Threesides communities in-transition-conference-tourism-branding

Building great tourism brandsCase Study – Poachers Way

Presented byClint Wright

Who we are

Who we do it for

• Shoalhaven Tourism• Tourism Wollongong• National Parks and Wildlife • Tourism Snowy Mountains• Accommodation, tours and attractions • Capital Country• Australian Capital Tourism • DSRD – travelling experts workshops

Today’s presentation

1) What makes a great tourism brand

2) One we prepared earlier – Poachers Way

3) Ask a marketer

What is a brand

More than a logo

Much more than a holiday planner guide

It’s the perception of your destination in the hearts and minds of your visitors

Brand Perception

Byron Bay Young

Merimbula

Canberra New Zealand

Strong brand = value

Recently valued at 153billion (US)

Which NSW Destination?

Destination Anywhere!

Destination Anywhere Insert meaningless tagline

here

What’s compelling

Why should I visit your town or region?

What do they think

Stand out from the crowd

76 regional tourism organisations across Australia

If you’re not different, don’t bother coming into the market Brett Godfrey CEO VirginBlue

Unique experiences

Play to your strengths

Squeaky wheels don’t build good brands

Be different

Poachers Way History

• Started by owner of Poachers Pantry in 2004

• Unique high quality businesses with same philosophy

• Funding through Australian Capital Tourism for brochure, website and PR

• Regional NSW focussed (Capital Country)

Poachers Way History

• Received Australian Tourism Development Grant of 500k in Jan 08 for branding and 18 month marcomms project

• 25 owner operators in regional NSW and Canberra. B&B’s, restaurants, wineries, artists, horse riding, day spa

• Committee established, project manager and brand consultant appointed

The Market Plan

Challenging times

• Interest rates and petrol prices• Strength of dollar/increase in OS travel• Decrease in short breaks• Lots of competitors – over 76 regional destinations• Reduced budgets for tourism promotion• Technology has moved market to online purchase

The target market

The Experience Seeker

1) Older, affluent couples (children independent) 45–65 +

The target market

2) Young, affluent 25–35 couples childless

The Experience Seeker

What binds them together

The Brand Development

• The brand idea:

Coming back to what’s important in life

• Invite the market to experience a different lifestyle by living life the Poachers Way!

Objectives

What did we want to achieve?

• Raise awareness of the brand and businesses

• Increase preference to visit and purchase their products

• Create a revenue stream for ongoing marketing program

The Marketing Plan

How to engage the target market

• Product Development – criteria, packaging and retail • Pricing - premium price points, promotions• Promotion – PR and events, online, partnerships, print• Distribution channels – direct, online, retail • People – training

Imagery

Promotions

Results

In the first six months

• Attracted 15 media visits from Sydney and Canberra resulting in main stream media attention

• Consistent website visitation of 1800 month

• Built database of 2500 from Canberra in Sydney

• 18% average increase in business across members

Top tips for tourism brands

• Understand your market

• Define your unique brand story

• Find business champions and define decision making

• Get professionals involved

• Financial commitment – get serious or don’t bother

The Shameless Plug

• Presentation and marketing tips see our blog

The Thirdside www.threesides.com.au

• Our target market – decision makers who aren’t afraid to do things differently

Clint Wright 0430 582 583 clint.wright@threesides.com.au