A proposed framework of success for the nation
BUILDING on the inherent values of a brand should be the core of any branding strategy. National values should be known across the country and those values should become evident to everyone in contact with the country’s citizens especially to visitors, prospective visitors and business investors.
A country’s citizenry should consistently and accurately represent the values of the brand.
Destination stakeholders similarly should share in the vision of the brand and be able to communicate its values to prospective tourists, investors and other stakeholder interests.
Research and brand audit
The setting up of values begins the brand promotion process which forms the foundation of the success of the nation brand. The nation or destination branding process requires objective and comprehensive branding research to establish clarity on the brands strengths and weaknesses, the target audience and the competitive environment.
It is argued that understanding a destinations target market and what they want is key to developing a winning brand. In the context of Zimbabwe’s tourism, research on the needs and wants of tourists from major source markets is critical to come up with a winning brand.
This argument is in sync with issues of perceptual mapping and effective target market and audience analysis in order to clearly craft winning destination branding strategies. Professional qualitative and quantitative research is needed to interrogate how the nation/destination brand is perceived internationally by the target market and in own country by its own citizens.
Research findings are subjected to some analysis and shared with experts, players and stakeholders to come up with appropriate strategies and approaches for effective destination branding.
Competitor analysis
The next step would be to carry out a competitor analysis to determine what the competitor offerings are like. Branding in tourism is about differentiation and this can be built on identifying and focusing on the
Unique Selling Proposition of the destination.
Ultimately a brand identity has to be constructed. Brand strategy involves building and managing the brand to differentiate the destination from its competitors by adding value for tourists.
Competitor analysis is a critical element in the branding process as it analyses the performance of competitors in order to craft strategies to out compete them and consolidating own position.
Dhawan to corroborate on the above assertions argues that emotional associations are built over time through good branding practice and a time tested relationship between the destination and its customers based on intrigue, trust, understanding and support.
To create a brand promise that leads to such emotional connection, it should be grounded in the brands core values, clearly relevant and engaging to the target market, able to create some sort of positive emotional attachment beyond just being “good’’, adaptable to the business market climate continually, reinforced, known and echoed by business partners (stakeholders) repeated internally and externally.
Destinations can benefit a lot from this approach by recognising the fact that branding strategy is long term, customer focused, adaptable and stakeholder — driven for ownership purposes.
Destination management and leadership
Destination management is very important for destination branding purposes. Destination management is confronted with great challenge of keeping the location progressive, attract new place development and investment to the location.
It is also important for existing business and residents to be kept content and satisfied.
This implies that with new competition rules due to globalisation, old tactics and worn out approaches have to be replaced with soft new “clever” managerial methods for the development of the destination’s product and needs of its customers.
For example in the global context of yesteryear, it was adequate for destinations just to promote the existing place package.
Today the new product needs to be developed and changed according to the destination’s customers’ needs requiring managerial skills than ever before.
It is argued that with the tools linked to what is termed, the soul of the place, identity and image and favourable associations can be created for a place to attract new businesses and visitors to the location, thus increasing the value of the place.
Central to destination branding, is building the identity of the place which is the active part of management in the process. Strategic alliances with other locations can decisively increase the joint-value of all partners who all could be in a win-win situation.
Leadership and partnerships: Government & private sector partnership
Destinations using leadership to manage the place resources in the complete destination marketing process are winners. Passively behaving locations will lose their competitive edge.
p To be continued