Persuasive Branding and Promotion Strategies - Essay Example

Online Case Study to accompany Global Marketing, 2nd Edition, by Johansson & International Marketing, 11th Edition, by Cateora Persuasive Branding and Promotion Strategies Prepared by Pandora Kay and Allison Ringer, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia McGraw-Hill Australia A Division of The McGraw-Hill Companies Copyright 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Limited Additional owners of copyright are named in on-page credits. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher, marked for the attention of the Publishing Manager, at the address below. Copying for educational purposes Under the copying provisions of the Copyright Act, copies of parts of this material may be made by an educational institution. An agreement exists between the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) and the relevant educational authority (Department of Education, university, TAFE, etc.) to pay a licence fee for such copying. It is not necessary to keep records of copying except where the relevant educational authority has undertaken to do so by arrangement with the Copyright Agency Limited. For further information on the CAL licence agreements with educational institutions, contact the Copyright Agency Limited, Level 19, 157 Liverpool Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Where no such agreement exists, the copyright owner is entitled to claim payment in respect of any copies made. Published in Australia by McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Limited 4 Barcoo Street, Roseville NSW 2069, Australia Sponsoring Editor: Ailsa Brackley du Bois Developmental Editor: Jane Clayton Production Editor: Kim Ross UPDATE: The Australian Tourist Commission has now been incorporated into Tourism Australia (http://www.tourism.australia.com) "Tourism Australia is the Federal Government statutory authority responsible for international and domestic tourism marketing as well as the delivery of research and forecasts for the sector. Tourism Australia was ratified in the Australian Parliament on 18 June 2004 and officially commenced on 1 July 2004. The new organisation brings together the collective skills and knowledge of four separate organisations: the Australian Tourist Commission; See Australia; the Bureau of Tourism Research and Tourism Forecasting Council. The main objectives of Tourism Australia under the Tourism Australia Act 2004 are to: Influence people to travel to Australia, including for events; Influence people travelling to Australia to also travel throughout Australia; Influence Australians to travel throughout Australia, including for events; Help foster a sustainable tourism industry in Australia; and Help increase the economic benefits to Australia from tourism. Tourism Australia is a statutory body subject to the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 (CAC Act). This recognises the commercial focus of the new body and the need for it to operate flexibly in a commercial environment." The expenditure of tourist dollars by international visitors has the same economic effect for a country as selling products by export in international markets. Attracting international visitors is, therefore, encouraged by most countries around the world-especially by their governments and major tourist service providers such as airlines, hotel chains, major tourist attractions and tourist events. With increasing international travel, due to technological innovations in transportation and global communications, the competition for international tourists is increasing and, therefore, applying marketing principles and techniques to destinations has become a growing area of marketing practice. Of particular relevance to the international marketing of destinations are branding and promotion strategies, market segmentation, target marketing and positioning. Australia is a long-haul destination from many of the large tourist markets. Therefore, the international marketing of Australia has to be particularly persuasive to attract tourists to spend their time, effort and money on travel to Australia rather than other competing destinations-many of which are closer, requiring less time, effort and money. Competition is only one of many external environmental factors that influence international tourism and the effectiveness of its marketing. Recently, international tourism plunged worldwide following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre buildings in New York on September 11, 2001.120 The first increase in international visitor arrivals was a 1.1% increase during February 2002, after five months of decline. The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicate that 3.25 million people arrived in Australia in the eight months to February 2002 and although February's arrivals were the first increase after five months of decline, arrivals for the previous eight months were still down 8% on the previous 12 months. According to the ATC, Australia's inbound tourism industry is recovering faster when compared to many other destinations around the world. This recovery has been led by a huge increase in arrivals from Asia, as a result of the Chinese New Year holiday, as well as a resilient United Kingdom (UK) tourism market and steady growth from the United States (US). In-depth analysis of