The Anthropomorphy ofDestination Brands

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Trqvel ond retoil brqnds hqveo common frome of reference-the destinotion. Films modeqvoiloble in sociol mediorepresenl o meqns of creot-ing on emofionol link be-tween online odults,leenqgers ond studenls withdestinotion brqnds. The filmsore nof restricted lo contem-poroty movies but include thenostolgic Cosoblqncq qndRozor's Edge. Activities in lhedestinqtions of refqil qndtrovel ore chonging to occom-modqte experiences.

Suresh SoodReseorcher

Archetype Storyielling School o{ MorkeiingUniversiiy o{ TechnologY, SYdneY.

The outhor con be reoched oiSuresh.Sood@uts.edu.ou

Umesh PrqstrdMonoger (OPerotions)

Yum! Reslouronts (lndio) Privote Ltd.The outhor con be reoched oi

u meshku morprosod@g moi l .com

ncreasingly, the t rend ofanthropomorphizing, i'e., mak-ing more humanistic destina'

t ion brands (e.g. , shopPing Pre-cincts, retai l establ ishments, a i r -ports or tourist venues) is acceier-ating through consumer engage-ment with films in social media. Forthe next generation of tourists withGeneration Z appearing as indi'vidual tourists in 2A20 as well asonline adults, the film cliPs foundonline in social media provide a

novel means of discovering new des-tinations. This is quite apart fromthe halo effect of films generating asigni f icant increase in tour ism asseen from Crocodile Dundee (1986)and doubling of Ar-rstralian visitors,the Veronese draw card {or femalesviewing Letters to Jul iet (2010) 'couples reiiving Nrghrs in Rodanthe(2008) in North Carol ina, theBollywood movie, I Hate Luu StorYs(20i0) sparking Indian visitor in'terest in New Zealand and the

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movie, Eat, Pray, Loue (2010) entic-ing soul searching in Italy, India andBali.

As users increasingly turnonline to search about destinations,the nostalgic fi lms of yesteryears in-cluding Casablanca (1942) and theoriginal Razors Edge (1946) with in-sights into bohemian life following\7orld War 1 provide a rich tapestryof images and word associations di-

rectly related to the brand destina-tion Paris, France. A variefy of websearches show these films provide anecessary break from the supplierspromoting destination sight-seeingand hotels. The famous line "\il/e'11always have Paris" fromaCasabkmcascene found on YouTirbe encapsu-lates the sounds and imagery of lovetriggering the brand associations ofParis elegantly and concisely withinthe mind of the consumer. To thepotential visitor, Paris becomesalive with a deeply humanistic feel,

no longer a destination somewhere'out there' . Contemporary f i lmsdrive an interest in specific loca.tions. The 2003 DaVinciCodemys-tery ignited visits to the Louvre bya whole new generation of visitors.The French fllm Amelie (2001) hadtourists eating at the restaurant ofthe film location. Inception (2010)created a buzz around literallv fold-ing the landscape of a classic Parisstreet caf6. Lost in'Iimtslation (2003)created interest for visitors to To,kyo where the movie was set in theneon light imagery of Tokyo and thepedestrian crowds in Shibuya. Tour-ists fami l iar wi th the movie werequick to recognize the Park Hyattin Tokyo as "the hotel from Lost inTranslation".

Such films create interest in thedestination brand facilitating thebuilding of a cognitive emotionalrelationship between potential visi-tors and the destination, well be.fore a visitor plans or sets upon avisit. The fi lms guide the subse-quent location visits potentially asdreaming about the destination en-sues from watching the film. Filmscreate the mental constructs forconsumers to use when consideringdestination products or choosingthe landmarks and neighborhoodsto visit when present in the desti-nat ion, fur ther bui ld ing strongbrand attachment.

What of the dest inat ion con-tent, i.e., activit ies? Increasingly,travelers are choosing to participatein the process of'experiential travel'where instead of 'chilling out' wirhherds of tourists on a vacation, rimeis spent to experience and learnabout the vacat ion dest inat ionthrough locals and hands-on expe.rience. Importantly, the key hall.mark of experiential travel is gain-ing skills. This means the adventuretravel associated with a temporaryadrenaline-driven sports rush, e.g.,

Bungee jumping in New Zealand, isnot the complete experience. A skillto learn how to take photos of ex.otic fish potentially involves learn-ing scuba in an exotic location andphotography lessons encased in ad.venture.

This transformation of the ex-isting business model for travel andtourism from a focus on price to ex-periential travel services underpinsan emerging framework for assem.bling together a wide variety ofemerging retail opportunities. Fo-cusing on travel, while thinkingabout retailing, shifts the currentparadigm of shopping to create newdest inat ion shopping exper iences.The hallmark of a retail destinationis when consumers choose to hangaround and have fun. Learning is akey element of the destination pro-viding an additional reason to en-ter a store rather than making asimple purchase.

