Destination Branding: Get PEOPLE Involved!

“Improving your country image, working on your brand, trying to create a buzz when nothing really happens, and financial allocations that turn into sunk costs with every passing year, season, or project.” If that sounds familiar this article is right for you.

Have you ever had a conversation to strangers/tourists/overseas-students/journalists about your country and suddenly found yourself listening to stigmas, false beliefs, stereotypes and concerns based on your cultural identity that is accepted worldwide today? Well, I am writing these words as I had to deal with this situation numerous times talking about countries like Russia, France, China, Korea, Israel and Canada and trying to enrich this opinions with a larger spectrum of reality.The major problem here is the lack of education, awareness, and information about the real nature of the country or destination.

When people think about Russia, they tend to talk about vodka, Moscow, Putin and Russian Dolls. Not many are really aware of a huge cultural reserves and authentic experiences that one may ever have by taking Eco-tours in nature paradises, by visiting small towns with local art such as Gzhel or Birch Carvings Arts (called “Beresta”), by participating in Khokhloma painting handicraft workshops, or visiting a local folk music concert. People are unacquainted with these facts since they were not been told/ showed/tweeted/ or given a feasible iPhone application with this valuable information. Today, people are fast-tempered, busy and stressed. They need an instant remedy for their needs, and they need to be educated by a fast, easy and nearly hypnotic strategy (presented below).

The proposed strategy is based on a work from within. Let your people do what they love to do, but first show them what they love and then guide them into the right direction. This process I have been using while working in insurance-sales industry:

1. first, people have to be educated about the values and positive aspects of the product

2. then they should be convinced that they unquestionably need and want it (in our case “love it”)

3. lastly, they are to be actively motivated to share their positive experience as much as possible

Provided three stages are the key fundamental pillars for a long-term successful branding of any country, company, or a product and will lead to outcomes that make a difference. The formula is easy for implementation, stimulating action, and brings together the global-buzz about country's positive and engaging branding.

This strategy, or as I call it “tactic” can be applied on three particular groups that will shape the destination image according to the message given by leaders:

1. People education: people need to be reminded why they love this country, being exposed and able to learn about their heritage, history; be proud of their origin, their food, fashion, customs, music, arts, local events that are unique to their country, as well as weather, nature and other resources. If it is raining 75% of the year, educate them to be proud of this amazing fact, set up an annual Rain Festival; if it is desert and hot all over the place, educate the benefits of it: beautiful sights to see and things to do, such as Ashram Meditation centre in Negev Desert, or Dubai Desert Dune Safaris. People should deliver the same message along with the public image, therefore a proper education and awareness is essential.

2. Promotion of National and International VolunTourism - promotion of travel and volunteer opportunities combining work experience and sightseeing together can be a tremendous plan to attract new markets to the place. Plus, creating a great experience might pull in an inbound income and opportunity to educate about the local culture and people from the first source with little investment. Volunteers are a “walking advertisement” and should get the best experience during their stay by sightseeing, culture exposure, food tastings, local customs and language workshops. Therefore, international volunteer projects and programs have to be designed to attract professionals and students from all over the world. Field of volunteering vary from luxurious to philanthropic, paid and unpaid, this is indeed a growing trend in tourism industry and should not be eliminated.

3. Social Media – make it easy, engage and motivate to share the latest news and events anywhere in the world by using online media such as: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, RSS, Flickr; create buzz for any fascinating events that might be interesting to a tourism market, that might attract public and leave a POSITIVE image. Anything: from food-festivals to art galleries, from Pride Parade to Jazz Festival and the list goes on. Publish upbeat news about local discoveries, happenings, heritage facts to make people be proud of being there, and then call to action by:

- Visible sharing links (some websites are still unfortunately fail this part or absolutely ignore it)

- Practical sharing links

Motivate local residents, tourists, volunteers, students to share as much as possible, allow them to post their positive experience on official tourism website (DMO), the real experience of an unbiased, non-commercial people that can be promoted overseas. Promotion can be run by giving cost-free incentives, such as a lottery for free tickets to Zoo, Waterpark, Art Gallery or even a group workshop. These attractions are opened anyway, workshops are full as well and costs are already covered by their everyday visitors; and at the same time they might be a great motivator for those who are ready to share the right message in/outside the country.

Finally, it is important to add that these should be put into action by several short campaigns on a constant basis, to allow people a fast and convenient learning process by small “chunks”.

For those who raised eyebrows and were looking for a group, online world - is a group and both fortunately and unfortunately is the most powerful one today. Therefore, it takes so much space in this article and our life.

I have found a perfect quote to finalize this article; it was written by Winston Churchill and said that a “Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.” I believe that it works for any country, though intelligence is still an important factor. This strategy will not only attract more visitors, businesses and new investments, but also restore the country-brand and improve its competitive edge.

All the best,

Julie Popovich

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Juliana Popovich, B. Soc. Sc.

Sales and Marketing, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation

email: popovich.juliana@gmail.com

LinkedIn:http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/juliana-popovich/27/351/241

Twitter:@JulianaPopovich