
The user will have the choice to scan two Augmented Reality tags located beside the
projection to get more information about the history of the specific sport and the
contemporary Greek artist. The contemporary Greek artist will change every few
months to keep visitors coming every time for something different as an exhibition at
an art gallery.
Key Publics
Producers:
Groups and individuals that will contribute to the implementation of the project.
OCAD. The organization that proposed and introduced us OAKArt project which
we are responsible to promote.
Ministries (Ministry of tourism, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of education,
Ministry of athletics). All public bodies that could potentially contribute to our
project either by licensed it or fund it.
Funders
Donors
Artists. All contemporary artists that will give their art pieces in order to be
displayed at the OAKArt project.
Personnel.
Constructors.
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Enablers:
Groups or individuals that serve as regulators by setting the norms or standards for the
project, opinion leaders with influence over potential customers and everyone else that
help make OAKArt successful.
Professional associations
Governmental agencies
Mass Media
Travel agencies
SETE (Association of Greek Tourist Organizations)
EOT
Tourist / Cultural / Technology conferences
Opinion Leaders
Limiters
Anyone that undermine the success of the project.
Opponents (Based on financial crisis). There will be many to be against to the
project due to the fact that Greece is facing a severe financial crisis and
expenses for such a project might seem a kind of lavishness for the country.
Competitors. Museums, amusement parks and other tourist attractions that
could reduce visitors traffic us alternative solutions of entertainment.
Secondary Customers (Visitors):
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Any group or individual that will visit the new Agora and the OAKArt project.
Families
Tourists
Tourist Agencies
Educational Institutions (Schools, Universities, Colleges)
Artists
Athletes
Local communities
Stakeholders
Internal Stakeholders:
OCAD
Construction company
Funders
Sponsors
Investors
Distributors
Suppliers
Employees
Artists
Legal advisors
Government
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External Stakeholders:
Visitors / Consumers
Media
Regulators
Opinion Leaders
Local Communities
Target Audience
In this specific case we are targeting the government, all kind of decision makers like
the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, SETE, EOT, Travel blogs, tourist agencies etc.
We are targeting all opinion leaders and decision makers that are relevant to the
tourism industry in order to have their contribution for our mail target which is the
government and specifically the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and the
Ministry of Interior to license the project.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
Combination of both education and entertainment.
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This project gives the opportunity to the visitor to have a unique experience
that combines knowledge and amusement. The visitor not only can enjoy
himself with all the outdoor activities but also learn about the ancient Greece,
the history of the Olympic Games, Greece’s heritage and contemporary culture
and art.
Family and children friendly. OAKArt is a perfect alternative for families with
children as they can participate to the activities together, there is a lot of free
outdoor space for the children to play and many options for parents to enjoy
themselves.
Innovative and pioneering.
OAKArt is pioneering and unique idea that combines new technologies (Kinect)
and new forms of entertainment.
Suitable for all ages.
Potential to make Athens an international destination.
Promotion of Greek ancient history, culture and modern art.
Weaknesses:
Difficulty in transportation.
The access to the Olympic Stadium (OAKA) is quite difficult in terms of public
transportation for those who stay downtown which is the majority of tourists.
Not suitable for all weather conditions.
The downside of the project is that OAKArt is located in an outdoor setting that
is not suitable in case of bad weather.
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Opportunities:
Restoration and utilization of an abandoned Olympic Venue
Great potential tourist attraction
Worldwide publicity for Athens and Greece
Opening of work positions (job offer opportunities)
Promote Greek culture/contemporary art
Source of income
Based on the new law about tourism industry that supports new touristic
products, secures the quality of tourist services and foundations and
modernizes institutional frameworks concerning certain special forms of
tourism OAKart has the opportunity to be successful
Threats:
Legal abeyances (legalization of Olympic Venues).
Financial crisis.
Competitors (museums, amusement parks etc.).
Goal & Objectives
Goal:
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Our goal is to restore the abandoned Olympic Venue through the Kinect
technology, in order to retrieve its old glory and all the visitors can have the
opportunity to revive the Greek history and the Olympic spirit and relate to
our country’ s culture.
