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You've
Been Brandelized
Opinion by Zeitgeist President Bill Geist, taken from the Summer 2006
edition of the Zeitgeist Client Newsletter
 There’s
an ocean of difference between a “Brand” and a “Slogan.”
And, yet, we’re seeing that body of water crossed with alarming
regularity by firms that are jumping on the “brandwagon”
and showering unsuspecting Destination Marketers with overblown promises
of Nike-like
brand awareness.
Sure, every DMO pro dreams of developing a destination brand that resonates.
But so many of the recent concepts we’ve seen from some of the
“brand-houses” out there are nothing more than catchy slogans
that could be interchanged between destinations as easily as changing
your shirt.
Of course, after dropping $80,000 on “a brand,” nobody wants
to admit that what they’re holding in their hand is a slogan...so
the dirty little secret continues to hide under wraps. But it’s
there all the same: “These aren’t brands.”
True brands cause an almost visceral, emotional response. Apple.
Chivas.
Harley.
They don’t need slogans. The name itself says it all. And, the
people who buy those products buy them for a very distinct reason. They
identify with the product. Apple users identify with the company’s
sense of style and innovation as much, if not more than the ease of
use. Those who drink Chivas may enjoy the finer aspects of their 12
and 18 year old scotches...but they also identify with what is now being
marketed as the “Chivas
Life,” And, of course, Harley owners identify
with the non-conformist outlaw image as much as the sheer feel of that
distinctive rumble between their legs.
As guest columnist Rick Stone opined last
issue, it’s about archetypes. And, for most positive
archetypes, there is also an aspirational component to the product.
This is precisely how Chivas has positioned themselves...as a product
that exemplifies the kind of life to which their target customer aspires.
Not everyone. Just their target market.
And, great brands are enthusiastically recommended by those that have
built a relationship with them. As Fred
Reichheld maintains in his fabulous new book, The
Ultimate Question, profitability is predicated on
the number of consumers that recommend a company versus the number that
talk trash about them.
Look at your brand. Does it provoke a positive emotional response from
the consumer? Or, does it need to be explained? Does the consumer aspire
to visit...or is your “brand” just one of several options
they are juggling? And does your brand make it easy for customers to
recommend your destination to their friends (and anyone else who will
listen at the watercooler on Monday)?
Now, look at the new brand identity that has been mined in Myrtle
Beach. And, yes...I said “mined,” for great
brands are not birthed by the “creatives.” They are honed
from the reality of the destination itself.
Regular visitors to Myrtle Beach were asked a simple question: “Why?”
Why did they return year after year after year to the same stretch of
beachfront?
The team from Brand Strategists
Lindsay, Stone & Briggs were just amazed at the similarity
in answers they heard, despite the diversity of the interview subjects.
And, at the end of the day, it all came down to how comfortable customers
felt in the destination. Like a favorite pair of jeans, respondents
said they returned each year because their friends did, because they
knew their way around, because they had their favorite restaurants,
shows and golf courses. And, because they always had...and tradition
is a powerful motivator in destination selection for many consumers.
In a nutshell, the regulars said that they weren’t just “returning.”
Instead, they were claiming an ownership of the destination. It was,
in fact, “their beach.”
 Which,
of course, translates in the first person to “My Beach.”
And it didn’t take long for the graphic artists to make the connection
that the essence of what consumers were saying about Myrtle Beach was
staring at them in the destination’s very name.
There are lots of beaches. But don’t you identify with just one?
Don’t you aspire to have your own? And, if you did, wouldn’t
you tell your friends and co-workers about it?
This rant isn’t meant to trash the brand-houses that have developed
slogans instead of brands. They’re doing the best that they can
with often limited resources.
What I am urging Destination Marketers to do is to understand the difference
between Brand and Slogan...and to not accept one when you’re paying
for the other.
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