Stick With What You Know: How to Achieve a Successful Brand Extension
Stick with what you know – it’s a simple piece of advice and one that serves as the guiding force behind making an initial run with brand extension decisions. When looking to expand a brand’s influence by introducing new products in different product categories, brand extensions can be a risky move, destined to either spread the master brand to new frontiers, or bound to crash and burn, potentially harming the master brand in the process.
It’s been said before on this very blog that when it comes to brand decisions, there’s no need to recreate the wheel. Sometimes, the brand extension that makes the most sense, or the one that comes to mind first, is there for a reason – it’s the best choice. This is especially true for first-time forays into brand extensions. The issues begin when brands try to outthink themselves, reaching for products that were at the end of the brainstorming list, just to try and tap into a market in which the master brand would never be considered.
Find a product line that provides your audience with an easily traceable link to the master brand. Not only will this increase the residual brand equity for the new product, but it will also ease any apprehension when the two are inevitably linked. For instance, if your brand is known for cleaning products, then the new extensions should fall within the “cleaning” realm, no matter how indirectly that may be. This will avoid any unsavory connotations, such as attempting to sell a potato chip that people will instinctively think has cleaner in it.
The direct line advice is applied mainly when the extension is directly leveraging the master brand. While there are some extensions that step outside of the master brand’s key space, their branding efforts are set forth to establish them as individual and unique brand offerings, where the master brand is not utilized or mentioned.
Another advantage to sticking to what your brand is known for is the sense of expertise that will be felt within the audience for the extension product. If consumers already feel your brand stands out within its space, finding a product that can be closely associated with that space will further expand that feeling that if your brand can excel at one thing, then creating an industry-related product is highly believable.
As previously mentioned, these new products are bound to carry the weight of the master brand. This impact goes both ways, as well. Determine whether the success or failure of the extension could have a negative effect on the master brand. If the extension takes off and it ends up coming back to harm the master brand, than the potential harm may not outweigh the benefit of a successful product launch.
When a brand extension is on the table, it is time to look at the master brand’s strategic plan. A good brand strategy when working with multiple brands under one roof should have a well-designed, easily understood brand portfolio, where each individual brand has a logical place, while also saving room for brand extensions and expansion. Trouble can arise when an extension is introduced that does not fit properly within the portfolio. Not only can that signal that an extension is outside of the proper reach and area of expertise for a master brand, but it can also disrupt the overall brand strategy.
Still unsure whether a brand extension is the right move for your brand? Learn more by downloading this FREE webinar, "Identifying The Opportunities In Your Brand Portfolio - Are You Capitalizing On Every Potential Business Opportunity Your Portfolio Provides?"
Branding Lessons from Brand Giants
Two of the leading brands on the marketplace today – Apple and Starbucks – didn’t get to where they are by chance. Building (and maybe more important, maintaining) brands with their level of success requires firing on all brand cylinders and recognizing the importance of nailing the visual, verbal, research and strategy aspects of the brand.
In a recent article for Fast Company, brand and marketing specialist Alessandra Ghini shared a pair of branding lessons she learned during her time with both Starbucks and Apple. These two pieces of advice provide both insight and a hint of explanation to the successes of these brands.
Apple: “A product is a story, not a list of features.”
Ghini drives this point home while discussing how the advertising strategies for Apple essentially constricted what they could do within the ads, and pushed the branding to think outside of a fairly restrictive box in order to communicate their brand messaging. This is where the focus shifted from listing the features of a product and centered the content on the emotional aspect of both the individual product and the Apple brand. The iconic iPod commercials with the dancing silhouettes didn’t speak much to the “what” the iPod was, but more to the “how” in how it made the audience feel in its interactions.
Emotional branding, where a brand conjures a certain emotive feeling within the user, is something most brands strive to achieve. If you can establish your brand as one that not only has positive interaction but also a positive reaction, you have gained a leg up on the competition.
For the most part, purchasing decisions are emotionally driven, and consumers look for brands that make them feel a certain way or that they feel an emotional association with. Apple has become one of those brands – arguably, they have become THE emotional brand out there today. And it all starts with the brand stories they tell for each of their products.