Also our goal is for us and our project to be included to EOT’s strategic plan
for the years 2015, 2016 that aims to the expansion of the city breaks with
trial destinations to Athens and Thessaloniki as well as all themed touristic
products that enhance those specific destinations against international
competition
OAKart and EOT share the ambition to promote proposals for special
audiences like educational tourism, school tourism, cultural tourism,
heritage tourism, pop culture tourism, archeological tourism, sports
tourism
Objectives:
Raise awareness about OAKArt project.
Inform about all the possibilities of the project.
Find budget for the implementation of the project (sponsorships,
donations).
Attract interest.
Motivate the public.
Strategic intent
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Our strategy is to organize, develop and promote tourism in Greece with the full
potential of the country. Following specific tactics and promoting the country through
the restoration of Olympic venues we support the overall tourism market with a very
strong product “Greece”, Olympic Games and Greek contemporary art. Our nation has
the routes and the knowledge to succeed to go one step further its cultural heritage.
Also, we want to enhance the value of Greek tourism, in collaboration with the
Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior,
Ministry of Athletics and tourism industry and all stakeholders / key influencers in
order to increase incoming tourism choices and tourism revenues, as well as w. Our
operation guided from the development of tourism and the rehabilitation of the
Olympic venues. Greek Olympic venues have been in a grey zone for many years and
hundreds of negative critiques and comments have been made about them and need
to be reversed.
We want this project to be diffused through all social groups in the country because
directly affects the quality of Greek citizen’s life and not only the tourism sector in
order to respond successfully to a highly competitive international environment.
Our strategy focuses on a very difficult to approach target audience stakeholders and
opinion leaders for that reason AIETA (awareness interest evaluation trial and
adoption) model we help to attract this audiences properly. AIETA model shows how
our target audience, in an order of importance, respond to new ideas and services. At
the awareness stage the target audience moves from the state of unfamiliarity to
obviousness and introduction an innovation, it is the stage that the customer gains
knowledge about the existence of our concept. In the interest stage customer start to
15. 14
pay attention to the know idea and be conscious about it. We need the evaluation in
order to observe the target audiences reactions towards the new product idea and we
must understand how to respond to the innovation in terms of meeting their
expectations. Customer in trial stage will experiment our product and finally decides
if the product will be adopted.
Message Style
Our message style is a combination of both rational and emotional appeal. Rational
because it is based on the accomplishments and delivered benefits that the
government will have of the OAKart project, meaning the restoration and utilization of
the abandoned Olympic venues and the benefits that will have as a country from
implementation of the specific project. Our message is emotional because we attempt
to provoke involvement and positive reactions through reference to positive emotions.
This specific approach appeals to specific positive or negative emotions nostalgia
because it refers to a very sensitive issue for Greece, regret for the neglecting venues,
excitement for the hope that generated from the OAKart solution.
The core message of our campaign is “Retrieve, Revive, and Relate. OAKart…A
Recommended Experience!!!”
Retrieve: We want our stakeholders to dream of retrieving the old glory of the
Olympic venues and the significance that they have for Greece
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Revive: Through this concept we give the opportunity to all of our audienciences
to revive Greek history and culture not only an idea but also as formatted
picture
Relate: We invite the visitor to relate with the Greek contemporary Art
Tactics
External Tactics
First of all we must present our communication campaign with passion and
enthusiasm. The first days of our communication campaign in order to OAKArt project
generate noise and attention are the most crucial. For that reason we will introduce
our idea with an experienced approach involving media and public relation tactics and
special events. Opening our campaign with an informative event inviting the most
important stakeholders we create awareness to our product, the best concept to
implement this idea is to participate to the GTE (Greek Tourism Expo) 2014 that will
take place 5, 6 & 7 of December at Metropolitan Expo Athens.
In the occasion of this special event we must prepare our participation with some
basic elements:
We must do our presence noticeable with a well-organized exhibition stand
(Appendix 1).
Invitation-Informative emails to our Key stakeholders about our participation to
the exhibition
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Brochure will be printed
Flyers will be printed in order to attract visitors attention in the entrance of the
exhibition
Projector with the Kinect installation will be needed for the trial
We will create Video spot to present the situation and the project (Appendix 2).
OCAD representatives will participate in order to give adequate information about
the project
We will create questioners so as to measure the public interest about the
utilization of the abandoned Olympic Venues
This particular special event is going to be the stand point in order to create awareness
in our key publics, with this events will make important contacts that will helps us to
create a professional presence to places of interest that we want to attend.
