Regional Tourism Branding in the Bering Strait Region

1
Regional Tourism Branding in the Bering Strait
Region

• Dru Garson
• Dept. of Commerce,
• State Tourism Office
• April 3,2006

2
What is Branding?

• Branding is a promise, a pledge of quality. It
  is the essence of a product, including why it is
  great, and how it is better than all competing
  products. It is an image. It is a combination of
  words and letters, symbols, and colors.
  www.quintcareers.com/jobseeker_marketing_glossary.
  html
• The process of building a favorable image for a
  product or company that differentiates it, in the
  minds of prospects and end users, from other
  competitors. www.garyeverhart.com/glossary_of_adve
  rtising_terms.htm
• "If the consumer has heard of us, we've done our
  job. smartbizconnection.com/advertising_glossary_
  index.htm

3
What can branding do for you?

• It can differentiate your destination from your
  competitors
• Create a clear expectation about the visitors
  experience
• Can increase support from residents, community
  leaders and businesses
• Can increase visitation and from visitors

4
5 Key Areas

• Resident Input
• Visitor Input
• Competitive analysis
• Marketing
• Living the brand

5
Resident Input

• Who are we?
• What do we offer?
• What are we known for?
• What do we want to happen/not happen as a result
  of tourism development?
  How do you capture resident
  input?

6
Visitors -Review existing research

• Visitors
• What do they know about the destination?
• What did they expect?
• What did they do?
• How satisfied/unsatisfied are they with their
  experience?
  
  

7
Competitive Analysis

• Who is your competition?
• How do they promote themselves?
• Competition may be different for each market.

8
Marketing

• What messages are in the marketplace now?
• Is there consistency?
• What messages and images are the strongest?
• What is unique?
• What has emotional appeal for visitors?
• Develop the graphic representation - logo,
  slogan, etc.

9
Living the Brand

• How can you deliver on the promise made to
  visitors?
• Example The Friendly Island

10
Examples of branding

• Ford - Quality is Job 1
• Coca-cola - Have a Coke and a Smile (1979)
• Carhartt - Hard at Work since 1889
• Federal Express - When it absolutely, positively
  has to be there overnight

11
Examples of Tourism Branding

• Yahoo! Mat-Su - Fun is at its Peak in the
  Valley!
• Valdez - Field tested - Alaskan aprroved
• Seward.com - Alaska starts here
• Ketchikan - Our lifestyle, your reward
• Alaska (ATIA) - Beyond your Dreams, Within your
  Reach

12
Bering Strait Visitor Profile

• 51 visitors
  surveyed

13
Trip Purpose

• Vacation/pleasure 75
• Visiting friends relatives (VFR) 18
• Business/pleasure 8

14
Average Length of Stay

• Avg. length of stay in AK - 15.7 nights
• Avg. length of stay in B.S.- 5.7 nights

15
Accommodations Used in AK

• Hotel/motel 65
• Private home 39
• Camping (tent/cabin) 25
• Bed and Breakfast 16
• Lodge/resort 14
• RV/vehicle 14
• Boat/ferry 6
• Other 8

16
Overnight Destinations

• Far North 98 (Nome, Kotzebue, Gambell,
  Teller)
• Southcentral 65 (59 -Anch, 27 Kenai
  Peninsula)
• Interior 49 (35 - Fairbanks, 29 Denali
  area)

17
Participation in Tours Activities

• Wildlife viewing (birds,bears) 57
• Shopping 51
• Cultural activities 47
• Hiking/nature walk 41
• Fishing 41
• VFR 31
• Camping 27
• City tour 27

18
Visitor Expenditures in AK and Bering Strait
19
Satisfaction Ratings

• Overall experience in Alaska
• Very satisfied 82
• Satisfied 16
• Neutral ---
• Dissatisfied 2
• Very Dissatisfied ---

20
Why did you choose to visit the Bering Strait
area?

• Visit friends/family 27
• Remote location 25
• Outdoors/scenic beauty 16
• Gold Rush history 14
• Bird-watching 11

21
What did you enjoy most about visiting this area?

• Outdoors/scenic beauty 43
• Remote location 36
• People 29
• Wildlife 29
• Visit friends/family 24
• Bird-watching 17

22
What, if anything, could the region do to improve
the visitor experience?

• Nothing 38
• Information 23
• Tours/activities 15
• Food 8
• Lodging 8

23
Advance Time for Trip Decision Booking

• How far in advance did you decide to come on this
  trip to Alaska?
  9.4 months
• How far in advance did you book your major travel
  arrangements?
  4.6 months

24
Internet Use

• Used Internet 63
• Research only 25
• Research and book 37

25
Information Sources about Bering Strait - Alaska

• Friends/family 47
• Prior experience 25
• Guidebooks 22 (Milepost, Lonely Planet,
  Frommers)
• Convention Visitors Bureau 14
• AAA 10
• Brochures 10
• Magazine 10

26
Previous and Future Alaska Travel

• Is this your first trip to Alaska?
• Yes - 45
• No - 55

27
Visitor Origin

• Western U.S. 43 (California, Colorado)
• Midwestern U.S. 16 (Minnesota, Indiana)
• Southern U.S. 12 (Arkansas, Florida)
• Eastern U.S. 12 (Pennsylvania, New York)
• International 18 (Germany, Australia,
  Canada)

28
Visitor Demographics

• Gender
• Male 58
• Female 42
• Age
• 35-44 11
• 45-64 53
• Over 65 28
• Avg. age 53.5 years old
• Education
• H.S. Grad 8
• College grad 67
• Avg household income
• Mean income 90,700

29
Branding Bering Strait Tourism

• Who is your target market?
• Convey what is unique about Bering Strait
• What makes it special for residents?
• What makes it special for visitors?