Creative Places: Meeting the

Relevancy Challenge

Professor Nigel Morgan, CIT2012 Odense

3

Digital channels have driven a radical shift in customer behaviour;

This is evident in people’s relationships with places and with brands and the active role customers now take in shaping dialogues with brands and ultimately in creating place reputations.

In this keynote I exploreplace brands, reputations and the digital relevancy challenge.

Our globalised, competitive world where it’s getting harder to

command attention and maintain relevancy.

• Who do you think has an effective destination brand?

• The top four according to their peers are:

6

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

4th

.

DMO Branding Practice

DMO Branding Practice % Have an official brand strategy 82Have a brand manager 37Have a set of brand values 80Think they have an unique positioning 75Have a brand toolkit 80Developed the brand in collaboration 90Don’t measure their brand’s impact 37Do cooperative branding 37Are tourism-related only 60

7

Source: WTO & ETC (2009) Handbook on Tourism Destination Branding

The mission of any Destination Management Organisation (DMO) is to

promote its destination to a wide range of stakeholders

and audiences

100% Pure New Zealand brand -calculated to be worth around

US$13.6 billion, ranked 21st in the world just behind

Samsung and ahead of Dell.

9Source: http://10yearsyoung.tourismnewzealand.com

But ... destination

reputation is NOT created by

DMOs

10

i) Communication - reputation is something you talk about and is produced through storytelling;

ii) Evaluation - reputation is something you critically assess;

iii) Distinction - reputation makes you different.

Destination Reputation is based on three principles:

Creative Places

Tone

Traditions

Tolerance

Talent

Technology

Testimonies

The Virtuous Circle of Destination Reputation

A destination’s tone is its ambiance and the attitudes of its people. It is the ‘feel’ and ‘look’ of a place; tone emerges from the character-filled fabric of a place and is physically & virtually communicated by its tone of voice.

Creative Places

Tone

Traditions

Tolerance

Talent

Technology

Testimonies

A destination’s traditions are its narratives, heritage and culture - again effectively and honestly communicated online & offline.

Creative Places

Tone

Traditions

Tolerance

Talent

Technology

Testimonies

Creative destinations are

open to new ideas and newcomers;

they are tolerant of difference and

embrace inclusion.

Creative Places

Tone

Traditions

Tolerance

Talent

Technology

Testimonials

Creative destinations attract and welcome talented human capital, particularly the creative classes.

Creative Places

Tone

Traditions

Tolerance

Talent

Technology

Testimonials

Creative destinations embrace new technologies and welcome ‘technopreneurs.’

Their reputation is as strong online as offline.

Creative Places

Tone

Traditions

Testimonials

Tolerance

Technology

Talent

Most marketing professional agree we are experiencing a revolution

Digital channels have driven a radical shift in consumer-brand relationships, evident in the active role customers take in shaping the dialogue with the brand and ultimately its reputation.

http://blog.visitwales.co.uk/

A world without the web?• Since 2002 internet users x4 to 2.3 billion;

• Degrees of separation without the internet were 6, now they are 3.7;

• One minute of twitter = 100,000 tweets

• One month of Facebook = 30 billion pieces of shared content

http://www.onlineeducation.net/world-without-internet

DMOs are shifting advertising spend away from offline, with some DMOs now devoting over half their budgets to online marketing

Consumers are ready for mobile, are you?

Four out of five business travellers would like to be able to access applications offering recommendations for bars & restaurants near their hotel.

Source http://www.cinchmarketing.co.uk/tag/digital-marketing

Neilson predict smart phone penetration will break through 50% in the USA this year; a third of users anticipate booking travel services on their phones in the next year and 40% already get destination information when they arrive.

Source http://www.cinchmarketing.co.uk/tag/digital-marketing

Key travel advisors no longer friends & family – Google (36%) & TripAdvisor(33%) more influential.

https://twitter.com/#!/WCTR_tourism

Singapore has fully embraced the digital relevancy challenge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4hIm0pZSAQ&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XaeKweYFvU&feature=related

Owned, bought and earned media

A destination’s reputation springs from the testimonials of its place ambassadors – residents, investors and visitors.

Creative Places

Tone

Traditions

Tolerance

Talent

Technology

Testimonials

29

Digital channels have driven a radical shift in customer behaviour and this is no more evident than in the customer’s relationship with a brand and the active role the customer takes in shaping the dialogue with that brand and ultimately its reputation.

Cynically pushing a destination brand to an increasingly sceptical audience is becoming less effective in driving brand equity. Customers are engaging in more meaningful relationships with brands and demanding that brands humanize and personalize their communications with them.