international visitor arrivals to Australia in February 2002 reveals a patchy recovery with variation across market segments. Two of Australia's key tourism markets, Japan and New Zealand, are described by the ATC as 'remaining soft'. In comparison, visitor arrivals from Asia increased by 21.2% in February 2002 including growth from China (up 84.6%), Singapore (up 24.7%) and Malaysia (up 27.7%). Destination marketing campaigns: successes and critics One of the most successful destination marketing campaigns was the 'I Love New York' campaign in the late 1970s. This internationally famous campaign (including its slogan) was undertaken by the State of New York following extensive market research of prospective visitors. It reorganised the total tourist product delivery in the city by bringing together and packaging the product elements in ways designed to appeal to customers and facilitate their purchases. It especially focused on the entertainment, cultural and accommodation opportunities provided by the city, and the campaign image was then developed to encapsulate the benefits offered (Middleton 1989). The famous logo and strip-line further emphasised a shift within destination marketing of associating feelings with places. No destination has suffered more than New York City since the September 11 attacks. This has necessitated a new effort to help the city's tourism to rebound. The new version of the 25-year-old 'I Love New York' campaign, launched in April 2002, is a Latin version that was designed, in the first instance, to target the local Hispanic community who comprise more than 35 million of the 278 million population in the US. Cities with large Hispanic populations, such as 29 counties in the New York metropolitan area and Miami, are being targeted for 60-second TV spots. The new Latin-version campaign comprises a first-ever Spanish language television commercial featuring salsero singer Marc Anthony and his hit song I need to know. It shows him travelling throughout the city and being mistaken for Puerto Rican pop idol Ricky Martin. Previous commercials in the campaign have featured well-known New York identities-namely, film director and actor Woody Allen, comedian and actor Billy Crystal, and actors Kevin Bacon and Ben Stiller (Reuters, viewed 26 April 2002). A particularly successful destination marketing campaign for Australia was developed by the ATC for the North American market. Launched in 1984, it was known as the 'Paul Hogan Face of Australia' campaign featuring Paul Hogan, an Australian actor, and dominant images of outback Australia and Australian people which were subsequently popularised by the feature movie Crocodile Dundee in 1986 and its sequel, Crocodile Dundee II. Famous taglines featured in this campaign included 'throw another shrimp on the barbie', and the greeting 'G'day'. Despite the success and effectiveness of this campaign, since its launch there have been critics. Some suggested Paul Hogan's ocker image was a problem because it was widely seen as: 'too Anglo-Celtic, too laid-back, too philistine and too yesterday' (Feizkhah 2002). Others suggested that outback Australia and the Australian people depicted did not project an image for Australia that could be considered clear, all-embracing and representative. Another observation made about destination marketing campaigns, in general, is that by nature they tend to be reflective rather than providing a new, sharp and cutting-edge image of a destination's identity. A further distinction can be made between how we sell ourselves and how we see ourselves, as these are not always going to be the same. A study of the American people's image of Australia undertaken in 1992, for example, found Australia's image to be positive but still heavily based on the Crocodile Dundee stereotypes. The top-five responses for what American people associated most with Australia were America's Cup, Australian Aboriginals, koalas, kangaroos and the Great Barrier Reef. The terms least associated with Australia were sophisticated and fashionable (cited in Phyland 1992). 'I Still Call Australia Home' campaign Meanwhile, the airline, Qantas, is an example of how major tourism service providers can also play a very significant role in destination marketing. Qantas is the longest long-distance, continuous running airline in the world. It associates its brand image directly with Australia-as evidenced by its tagline, 'Spirit of Australia', and its theme song, Peter Allen's powerfully patriotic song, 'I Still Call Australia Home'. Qantas has had success with two versions of its campaign featuring Peter Allen's song. The latter version remains one of the most ambitious advertisements produced for Australia, to date, with a creative concept involving an Australian choir, made up of 200 children, seen at key locations around the world including Argentina, Venice, Thailand, New York's Brooklyn Bridge, China's Great Wall and Beijing as well as unique Australian landscapes such as the Great Barrier Reef in far north Queensland, The Twelve Apostle rocks in western Victoria, and King's Canyon in the Northern Territory. The concept was inspired by Qantas's Deputy Chief, Geoff Dixon, from watching the annual Carols by Candlelight on television and wanting to reuse the Peter Allen song, I Still Call Australian Home, in a new campaign. The resultant campaign's creative concept, 'allowed us to absolutely ring all the emotion and appeal or synergies with Australia' (Dixon cited in Professional Marketing, 2000). 