John Diefenbach, MBLM’s Chairman, talks about brands, reputation and the CEO’s advantage in a connected world.

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I have long been a Snickers fan, devoted since childhood. I remember with glee of a gift from a friend of a shoe box filled with Snickers and even recall an ill-fated Snickers diet in high school, where I ate 3-4 Snickers a day and nothing else. So Snickers and I go way back. At various times throughout the past year or two, while waiting in line at Duane Reade, or in the supermarket,  I have noticed a few new Snickers flavors popping up. They almost appear seasonal, coming and going. I’ve seen Snicker’s Fudge, some sort of peanut crunch candy from Snickers, Snickers Almond, Snickers Dark, some sort of Snicker energy bar and most recent, Snickers Peanut Butter Squares. Of course I tried them all. Can’t say any really rivaled the original, but I had a brief love affair with new Snickers Peanut Butter. First, the form threw me; can it be a Snickers if it’s in 2 squares? The familiar, heavy “log” of the original, the one that “really satisfies,” is quite comforting. The Peanut Butter flavor was tasty, but much lighter. Yummy, but it didn’t satisfy. Then I realized that was no longer Snickers’ tagline.

This is not an isolated Snickers phenomenon. M&M’s and Reeses also seem to be adding new varieties. I found a press release from MARS announcing the new Snickers. It states, “According to industry research, peanut butter candy is growing at twice the rate as the overall candy industry. We’re giving consumers more delicious options…”

I am very curious what happens with more Snickers to choose from. Does one just pick which among the Snickers family to eat when they are in the mood for a Snickers? That’s what I have found myself doing. I suspect the assumption of adding more varieties is that people will eat more Snickers than before since they are offering additional flavors? Is the intention some sort of occasionalization, where the consumer will associate each flavor with a specific event or time of day? (Peanut Butter for dessert, Original for 3pm break, Almond for after tennis game?) Does the brand grow stronger with more to choose from, or weaker from diluting the equity of the original? Do consumers become more loyal to Snickers because of its new varieties or are they disdainful because of the changes made to a beloved bar, established since 1930?

Part 2: Operationalizing a Destination Brand

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Historically, focus was on creating a destination brand: determining its positioning or value proposition and then designing an identity reflecting its unique aspects. While this process remains extremely important and establishes the marketing blueprint for any destination brand, it is only a small part of what is required.

There appears to be much less concentration on how the brand is actually implemented; how its marketing materials further develop the brand, which materials to leverage and importantly, how to enhance the experience of the brand itself once the visitor arrives at the destination. In branding terms, attention has been placed on the brand promise, with much less effort centered on the brand performance.

Moving forward, what we call ‘operationalizing’ a destination brand will become essential. No matter how good a strategy or design is, if it is ineffectively depicted and deployed, it will fail. Most customers don’t know your strategy; they know what they see, which is usually an unfocused, unimpressive depiction of the destination. It is critical for destinations to look at ways they can optimize their brand and its experience. Some potential examples of this include:

Sense of place: Way finding, physical environments, airports and exhibits should be carefully considered, designed and delivered to reflect the destination brand.

People: All destination employees should clearly understand and be trained about the brand they represent and their role as brand ambassadors. If the destination is a region, city or country, then training should also encompass customs staff, taxi drivers and service employees.

Technology: The brand should be constantly seeking new and innovative ways to showcase itself: contests on Facebook, special discounts via Twitter, a blog on the official website.  Technology itself should also be considered at the destination itself: interactive kiosks, digital maps and directions, calendars of events.

Marketing Allocation: Take time to realign your marketing budget to determine your priority audiences, geographies and channels. Determine short-terms wins versus long-term investments. Consider digital a priority.

Visitor Journey: Look at your destination from your customer’s perspective. Map the journey they would likely experience from arriving to departing and identify areas of improvement. (rp)

Next:

Part 3: New Opportunities for Destination Brands

This is such an exciting time because the interplay of everyday existence with technology allows for greater intimacy with the world around us. The ability to take our life with us wherever we go via a small mobile device has and will continue to revolutionize the way we live, the way we act and how we feel.

Think about it. Now constant communication is prevalent and expected: Frequent texting, chronic emailing, facebooking countless times a day. Besides creating an ethos of instantaneous action, it also provides peace of mind and comfort. You can always be reached now in an emergency, you know your children can call you if they are in trouble and you can contact almost anyone now, whether they are traveling, at home, at work or on the go. Empowerment is also a new part of our social culture. You are no longer limited to what is available in your neighborhood. Now, while sitting in a café having a meal for 50% off thanks to a groupon coupon,  you can hunt for the best vacation price at travelzoo, find the best price for renting a car for 2 hours from buzzcar and you can sell something you no longer need on ebay. You control what you buy and your marketplace is now endless.

All the while, you have been receiving the latest breaking news and watching real-time videos, so you’re always up to speed with world events. (rp)

Part 1: The Landscape

Destination branding has been becoming more popular over the past several years, notably the last decade, with countries, regions, cities and major events trying to create a more powerful and compelling presence. Having work extensively with destinations around the world, it is interesting to address new opportunities and approaches for success.

In a nutshell, for today’s fast paced, complex and competitive global environment, a destination brand can help create differentiation, focus and meaning. It can attract investment, redress stereotypes and endorse change. The risk of destination branding is that it can be superficial and an overly branded approach can trivialize important issues and lead to negative perceptions, backlash and cynicism. The brand can also be politicized, poorly developed and inconsistently executed.

In recent years, most destinations have had a generic marketing approach: broad targeting (honeymooners, seniors, families, culture lovers, young people), generally superficial with vague messaging (“Truly Asia,” “Unlimited,” “Amazing”)  and advertising-centric.  Today (and tomorrow), the process needs to change to result in the creation, expansion and extension of strong brands. Destinations must focus on narrow targeting, prioritizing key channels, innovative marketing practices, making the brand essential and a more strategic approach implementing and bringing the brand to life. In the past, considerable effort was placed on creating the brand strategy and identity, which then tended to be poorly executed, limited in its development and inconsistently applied.

Destinations brands of tomorrow will make as much or more attention to how the implemented and operationalized, who they are addressing and how they are delivering. (rp)

Next:
Part 2: Operationalizing a Destination Brand