The hnkage to retailing is clearjust as experiential travel is aboutskills. The retailer Apple has recog-nized the notion of field trips ro anApple store for children or learningsessions for adults. Apple flagshipstores are now there in London (Re-gent Street), Sydney (George Street),New York (Fifth Avenue) and thestore in Californla Palo Alto Uni.versitv Avenue, where it all started.The magic of Apple'is spreading in-fectiously as these retail stores of.fering Apple goods expand globally.So ski l ls acquis i t ion is just one as-pect of the Apple experience. Theiconic Genius Bars, in order to pro-vide technical expertise furtherdrives the local community into thestores and, once inside, customerscan get hands-on experience withtheir amazing range of computers,phones and handheld devices laidout on the typical blonde woodentables. Enthusiastic staff remain en-ergized, no matter the time of day or

Advertising Express , November 2010 o 13

weather, and theY are alwaYs readYto assist customers entering thestore in personal shoPPing. Tech-nology capabilities make the expe-rience seamless and 'green' wherethe receipts are despatched directlyto the e-mail address of the con'sumer.

Large retail stores focus on cre'ating a sense of theater as exempli'fied by the Selfridges Shoe Hall ex'hlblting 4,000 shoes. In-store activi'ties in large open spaces contributeto the store brand experience' Bor-der Bookshops exempl i fY th isthinking with their in-store quizsessions, mother and toddler read'ing sessions and creative writing forteenagers and adults. ToPshoP, aBri t ish fashionchain has taken theexperience furtherin a flagship OxfordCircus locat ionaddlng fashion andl i festy le events,sty le consul tantsand beauty bars tothe physical store.These act iv i t iesstrongly help tomake the Selfridges,Borders bookshoPsand Topshop flag'ship clothes storesocial.

above have a Facebook and Twitterpresence and YouTirbe channels ex'ist for Selfridges and Topshop' Con-sumers online can even listen andwatch a tabla solo at a Borders book'store with Shiva Patraju' Only timewill tell if destination brands use thesocial media beyond advertising toengage in proact ive conversat ionswith consumers and listen as wellas deliver on expectations.

The potent ia l to create theemotional link between the desti'nation and the consumer is a natu'ral fit for mobile social networks(. .g. , foursquare.com andGowalla.com) and is only beginningto emerge with a first generation ofactivities for consumers. Check'in

is about te l l ingFoursquare wherethe consumer is atpresent. consum'ers check-in fromlibraries, museums'parks, restaurantsor l i teral ly any-where. Rewards areavai lable forcheck-in and fre'quenting the samelocation multipletimes or in the caseof Starbucks,checking into five

ating furtherbuzz in the commu-nity. If social media presents a rela-tively low.cost means of Present'ing destination assets and carryingout conversations between con'sumers and Part ic iPants f romwithin the destination itself, othertechnologies are or ientated to 'wards new possibil i t ies hithertonot considered for connecting theconsumer and dest inat ion. Theimportance of exPloring new tech-nologies cannot be understated forretail and travel as the UK Futureof Free Time RePort Publ ishedApri l 2010 states "PerhaPsworryingly, a new generation willreject travel altogether in favor ofgaming, social networking and 'al-ways on' media.. ' as in-home lei 'sure is becoming more engaging' agroup of young PeoPle will emergewho do not go out any more."

Immersive v ideo using elec'tronic headgear fliPs the Paradigmfrom the traditional video imageswhere the view is identical for allobservers to one in which theviewer becomes immersed in a vir'tual environment achieving aunique personal experience pertain'ing to a live event, e.g., fashion showor tennis match. Combining withsocial networks, shoppers or travel-ers can enjoy the exPerience withfriends no matter where theY are1o.n1sd. L\

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The role of online social net'works cannot be underestimated indelivering and improving the physi-cal exper iences of v is i t ing thestores, especially for teenagers andstudents. Engaging customers lnsocial media, as an element of theoverall marketing strategy and be-coming a part of consumer lives,when the consumer is not at thedestination also creates an oppor-tunity for consumers to voice desti'nation experiences. Twitter Pro'vides an 'always orl connection tothe destination. All stores discussed

establ ishments helPs to earn aBarista badge. A MaYorshiP isawarded to customers with mostcheck-in days to a venue over thelast 60 days and the MaYor of aStarbucks location receives a dis-count on a drink, But if exPerien-tial retailing is a desirable focus, therewards are better contextualizedto provide the MaYor with learn-ing opportunities transcending amere discount on a drink. Gettingto play barista for a daY or join apastry chef in the bakery are simplemeans of providing valued custom-ers wi th relevant exper iences cre '

Advertising Express November 2010 o 1'l