'Brand Australia' campaign 'Brand Australia' was launched in 1995 by the ATC and aims to break new ground in travel advertising by focusing on the benefits for the visitor and the experience of a holiday in Australia, rather than just focusing on the physical dimensions of the country. Furthermore, 'Brand Australia' is an image driven campaign featuring excerpts from 26 hours of specially shot footage of more than 50 locations throughout Australia. As such, it shares some similarity with the previously mentioned, inaugural 'I Love New York' campaign, which also focused on the benefits for the visitor as well as pioneering an association of feelings with places in destination marketing. Since the ATC's inception, Australia has been promoted in up to 40 countries around the world and 'Brand Australia' has been communicated through a diverse range of consumer and trade promotional activities including advertising, public relations (PR) activity and editorial publicity, direct mail, in-depth Internet marketing and special events. A variety of media is used including the Internet, print, television, cinema and travel-guide brochures. Sub-branding is also developed with all State and Territory tourism authorities (STOs) in various markets to ensure consistent marketing communications (ATC 2001). For each market, the relevant life-cycle stage and significant market segments are identified. Japan and New Zealand (NZ) are mature markets for Australia, while China is one of Australia's significant emerging markets. Japan and NZ are, also, currently two of Australia's key markets and various target market segments have been identified within them. Significant examples include Japanese young office ladies (YOLS), experienced female travellers (25-34 years) and new 50s (over 50 years, active and young-at-heart female travellers); and NZ empty nesters (couples, 45-64 years, travelling without children and not retired) and experienced youthful travellers (couples and singles, 30-44 years and travelling without children). This campaign was launched in 2002 and stated campaign objectives identify the holiday experiences for each target segment that encourages them to visit Australia (arrivals), return to Australia (repeat visitation), stay longer in Australia (length of stay), spend more in Australia (yield), and travel more widely in Australia (dispersal). It will integrate three leading holiday experiences-city life, resort and great Aussie journeys (Discovery)- for the two key target market segments (identified above) across all ATC marketing activity, including cooperative campaigns undertaken with STOs and industry partners. Other recent tactical campaigns within 'Brand Australia', undertaken on a cooperative basis, include Japan where the ATC together with Qantas have undertaken an advertorial and tactical newspaper campaign for the 'new 50s' featuring top Japanese actors. For the Japanese experienced female travellers, ATC together with Japan Airlines (JAL) have delivered the new style Australia television advertising campaign, supported by print advertising and in-depth Internet marketing. A Japanese language ATC web site, (see http://www.australia.com), is also part of the 'Brand Australia' campaign for the Japanese markets, the first stage of which was launched early 2001 (ATC 2001). Global brand elements and logo As part of the branding of Australia, the ATC seeks to highlight the elements of the country that distinguish it from the rest of the world. It has identified global brand elements under three key dimensions-core values, personality and essence. Core values to be portrayed are genuine, unpretentious and open. The personality to be conveyed is one that is colourful, engaging and approachable in terms of both its people and landscapes, and the experiences tourists can have with them. Combine these with an optimistic and free-spirited attitude and an informal/stylish relaxed, laid back lifestyle that is evident through Australian fashion, design, food, wine and service ethics. These values and personality elements combine an essence that is naturally free spirited together with unique physical landscapes/cities. In essence, 'Brand Australia' promotes the personality of Australia as a free-spirited, optimistic, fun and liberating destination offering a range of experiences. A vibrant logo based on the kangaroo as Australia's most recognisable symbol, according to consumer testing research findings, has been designed with colour variations to represent the diversity of the Australian coastal and interior climates. The gold of the kangaroo represents the warm rays of the sun and life, while the blue wavy lines represent the blue of the sky and the sea, and the red circle suggests the sun, red earth, desert, red centre and the outback. This logo is featured on all ATC advertising and promotional publications, thereby providing a unifying link and consolidating brand image in different travel markets. For further details of the global brand elements of the logo for 'Brand Australia', (see http://www.tourism.australia.com/Marketing.asplang=EN&sub=0380). Future challenges Marketing and branding destinations in international markets present many ongoing challenges. Which markets and segments should