We want to participate to conferences events and conventions that project the
image of Greece via innovative and original initiatives.
As far as the online and print media is concerned, OAKArt project will appear to
websites which are related to the Greek tourist attractions and with all levels of
tourism industry from travel agencies, airlines, hotels, cruise companies and
responsible travel in non-tourism business, business travelers and frequent flyers are
playing a very significant role to the promotion of our project.
In order to have the appropriate use of these mediator we will take in to consideration
the following parameters:
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We will interview key opinion leaders such as Evangelos Christou professor who
is specialized in Tourism Marketing as an expertize on our issue and also will
interview Mirela Maniani who is Greek Olympic Medalist that will express their
views for the OAKArt project and how this idea will help the restoration of the
Olympic venues. This interviews will be sent and publicized to credible touristic
websites such as traveldailynews.gr, are Alternative-Athens.com, Athens.gr,
Greece-athens.com, athensquide.org, Historvious.com as well as to travel and
tourism magazines such as Travel Magazine and Alternative Tourism. This sites not
only recommend Athens tourist attractions but propose and promote new ideas and
alternatives in order to enhance Athens city breaks. (Appendix 3)
We will write an extended article and a feature story about our project’s
innovative idea enhanced with a feature story that will highlight all the important
aspect about the OAKArt and significance of the utilization of the abandoned
Olympic Venues for Greece.
TGHS will build alliances with international publications which are trend setters for
the independent visitors
In our case social media can be included as an additional channel to increase our visibility
via sharing posts and comments that will be made when OAKArt idea become popular.
We will establish a specific section about the project that included to OCAD’S official
website
Internal Tactics
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All the above external tactics can also be used as tools for our campaign to implement our
internal tactics in order to reach our key influencer’s attention.
Our goal is to attract this specific group of key stakeholders by arranging
appointments in order to have presentation for our project with direct mails.
We will organize Face to Face meetings with this specific group of key influencers in
order to have a feedback on their impressions about our project.
As a first step we have planned to attract the attention and interest of Travel agencies,
S.E.T.E, E.O.T, H.C.H (Hellenic chamber of hotels)
We target to attract SADAS( association of Hellenic Architecture) so as to have the
opportunity to participate and present the OAKart idea at Tourism Landscape:
Remaking Greece in 14th
International Architecture exhibition-La Biennale di Venezia
It is very important for us to have a presentation to Hellenic Company for Rolling
Stock Maintenance S.A aiming of their funding.
All the above associations and organizations are very important influencers for our
communication strategy because if we accomplish to gain their support we will have
an advantage when we will address to the decision makers who are:
Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of
Interior, Ministry of Athletics and the Municipality of Amarousion
Ministries are the main target and most important, our purpose is to have their
approval and a possible funding for the OAKArt project.
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As far as the implementation and budget is concern we spend approximately eight
months from the starting points of our research until the final organizing to start plan
implementation that will be active for six months. We tried to keep the budget in a low
level for a communication campaign of that range gathered our main expenses in the
cause of the special event (exhibition) that we think is the key point to be introduce to
the public and raise awareness. The rest of the tactics where very low cost including
the campaign’s promo video that did not financially affect OCAD organization since we
covered all the expenses.
Evaluation
22. 21
In the evaluation stage, it is very important to go one step further as a professional
team. From our extensive research we conclude on how we communicated the OAKArt
concept to the key publics with very specific strategies and tactics. These two main
aspects we must evaluate in order to see finally if we met our goals and objectives.
Furthermore we will examine the if campaign raised awareness to influencers and
stakeholders and also to observe the attitude of these specific groups as long as the
behavior, for instance if the project was clear, if the public’s understand the purpose of
the campaign, if we changed their opinion about the abandoned Olympic venues and
in what level we activated them with our campaign because from this project we had
an ultimate scope, the revival of Greek’s heritage lost dignity.
As a second part of our evaluation it is demanding to focus on both qualitative and
quantitative measurements:
Websites statistics (page views, downloads shares, search engine rankings)
Qualitative data from stakeholders involved (questioners, interviews, surveys,
focus groups)
Event attendance (inquires database)
All the above practical issues and principles will guide and inform us for the results
about the formulation of the communication strategy in order to measure the
effectiveness of the OAKart campaign in changing stakeholders opinion and their
support towards our plan.
24. 23
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