Crucial Elements for Defining Your New Brand
By Lee Goddard, Augustine Ideas
Check out this first installment in our series of key strategies for successful destination marketing.
When guiding our destination clients, we’re often asked, “How important is our brand’s new identity?” As an industry leader, Augustine answers this crucial question with confidence and professional expertise: While your brand identity is only part of your overall brand strategy, it plays a critical role in determining your destination’s success.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing and largest sources of economic activity in the world. Thousands of new destinations and attractions burst onto the U.S. market every year, and all are fighting ferociously for every visitor dollar. Your logo is your brand’s crucial visual component that successfully communicates your brand, and strong brand identity elevates the brand by:
- Attracting visitor attention
- Establishing a clear, valued and sustainable point of distinction from competitive destinations
- Providing perceived quality, added value and benefits for the visitor
- Facilitating premium pricing which reduces the need for discounts and incentives
- Engaging and rallying support from destination stakeholders and constituents
The Three Phases of Successful Brand Development
How is a successful brand identity developed? While most of what we create at Augustine is a blend of strategic thinking, creative vision and inspired execution, we follow a strict, three-phase process – Discovery, Analysis and Strategy, and Identity Design – when branding our new destination clients.
Phase 1: Discovery
Over the course of several days, select Augustine team members (planners, account managers, PR managers, media planners, creative, etc.) meet in market with key TID members, stakeholders and constituents. During the Discovery process, our team will:
- Explore the destination to develop a thorough understanding of its assets, challenges and differentiating factors.
- Conduct primary research with target visitor segments to:
- Understand current perceptions of the destination
- Explore perceptions of competitive destinations
- Identify key drivers of destination choice
- Clarify each segment’s path to purchase
- Research TID stakeholders’ current customers, needs, challenges, goals, perceptions, values and visions for the future
- Conduct a thorough competitive analysis
Phase 2: Analysis and Strategy
Upon completion of the Discovery phase, the Augustine team will:
- Review and synthesize learnings
- Brainstorm the “Big Idea”
- Define the destination’s key brand attributes, differentiating factors and competitive advantage
- Develop brand promise and positioning statement options
- Present the above to TID board members for review and approval
Phase 3: Identity Design
Upon TID approval of the brand promise and positioning, work on the brand identity concepts begins. The Augustine team will:
- Prepare brand and creative briefs
- Develop logo and brand identity concepts
- Present concepts to TID board for review and approval
By utilizing this process with focus and commitment, Augustine fulfills the goals of destination clients by creating brand identities that attract, inspire, engage and motivate target visitors.
Next issue: Strategies for Developing a Successful Brand Strategy.