be targeted and how should a destination be branded and positioned for these different markets and segments What global brand elements should be portrayed and how should they be portrayed Which promotion-mix elements should be employed In campaigns, what messages and images should be communicated, by using which media, and how should their effectiveness be evaluated With destination marketing and branding there is enormous potential for conflicting images and messages to be conveyed because a destination's image, culture and identity are always complex, evolving and influenced by many sources. Such influences and sources range from orchestrated marketing campaigns to popular culture as expressed and portrayed through the arts, sport, travel guidebooks and media-particularly books, movies, songs and television programs. There are numerous TV shows, movies, and pop songs projecting images of New York- powerful enduring examples include Woody Allen's movie Manhattan, and the popular TV shows N.Y.P.D Blues, Seinfeld and Sex and the City. For Australia, powerful enduring examples include Crocodile Dundee which, now nearly twenty-years-old, is still a well-recognised Australian image for the North American market in particular, who believe it portrays the quintessential Australia and Australian people. Other popular culture identities and celebrities incorporated in previous tactical campaigns for the Japanese market were golfer Greg Norman and the band, Yothul Yindi. For the future, swimmer Ian Thorpe has volunteered his services as Australia's first Holiday Ambassador to Japan, from 2002 onwards. As such, he will be the future face of Australian tourism in Japan. For the New Zealand market, previous tactical campaigns for Australia have included rock music and musicians such as Daddy Cool's Eagle Rock, Jimmy Barnes and Col Joy. In addition to the problem of conflicting images and messages being conveyed, there is also vast scope for the difference between a tourist's perceptions and expectations and the promotional material on which these were based, and a tourist's actual experience of a destination and its culture, identity and image. UPDATE 2006 (M. Kasprzyk): "The controversial 'Where the bloody hell are you' advertisement was part of an aggressive new marketing campaign post the September 11 terrorist attacks in the USA. Whilst it received a lot of publicity, there were negative reactions to the language particularly from UK and the USA. It was also difficult to translate into other languages to convey the spirit of the message. The Age - March 2006 Sydney Morning Herald March 2006" For Australia and New York, some marketing and branding approaches, used to date, have been raised in this case, together with some of the related issues and challenges. A particular challenge for Australia is the very diverse actual tourism product and experiences, associated prices and markets (ranging from backpackers on a budget to the five-star luxury market) combined with being a long-haul destination for many major markets. A further influence on international tourism to, and within, Australia is airline frequency, route and capacity. In addition, the external environment presents continual changes of an economic, social, cultural, competitive, technological, geographical, political and legal nature which, in turn, presents threats and opportunities for a destination and its marketing to international markets. Achieving successful and effective destination marketing, branding and promotion campaigns for Australia's selected international markets in an increasingly competitive and changing environment remains an ongoing challenge. References Australian Tourism Commission, 2001, Annual Report 2000/2001, (for year ended June 2001), Australian Tourist Commission, Sydney. Feizkhah, E., 'Paul Hogan: When the world embraced his home-grown humor, Australians felt they too were being congratulated.', Time magazine, October 25 1999, Vol. 154, Issue 17, web site www.time.com/time/magazine. Middleton, V., Tourist Product, in S.F. Witt and L. Moutinho (eds.), 1989, Tourism Marketing and Management Handbook, Prentice Hall International (UK), Hertfordshire, pp. 573-6. Phyland, J., 'Australia's Dundee Image Lingers in US Eyes', The Age, 4 May 1992, p. 17. Professional Marketing, 'The Man from Qantas', Professional Marketing, June/July 2000, p. 10. Case study questions Investigate the Tourism Australia website. Please provide brief answers (up to half a page only) to each question. 1. With destination marketing and branding there is enormous potential for conflicting images and messages to be conveyed because a destination's image, culture and identity are always complex, evolving and influenced by many sources. Such influences and sources range from orchestrated marketing campaigns to popular culture as expressed and portrayed through the arts, sport, travel guidebooks and media-particularly books, movies, songs and television programs.' In your answer identify the role that popular culture, place images, myths and stereotypes play in influencing a destination's image and identity, such as Australia's, in international markets. http://www.australia.com It is always the popular culture, place images, myths and stereotypes which will have a great influence in international market for tourism. Australia is not any exception. But in terms of popular