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- ARITRO DASGUPTA

Destination Branding: Building Brand Equity

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Principles of Destination Branding

Purpose & PotentialTruthAspirations & BettermentInclusiveness & Common GoodCreativity & InnovationComplexity & SimplicityConnectivityThings Take Time

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Benefits of Destination Branding

Helps reduce choiceReduces impact of intangibilityFacilitates precise segmentationConveys consistency across multiple outlets

& through time

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Benefits of Destination Branding

Reduces risk factor attached to decision making about holidays

Helps provide focus for integration of producer’s effort, helping people work towards common outcome

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Major Challenges for Destination Marketers

Limited funding as compared to consumer goods & services- need to outsmart rather than outspend

Politics- balance between cutting edge brand promotions & the management & bureaucratic red tape of local, regional & political parties

An unstable external environment- global, regional & national conflicts, disasters & economic changes

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Major Challenges for Destination Marketers

Changing consumer preferences (from products to emotional experiences) need to package destinations to make them living experiences

Tourism competition- finding a point of differentiation that is credible & that competitors cannot surpass

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Destination Brand Equity

Equity refers to effects or outcomes that accrue to the destination brand name

Deals with consumers’ knowledge Ever evolving with mass media constantly

generating newer trends

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Stages in Destination Branding (DB)

Stage 1: destinations exist as holistic entities / nuclear products

Stage 2: visitors assemble destination products from set of elements through own personal experiences

Stage 3: cements a unique position in the minds of the wider tourist public

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Perspectives on DB

Urban Planning PerspectiveTourism & Vacation Marketing Perspective

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Urban Planning Perspective

Destination part of bigger pictureTourism fits into overall scheme of thingsInfrastructure development done with view to

improve overall destination & tourism aspects

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Tourism & Vacation Marketing Perspective

Tourism is distinctive aspect of economy, works in isolation

All infrastructure development s geared for tourism purpose only, where other scheme fit in around this aspect

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Brand Conceptualizations

DBs as CommunicatorsDBs as Perspective EntityDBs as Relationships

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Relational Network Brand Model

Also known as Hankinson Model Represented by core brand & 4 categories of

brand relationshipsRelationships are dynamic & evolve

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Relational Network Brand Model (Hankinson Model)

Core Brand

Consumer relationships

Primary service relationships

Media relationships

Brand Infrastructure relationships

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Core Brand

Brand personalityBrand positioningBrand reality

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Consumer Relationships

Non conflicting target marketsResidents & employeesInternal customersManaged relationships from the top

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Brand Infrastructure Relationships

Access services External transport (land, air, rail, sea) Internal transport

Hygiene facilities Car parks Open spaces

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Media Relationships

PublicityPublic relationsAdvertising

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Primary Service Relationships

RetailersEvents & leisure activitiesHotels & hotel associations

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Destination Brand Performance Measurement- Questions

How did you come to know about this destination?

Do you want to travel to this destination? Why?

What are the key attractions of this destination?

What time of the year would you like to visit the location?

If already visited, does the promotion reflect the major attractions o the location?

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Thank You