Tourism Branding

Comment

Comment by Monique Y. Wells 9 hours ago

The food can be great though!

Comment by Jose Balido 10 hours ago

Good points, Paul/Monique/Max. I personally like the video, though I agree about the music being off-message. I do think one could get away with promoting GB as the innovation isle, but we need to see current innovation at work to believe it. The industrial revolution and colonial plunder won't cut the mustard!

Comment by Paul Barnett 10 hours ago

Invention and innovation are part of the DNA if Brits for sure. It fueled the Industrial Revolution as we know. The empire, the commonwealth and so on also mean we have a heritage of worldliness, and a huge number of people in the world speak our language - as much to do with the fact Americans speak English as the fact that we do. But this is all heritage and culture focused. It's the history, and not the current reality really. They are features of what Max refers, "Tradition". For many people it is this Tradition that is top of the list of reasons why it is there favourite destination.

We do still have some good innovation, but I think current innovation, except in a few areas, is hardly reason in itself to make people want to visit the UK. And, if they do, this tends to be very focused e.g. London Fashion Week and London Design Week. I can't imagine too many people seeing the UK as a destination because of the technology clusters like Cambridge Science Park, unless for business purposes.

I think campaigns need to connect the past, present and future. They perhaps also need to address some issues head on. For example the UK still has a bad image for food, a reputation it did deserve, But these days the quality of British food is very good and often exceptionally good.

Comment by Monique Y. Wells 11 hours ago

Max,

You are spot on!

The only thing that I noted regarding innovation was Embedded Cultural DNA, and only the most erudite will have an inkling of what that means. (I also noted that the well-travelled Brit has only gone to New York and a couple of European destinations.)

As for the music, I agree that while it is beautiful, it is totally lacking in innovation!

Comment by Max Pesling 12 hours ago

Y'all see the beautiful video on Brand Britain? It highlights 7 great reasons why one of my favorite destinations will always remain... a great destination. What I'm not crazy about, to be honest, is the tagline "The Innovation Isle." I'm sorry, Cool Britannia and all notwithstanding, I don't think most people perceive Britain as the land of innovation: the cultural code embedded deep in our noggins is Tradition, not Innovation. Now of course with a sustained, well-orchestrated campaign, you can change public perceptions over time, but this one's going to be a long road to hoe. For one thing, you need proof to back it up. What's the innovation? Well, Britain has some cutting-edge artists and designers (remember Damien Hirst with his pickled animals?) and musicians, so why aren't they highlighted as living examples of the current British innovative spirit? I'm not sure how having the Greenwich Meridian makes you innovative. I'm not knocking the video, it's beautifully done, but what I like about this group is how we analyze things together. Your thoughts?

Oh one last thing: I think a lot of current innovative British musicians might not be amused that the soundtrack of this video is by a foreigner... Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, which is both not innovative and not British.

Comment by Alan Williamson 1 day ago

Paul

1. I guess you'll never be a 'core' target market for Shakespeare Country. Fringe? Perhaps.

2. Cork: They've obviously done an amazing marketing job on you. But there are hundreds of places around the world that have fantastic coastlines & scenery, authentic food & hospitality & cozy guesthouses. There's something else - perhaps buried deep within your sub-conscious - that attracts you to Cork - something very unique about the Brand Ireland in general and Cork in particular? Maybe it's The Craic (and I'm not talking about the white stuff).

3. The Target is NOT the Market
- Long answer: Coming soon...
- Short answer: Think Wimbledon targetted at tennis fans but also full of visitors who have never touched a tennis racket in their lives. And Glastonbury targetted at the youth market but chocka with 50+ hippies re-living their second youth - but this time round with fatter wallets and waistlines to match in their posh marquees complete with chef at £6K per weekend. Rock-on Man!

Comment by Paul Barnett on July 29, 2010 at 6:30pm

Alan, I don't get the point about, "The Target is NOT the Market". Could you explain explain the question? Re the sub-brands for Warks, thats all news to me. I guess I know of the castle, and Shakespeare. I can't say I recall having seen any campaigns for either the main brand or sub-brands. And, the Shakespeare connection alone would not make me want to visit, I am not much into Shakespeare. I am not sure what that actually says about the success or otherwise of their strategy. I can say that when I travel I visit places that will offer me several experiences and activities to choose from. I sually want to know there are interesting things to see and do, good places to stay and eat and so on. One thing only is not going to get me there. I am pretty sold on Cork in Ireland. They have told me stories of fantastic coastline scenery, great hospitality, amazing authentic food and cozy small guest houses etc. How is it I know so much about Cork and so little about Warwickshire?

Comment by Alan Williamson on July 29, 2010 at 3:40pm

Paul, thanks for the heads up on amazon.com which got me thinking about another related subject for debate and discussion in the future perhaps:

The Target is NOT the Market
Does a single, narrowly-focused target such as ShakespeareWallah's (A BritRaj term for people who 'love' all things Shakespearean) attract a wider audience ie. beyond its narrow scope?

Meanwhile, here's how 'Shakespeare Country' uses its
Sub-Brands to attract different market segments:

- Rugby: Home of the Sport of Rugby
- Royal Leamington Spa: A Royal Town Twin (Twinned with Royal Tunbridge Wells in the county of Kent: The Garden of England)
- Nuneaton: Home to the Warks Carnival (Warks is shorthand for Warwickshire)
- Warwick Castle: England's Most Haunted (Featuring the Ghost Tower)
- Warwick University: Leaders in Industry Innovation

Comment by Paul Barnett on July 29, 2010 at 3:59am

It is interesting that just by our conversation Amazon.com has managed to associate itself and leave a panel ad of related books on this page. If Amazon can do it, Maybe Warwikshire County could too, and likewise for stories other than Shakespeare, so that Warwickshire is promoted to people according to their interest.

Comment by Alan Williamson on July 29, 2010 at 2:44am

Hello Tripatinos

To develop Jose's point about 'Shakespeare Country', here's how a single-minded big brand idea transfoms itself into a powerful future-focused story-telling extravaganza on multiple-media channels - from offline to online to mobile (cellphone).

Let's say Jose, your earliest knowledge of 'England' generally and 'Shakespeare' specifically was during your most impressionable years - 7/8 years of age. In other words, 'Shakespeare' is currently residing deep within your sub-conscious - the part of your brain which actually influences your decision-making - but you are not conscious of that on a day-to-day basis. So any focus group that you participate in would not be able to 'extract' that bit of insight from you. Only a 'regression' into your early childhood would be able to do that. And let's say that one of your major roles in life is as a 'Business Person'.

So here are some ways that 'Shakespeare Country' influences the 'business' target market - of which you are a part of - by re-telling Shakespeare's plays and sonnets but within a contemporary business context: Power, Strategy, Identity, Persuasion, Mergers & Acquisitions, Presentation, Creative Partnerships and so on.

Here are some examples:
1. Richard III: The Art of Persuasion
2. Antony & Cleopatra: A Presentation Masterclass
3. The Merchant of Venice: Mass Storytelling & the Power of Advertising

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