ABSTRACT
There is no shortage of ways in which a destination can be promoted, and in every destination community there will be a diverse range of opinions on the tactics that should be employed. Effective destination marketing communications require the creative promotional ideas to be developed from the critical objective setting undertaken in the marketing planning stage (see Chapter 6 – Destination marketing strategy framework). The focus of this chapter is highlighting the key principles guiding the development of marketing communications, rather than prescribing technical aspects such as advertising design. Local tourism operators’ views on promotional priorities will vary for a range of reasons, including differing levels of professional experience in marketing and tourism; vested business interests in specific types of services and target markets; access to financial resources; and, their position within local industry politics. To provide a structure for stakeholders, the chapter discusses the ways in which the destination marketing organisation (DMO) communicates the brand position in the market place, based on the tenets of integrated marketing communications (IMC): relationship marketing and stimulating profitable customer relationships; enhancing stakeholder relationships; purposeful dialogue with consumers; and, message synergy. The purpose of all DMO marketing communications is to reinforce the brand identity. To do so effectively requires consistency of message across all mediums, by as many stakeholders as possible. It is advantageous for stakeholders to support the destination brand identity theme in their own marketing 205communications. The crowded nature of marketing by competing destinations and substitute products necessitates message synergy, by stakeholders and across different media, in order to more effectively get the attention of target consumers. Publicity-seeking is discussed in Chapter 11 – Destination marketing organisation public relations and publicity-seeking, followed by internet promotion in Chapter 12 – The destination marketing organisation and social media, and promotions to travel trade intermediaries in Chapter 13 – The destination marketing organisation and the travel trade.