Starbucks: “Big brands can shift fast, if the leader cedes power.”
Static thinking can doom a brand. The phrase “that’s how we’ve always done it” can spell the end of relevance for even the best branding efforts. Markets change, consumer wants and needs evolve, media and advertising continuously update – the world is moving fast, and the brands who refuse to get on the train are going to be left behind.
Even the most iconic, long-lasting brands need to adopt a culture of evolution, and this starts at the top – for Starbucks, that adoption began when founder Howard Schultz returned to the company and allowed for much of the brand refresh work to be completed by those within the organization. His openness to change allowed the teams to strategize to develop what they felt was best for the brand moving forward – from an updated logo done mostly in-house to the overall brand strategy.
Starbucks was able to position itself to take advantage of the changing marketplace in its industry – it strengthened its core by improving the coffee aspect of its business while expanding into a variety of spaces, including increasing food options and adjusting the customer experience. Some brands connect evolution with total overhauls, and fear the loss of their core brand – this isn’t the case. If you have a piece of your brand that has carried you for years, an updated brand strategy can help bring your entire brand up to the same level.
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Would you like a Minion Tic Tac? The Strategy of Brand and Consumer Product Tie-ins
This morning, my 2-year-old son asked for his milk in a “Toy Story” cup, after requesting last night that I serve him “Minions” applesauce as he ate dinner on his “Cars” plate.
Now, this is either a testament to how demanding toddlers can be, or (and for the purpose of this branding-focused blog, this is the path we’re going to take) a testament to the success brands have when creating ties with everyday products.
We’ve all seen the examples – everything from book bags and lunch boxes to toothbrushes and food items can be (and have been) branded in some way. For brands, it is an established way to get their brand strategy elements directly connected with their consumer audience. Even more desirable is when the consumers begin to associate that particular item with that brand, as seen by my son’s descriptions of his requested items.
One of the most successful examples in recent memory is the aforementioned “Minions” brand tie-in with products across the consumer spectrum. In
advance of the releases of both “Despicable Me 2” and their own “Minions” feature film, Universal Pictures took the chance to establish relationships with consumer brands that would spread the Minions to all corners of the consumer universe.
Partnering with brands such as Bounty, McDonald’s, Mott’s (the applesauce to which my son now only wants if there are Minions on the packaging), Chiquita – where it stuck Minion-themed stickers on over 500 million bananas - and many others, Universal has spent nearly $600 million in publicity, which is almost as impressive as the $593 million in ads and promotions delivered by these branding partners.
The yellow, goggled, gibberish-speaking characters have become an immensely powerful and popular brand extension for both Universal and their movie franchise – in fact, they’ve become a recognizable brand all their own. Not to mention, their namesake movie is on track to break the $1 billion mark in global sales, a number that undoubtedly owes some of its success to the overall branding efforts.
If there is one aspect of brand/product connection that can signal long-term brand success, it’s when the impact goes beyond the intended event.
For instance, the movie “Cars” was released almost 10 years ago (I couldn’t believe it’s been that long either), but its products still pepper the shelves 
of toy stores and supermarkets today. Even kids who were years away from being born when the world was first introduced to Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater can recognize their characters immediately – all thanks to the existence of a successful brand/product relationship.
Not all relationships have these types of results, and the main reason for this is that they were disadvantaged by a weak initial brand. It’s not enough to create a brand strategy and associated brand elements and immediately put them on millions of cereal boxes and t-shirts – there must be a brand building period prior to the initial connection to give the products something to make them stand out.
Not to mention, the brand must be able to stand on its own, providing a positive connotation by association to the products. Much of the success of “Toy Story”-related products comes from the fact that the movies found widespread critical and audience acclaim, and gave us a set of timeless characters to which the products could focus upon. If the initial movie had bombed at the box office, it’s doubtful that Buzz Lightyear Halloween costumes would be seen trick-or-treating around the country.
So next time your child runs up to you in the store grasping a Mickey Mouse shampoo bottle or goes to sleep on their “Frozen” bed sheets, take the time to appreciate the branding efforts that went into making these connections and products possible.