culture, Crocodile Dundee used to play a major role representing Australia, not to a great extent any more. It is also a known fact that famous personalities like Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, Heath Ledger, and Hugh Jackman are Australians, but were never considered as representatives of Australia. They are appreciated more as individuals than being Australians. Place images are the ones which actually define any destination. Place images of Australia are totally inviting. Places like Great Barrier Reef, Gold Coast, Ayer's Rock, and so on are rich in natural beauty. These places were, are, and will remain as identity of Australia, with Great Barrier Reef being the world's largest coral reef system. Exploring the white sand and azure waters on the beautiful beaches including Gold Coast is a great experience by itself. These are the main attractions in terms of international tourism for any destination. Holidays equals relaxation, which in Australia these places provide. Myths - Every part of the world is filled with its own myths. When we talk about myth, we think of tales of stories; stories that are being passed on by one generation to another. These stories might or might not be true. Like, all early settlers Australians are prisoners is one of myths in Australia. Of course, the present population is considered as migrates. These really do not influence international markets in terms of tourism to a great extent whereas stereotypes do play a major role in influencing international market for Australia. When we speak or think about Australia, the first image that strikes to mind is kangaroos, which are only found in Australia. Of course, we also think about koalas, aborigines and their art, didgeridoo, laid back lifestyle of Australia (exception being Sydney and Melbourne), dairy farming, heavy agricultural machineries, and so on. But the most important image which strikes is a kangaroo. Also Australian's passion about animals adds on to international market for Australia. 2. Why is positioning so important when targeting international tourism markets How does Tourism Australia use positioning See: http://www.tourism.australia.com/Marketing.asplang=EN&sub=0291 Positioning has always been an important aspect for any target market. It has been an overall marketing strategy for any sector. With heavy competition, Tourism Australia has not only targeted tourism, but also has given a greater importance to trade and business events. With the information just a click away, it makes Tourism Australia a better web site providing complete information. This means growth in both tourism and business. 3. Briefly describe the promotional mix for marketing Australia as a destination to international markets, in relation to the Tourism Australia web site. Refer to the material provided on: http://www.tourism.australia.com/marketingmixbuilder/orderOnline/default.asp Best way to promote anything is advertisement/marketing. There are various ways of advertisement/marketing; e-newsletters, partners, banners, agents, magazines, trade events, publicity programs, and so on. Each of the above mentioned ways have their own importance. An America by receiving an e-newsletter will have updated information about Australia, which is amazing. This also makes one to start exploring that particular destination, which means revenue. The purpose is basically served. Tourism Australia has made every possible effort by utilizing advertisement/marketing in the website to promote tourism and business in Australia. 4. Post September 11, 2001 has been a challenge for the Australian tourism industry. How does Tourism Australia deal with this challenge How is the 'Where the bloody hell are you' campaign positioned in relation to this challenge http://www.wherethebloodyhellareyou.com/ Post September 11, 2001, there was a huge dip in International Tourism. Like every country Australia also tried to give best to create a better image. 'Where the bloody hell are you' campaign was launched by Tourism Australia which was quite successful. The friendliness in the campaign made visitors/tourists complete forget the unfortunate (September 11, 2001). The campaign has a very clear message which actually captured the hospitality and lifestyle of Australia. It attracted more and more visitors/tourists which equals to revenue for Australia. More visitors/tourists mean more hospitality jobs. "Following the launch of the new campaign there has been a 30% increase in visits to australia.com around the world and a massive 71% increase to Tourism Australia websites, when visits to the sowherethebloodyhellareyou.com website is included." (www.tourism.australia.com). This definitely is an achievement for Tourism Australia. 5. Provide a brief statement on how the internet is used by the Tourism Australia web sites and how useful and effective you it is. In today's world, a person is totally handicapped without Internet. Internet means network of networks. Providing complete information of any destination attracts visitors. Tourism Australia is information center for any tourist or business personnel to gain complete knowledge about Australia culture and hospitality. I, as an individual, found the web site (Tourism Australia) very informative. I really appreciate the total effort by Tourism Australia providing complete information about Australia. Read More