Travel Advertising Toolkit: Maintaining Consistency

With an unprecedented number of channels to share their messages, destination, resort and attraction marketers are challenged to stay true to their brand’s promise of value. In a recent issue of the Wanderlust Report, the Wanderlust team describes how a well-defined brand position, a clear communication of brand values, and a few simple tools can help keep your message on-brand.

“These are a few of the tools we use at Wanderlust,” said Mark Shipley, President and Chief Strategic Officer, “to direct decision-making and inspire the troops.”

Brand Toolkit

Like a craftsman’s tool box, the brand toolkit contains resources that marketers or designers can draw upon when creating internal or external communications. “Implementing an integrated, unified brand identity for a destination or resort may require more than an instruction manual,” said Shipley. “That’s why we recommend creating a ‘brand toolkit’ whenever launching or repositioning a travel brand.”

The toolkit is a collection of electronic art files, including logo graphics, web elements, icons, patterns, textures, photographs, maps, or almost any visual elements that have been created in support of the brand identity. Delivered on a CD or DVD along with the brand guidelines, these files help designers execute the identity consistently, and save time by eliminating the need to recreate graphic elements of the brand. Depending on the scope of the identity development, the toolkit may contain just logo art work and related elements or complete design files for corporate identity programs, stationery, ad formats, signage and more.

The Brand Czar

The ‘Brand Czar’ is the keeper of the brand vision, the overseer of all brand communications and identity executions. Whether this is a full-time position or an honorary title assigned to a member of the marketing team, depends on the destination. A large organization with a high-volume communications, multiple locations or disparate operations may require a person dedicated to this position. At a smaller resort or attraction, it may be an informal role assumed by someone close to the branding process. The Brand Czar needs to build awareness of the brand position across the organization, monitor interactions with customers and coach frontline staff on behavior and expectation. “This role is important for the consistency of the brand identity and clarity of the messaging, especially at the initial launch or repositioning of a brand,” said Shipley.

The Brand Czar is responsible for:

Communicating the brand position and promise of value;

Translating the brand personality for expression in any medium;

Enforcing brand guidelines for consistent graphic identity; and

Recognizing anything that’s out of character or off-brand.

Staying on-brand begins and ends with an honest position

“If your brand position is authentic, honest and desirable to travelers, it’s going to be hard to stray off track,” Shipley summarizes. “Your organization will deliver on the promise simply because that’s what it does best. Your customers will come with expectations and get exactly what you promised them. Hopefully, they will share their satisfaction with others, who will come for more of the same, which your organization will gladly deliver – simply because that’s what it does best,” he concludes.

Read more of How to Keep Your Destination On-Brand in the Wanderlust Report, Volume 2, Number 5.

About Wanderlust
Wanderlust provides marketing and branding expertise to destinations, resorts and tourism attractions. We uncover what drives people to choose where they go and build integrated marketing programs to attract them — using the internet, social networks, direct marketing and mass media

Contact: Mark Shipley
Phone: 518-272-2500
Email: [email protected]