China Travel Branding

China Traveller

April 2009

As the global financial crisis deepens in North America and Europe with no end in sight, it is expected that some of the more prudent tourism destinations will be redoubling their promotional activities in markets with the ability to evade the worst of the downturn. The fact that marketing budgets have been decreased in light of the crisis however alludes to the catch 22 situation that many marketers find themselves in. China in particular matches this description with senior tourism officials confident of continued outbound travel growth throughout 2009, yet the strengthening of the Renminbi, coupled with crisis induced slashed budgets, over the past few years has equally resulted in decreased marketing budgets.

The unique environment within which we find ourselves has forced marketers in China to raise the bar on creativity, to achieve better results on the back of fewer resources. While few crisis driven tailor made campaigns are immediately recognisable, creative campaigns born out of intensified competitiveness are and should serve as lighthouses in a sea of new strategies.                

Celebrity Endorsement: Celebrity endorsement of destinations is becoming an important tool in the overall promotional kit. The increase in celebrity endorsement promotions in the local consumer industry is indicative that such tactics resonate with the Chinese audience. While a standard tactic in general consumer PR in China, with hindsight it is surprising that celebrity endorsements have not featured more in the promotion of destinations. A creative example includes Jamaica’s inclusion of China’s father of rock, Cui Jian, in a recent FAM tour. Furthermore, in 2008 the Canada Tourism Commission included ice skating celebrities Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo in their promotions, a strategic step that will go a long way in the run-up to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. For her part, Chinese actress/director and at the time world number one blogger Xu Jinglei was invited to South Africa to view and report on the country’s highlights leveraging on her popular online platform. Upon her return Ms. Xu published an English language learning guide filled with pictures of herself set against a South African backdrop and locally relevant dialogues, the book quickly entered the top ten best sellers list in Shanghai.

Blockbuster Films & Music Video’s: Mindful of the positive influence the blockbuster hit Lord of the Rings had on New Zealand’s tourism, the Australia Tourism Commission spent in the region of AUD$40 million on the promotion of Australia staring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. While strategically sound in theory to splash out on such visible promotions, the strategy clearly went astray as the final product did not live up to expectations. From local viewers the author spoke to, it appears that Vicky Cristina Barcelona proved to have a stronger pull factor to Spain than Australia achieved, a frustrating point considering it was probably not one of Woody Allen’s objectives. A number of destinations have lobbied Chinese film makers to shoot on their soil, some with varying yet limited results, but it will be interesting to see which destination manages to host the production of a Chinese blockbuster hit that will have a direct impact on their Chinese travel arrivals. Chinese music video producers are on the same track, seeking new and exciting natural backdrops that will blow their audience away.    

Maximising Resources Online: Few would disagree that the Queensland Tourism Authority’s ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign was other than utter genius. With almost 35,000 applicants around the world promoting their video’s amongst their friends resulting in enormous online and off-line buzz, it is difficult to think of a more creative campaign. The campaign has clearly resonated with the Chinese audience with Clare Wang wining the wild card vote with three times the votes of her closest competitor. Destinations would do well to take a feather out of Queensland’s hat and tailor make similar campaigns for the China audience.

There are also a number of online consumer PR tactics that have yet to migrate to travel & tourism PR agencies in China. Social networking platforms such as Chinese versions of Facebook employed to promoted consumer products and services, viral games development, and the production and posting of online specific video’s have been developed to great effect in other industries thus far. Most destinations to date have also ignored what is being said about them on local bbs (Bulletin Board System) sites (the infamous Chinese Internet chat rooms) relying merely on traditional media monitoring. Monitoring and positively influencing bbs sites has proven to be both an economical and effective strategy for consumer products as it is difficult to find a more interactive platform in the virtual world we live in. Reacting at the eleventh hour to damaging bbs chatter in a time of crisis is simply no longer an option. 

Lastly, a mix of traditional and new tactics are also on the cards. A growing number of countries have already sent influential Mainland bloggers on FAM tours to their countries with great effect. Recently a single Chinese tourism beat blogger on invitation in South Africa posted numerous articles that received over a million hits amongst travel enthusiasts as well as hundreds of positive comments and requests for additional information. Such tactics strike at the heart of the target audience and permit for the necessary interactivity that is an effective builder of emotional bonds with your brand.

As the Chinese consumer market advances in maturity destinations and travel organisations will be required to embrace increasingly sophisticated strategies to maintain and/or increase competitive market share. Coupled with China’s unique economic strength the financial crisis has added impetus to the need to rethink strategies in China’s travel & tourism industry.