Destination Branding

Building destinations into brands

Promoting a destination is not an easy task. And, before taking up this challenging task in 2004, Shine Gopal, CEO, IMARK, well knew the road in front of him is a thorny one. About seven years down the line, as a successful brand builder, he knows what it takes to promoting a destination and the effective tools required for it. He has a big mission of promoting Africa at hand. In an interview to Asian Traveller, he detailed at length on the role of brand building companies in promoting a destination and other interesting things associated with brand building activities. Edited Excerpts:

How relevant is the role of a brand building firm in the tourism industry?

Destination branding plays a key role in creating a desire of the place. Branding is not all about the name. Neither is branding all about the visuals. Branding is the sum total of a destination’s identity, from its name, the tagline, logo, the ideas, the presentation, the environment, the space, the expressions, the employees culture and the customer experience to every piece of communication, whether internal or external, digital or physical to every encounter every customer or potential customer has with it. The distinctiveness, appeal, and reputation of destination must be synchronized with the customer’s total destination experience and impact before, during and after their visit.

When it comes to IMARK, how do you go about branding a destination?

First, we study about the destination and for this we depend on experts from our team, to conduct researches. Once we have learnt the ins and outs about the spot, we focus on its unique features and design the plan, based on the picture we have in mind about the place. The specialities, uniqueness and other aspects such as infrastructure, play major roles in brand building.

The first phase is to build the destination image that is created by general awareness of the place through influences such as media coverage, books, internet, community, and educational studies. The image can be more effective if the destination has an interesting history, architecture, distinctive culture, outstanding natural beauty, or if there is fun, business, political and leisure resources.

The second stage promoting the destination the through marketing communications, such as advertising, public relations, Websites, travelogues, literature, brochures and sales presentations, events etc , which build the basic awareness of the place with an impactful tagline which create a desire for your destination.
We will shape up the destination experience internally and externally through workshops and seminars, trainings, brand audits, interviews and creativity sessions to identify the competitive advantage, compelling brand platform, and the exceptional visual and verbal identity elements to inspire better connection with the customers.

When did you start your operations and which are your focus countries?

We started our operations in 2004. We work with clients in UK, Europe, Africa as well as India. What made you to select Africa, for brand building activities?
We always wanted to work with countries, which are growing exponentially. Africa is not a place which is marketed hugely and there are a lot of opportunities to work. Our work is not limited to Travel & Tourism and hospitality sector. We also work for certain other industries, such as Energy, Leisure, Retail, Healthcare etc.

As a tourist spot how do you see the potential of Africa?

Africa, indeed, has a huge tourism potential. We are based in Tanzania market, which is in the East of Africa. Tanzania is known for its greenery, wildlife, beaches and mesmerising islands. Tanzania's major tourist attractions are Mount Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Reserve. It is very closer to Kenya and hence tourist arrivals from this neighbouring country to these destinations are impressive enough. Nairobi is also very close and it is another major market. However, arrivals from other countries are not in the pink. The northern and southern circuits are also important destinations. However, Tanzania is the best destination for wildlife safaris.

Is Africa a hot destination among Indian travellers?

Africa is not a favourite destination for the Indian tourists. Besides Kenya and Nairobi, Europe is a promising market for Africa. Then, it is important to note that Africa is a destination, not affordable to the middle class. One can go to Singapore or Malaysia with a budget of a lesser than a lakh. However, a package to Tanzania will almost cost double the amount. Most of the people are still ignorant about Africa as a tourist destination or they have lots of misconceptions about the place. Some even think Africa as a not so safe place. I must say, the scenario is gradually changing. Now, lots of people have started exploring Africa and I see it as a good sign for the tourism industry. Besides safaris, Africa has a lot to offer to the travellers. People are fed up with the other usual destinations and are in search of something new. And, Africa is emerging as a favourite choice. We promote Africa in Europe, UK and India. We are also promoting India in these places.

How do you see the future of brand building firms such as yours in the tourism industry?

The future is promising, as there is a huge business scope. It is the quality that matters in brand building. As far as the tourism industry is concerned, there are always new concepts, destinations, cities, communities, museums are coming up. And the demand of leisure amongst people is increasing significantly. We have to communicate all the aspects of the place, to them. So as long as people need to go for a holiday..As long as there are new discoveries of destinations.. We are in business.

How do you exactly reach out to the people?

In the tourism industry, the main tool for communication is internet. Hence, conventional methods of branding may not be that effective in this fast growing industry. People go to the websites and select a destination, based on the reviews they have glanced through. So, visibility in the internet space is a must. Quality of the content, visualisation, conceptualisation, etc., should have the power to communicate to the target group, from an emotional level. Our focus is on digital branding or digital marketing and we integrate all these aspects in our brand building communication activities.

The prospective travellers, research on several things, including the climate, best time, food, stay, travel, hygiene and other facilities available at a destination, they are planning to visit. For instance, Europeans plan their trip well in advance. So, the things which appear in the internet are very crucial. Travellers will try to learn everything about the country, they are visiting. Several countries have embarked on massive branding activities, to promote themselves. In a scenario such as this, one should be very competent in showing/expressing oneself, as the best. And, that is what we do for our clients.

Would it be possible to promote a destination, which lacks in quality tourism infra, via brand building activities?

No amount of brand building activities can help a destination that lacks in quality tourism infra. However, we can create awareness among the people through brand building about a destination, which has no or low infrastructure developments. Anything is possible but it will not last for long. People are coming in for a holiday to unwind in a comfortable atmosphere and if the infrastructure is not in place, it would rather be an extremely unpleasant experience for them. Hence, travellers, do not opt for such destinations. Tourism happens through recommendation and there are a lot of travel forums and blogs. If travellers are not happy with something, they depict the destination in bad light. As an established company, we would like to work only on destinations which have good infrastructure. Otherwise, it will affect the credibility. Without infrastructure, a destination cannot draw arrivals in a sustained manner. The customers will walk in and walk out in no time.