Faculty of Tourism presents Aruba Marketing Conference 2010
Branding Beyond Boundaries
April 17, 2010
University of Aruba
Conference registrations starts at 8:00am
Entrance is FREE
Beyond Boundaries
As companies come to grips with the realities of a ‘new normal’ and position themselves in a post-recession economy, executives are contemplating the value of their products and brands. Companies that have been able to weather the economic downturn are seeking to thrive in a hypercompetitive environment of social media, green consumers, emerging markets, and new competitors. The drive towards value innovation and the strategic imperative of value creation are forcing many executives to rethink their old marketing strategies. Recent studies by Forrester confirm that well over 60% of companies are experiencing challenges with customer retention and customer acquisition, and almost 45% indicate that they are struggling with their brand equity.
Despite the general recognition of the importance of marketing, especially during times of crisis, studies report that marketing is out of alignment and a credibility gap exists within many departments for maintaining marketing budgets and brand enhancements (McKinsey). A Sloan Management Review article indicates that less than 20% of executives believe that marketing investments are necessary for long-term corporate growth, and well over 80% consider marketing investments as a mere short-term tactical measure. The Marketing Professional reports that less than 40% of marketing departments measure the impact of marketing, and more than 50% indicate that new marketing programs are rushed to the market based on a hunch without a solid understanding of the ‘new normal’ of emerging market trends and consumer desires. With less than 20% of executives reporting being satisfied with their brand performance, it is obvious that we need to move beyond the current boundaries of branding.
Destination Branding
Within the Caribbean, companies and national (tourism) organizations have been grappling with a range of issues, including their marketing programs and destination brands. Many destination brands seem to have drifted aimlessly in the past shouting ‘price’, and today appear to stand for nothing in particular. These are often symptoms of dispair, fear and a lack of new vision beyond the boundaries of existing marketing policies and practices. Consequently, the need to become more marketable and competitive is increasingly underscored throughout the Caribbean. As destinations come to realize that their traditional (‘three-S’) brand models are outdated and no longer provide added-value in the ‘new normal’, marketing executives are seeking new strategies beyond the boundaries of existing brand models.
The Caribbean has been widely recognized as an international brand that positively promotes individual destinations in the region. However, most Caribbean destinations tend to share similar product holiday attributes. In this regard, competitive marketing positioning is critical for destinations within the same geographic region to present distinguishable physical and symbolic features to set their individual destinations apart from competitors. But the proliferation of similar vacation experiences and stereotypical holiday packages pose challenges for destinations building distinct brand identities and in effectively communicating these values to consumers. These and other brand challenges will be discussed at the forthcoming Aruba Marketing Conference on “Branding beyond Boundaries” on April 17 at the University of Aruba.
Key Note Speaker
Dr. Marcella Daye, an international expert on branding, will examine the current online branding practices of tourism destinations focusing on how brand messages are communicated. Destination logos, slogans and messages of the destinations of the Caribbean, as presented on the homepages of the official tourism websites have been analyzed. Using quantitative and qualitative content analysis, this presentation assesses the level of functional versus symbolic branding approaches used so as identify how these images have been constructed to communicate the unique traits of these destinations. This presentation therefore seeks to contribute to the understanding of country brand image management, by providing insights on strategies for developing effective messages for destination branding.
Dr. Marcella Daye is professor in Tourism and manager for the MBA International Tourism at Coventry University in the United Kingdom. She holds a Masters with distinction and a Ph.D in Tourism from the University of Surrey, a postgraduate diploma in Mass Communications, and an undergraduate degree from the University of the West Indies. Dr. Daye began her career as a radio journalist and then worked as a tourism practitioner for ten years in public relations and marketing at the Jamaica Tourist Board. She was also tourism consultant for the National Strategy on Biodiversity in Jamaica, which was commissioned by the UNDP. Dr. Daye has published and presented conference papers in her main research interests of destination image and branding, consumer behavior in tourism, and the relationship between tourism and the media.
Aruba Marketing Conference 2010
The first Aruba Marketing Conference 2010, entitled ‘Branding beyond Boundaries’ addresses the foregoing issues, and sets to explore the question of branding and destination brand value, and the emergence of new brand models in the Caribbean. Based on extensive studies in the Caribbean and Aruba, international key note speakers and researchers will highlight traditional and new perspectives on different brand models and (online) channels in the Caribbean, thereby exploring new emerging best practices for thriving in a new normal.
The conference will bring together business executives, marketing practitioners, and academics, and is organized by the Faculty of Tourism Studies and chaired by Dr. Ryan R. Peterson. The conference is also particularly interesting for students of marketing and future students who are interested in pursuing a marketing study and professional career. The conference will be held on Saturday April 17 at the University of Aruba, and registration starts at 8:00am. Conference pre-registration is possible by sending an e-mail Entrance is free.