Image Sources:
https://www.disneystore.com/lightning-mcqueen-rolling-luggage/mp/1379191/1000366/
https://www.brandchannel.com/2015/07/10/minions-movie-marketing-071015/
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Is Brand Power Waning? (Part Two)
Is Brand Power Waning? (Part Two)
Guest Blogger: Ashley Wiederhold
Many industry leaders have long expected brands to lose their power as consumers become increasingly knowledgeable about their products, services, and behind-the-scenes activity, thanks to the World Wide Web. As an article published by the Harvard Business Review so aptly explains: “The case for the decline of big brands follows a strikingly clear logic: The primary role of a brand is to make it easier for consumers to choose which products to buy. If consumers have immediate access to information that helps them make those decisions[,] such as user reviews and expert opinion, the value of a brand will fall.”
At first glance, this may seem to be a strong argument. Think about it: When do you rely on brands? Perhaps when you are shopping for something and don’t know much about the product (i.e., you buy a Dyson because of brand recognition and reputation, not because you’re a vacuum cleaner expert) or when you’re in a hurry and don’t have the time to do your research (i.e., you need to quickly pick up a can of green beans and simply grab the variety you recognize).
But, as the aforementioned article points out, the Internet, which is the primary location of the information that consumers access when making key financial decisions, is also highly brand-driven: “As digital disrupts more marketplaces, brands become more important and more valuable. Take a look at the various brand rankings: Digital brands such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, and Samsung are in the top 10 of most rankings […] If brands are truly unimportant in a digital world, why is it so brand dominated? Why do so many people choose Google search over Bing when only experts can tell which has the most accurate results?”
The strong power that brands wield is, of course, the answer. But instead of leveraging traditional branding and marketing tools, today’s companies need to take their brand image online. The article puts it perfectly: “It’s about providing meaning and satisfying emotional needs. These fundamental human needs have not changed.” But the ways in which companies are able to meet these needs have changed—and drastically. Meeting these needs is now largely achieved via the Internet, rather than traditional advertising methods.
Before wrapping this up, it’s important to touch on one more idea, which was discussed in part one of this two-part defense of brand power. Because consumers have access to so much more information, it’s critical that companies uphold the brand image that they create by acting upon the values, mission, and attributes that they have chosen for their brand to represent. The article corroborates this, stating: “In a hyper-transparent digital world, consumers instantly know the difference between what a company says and what it does.”
The moral of this two-part story? Brands are important—nay, essential—in the Internet Age.
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Source
"Brands Aren’t Dead, But Traditional Branding Tools Are Dying," Harvard Business Review
Is Brand Power Waning? (Part One)
Is Brand Power Waning? (Part One)
Guest Blogger: Ashley Wiederhold
An article in The New Yorker has raised some interesting questions: Despite all of the money, time, and energy that businesses invest in their brands, is brand power a thing of the past? Is the influence of a positive, strong brand waning?
The argument put forth by the author of the article is that brands have become less important as consumers have become better informed. The article reads: “It’s a truism of business-book thinking that a company’s brand is its ‘most important asset,’ more valuable than technology or patents or manufacturing prowess. But brands have never been more fragile. The reason is simple: consumers are supremely well informed and far more likely to investigate the real value of products than to rely on logos.”
The article goes on to assert that today’s consumers have access to “reams of research about whatever they want to buy.” Ultimately, the author argues, the Internet has provided an avenue through which consumers can read reviews, reports, research, and other data about companies and their products—and that these pieces of information, more than any brand image, shape consumer behavior.
It is certainly true that today’s consumers have the ability to read up on just about any product, service, or company that they choose. But to say that this is weakening brand power is to overlook the fact that today’s companies can use the Internet to strengthen a brand’s image, rather than allow the World Wide Web to detract from it.
When used correctly from a marketing standpoint, the Internet is an invaluable platform upon which businesses can build their brand’s image. Through websites, blogs, online articles, social networking sites, etc., today’s companies can spread information about their offerings, their values, and their mission on a larger scale than ever before.
But let’s take a second to look at the argument that the article asserts. Brand power can wane with an increase in consumers’ access to information if that brand is built upon nothing but a logo and a tagline. The key to strengthening a brand in today’s information-centric world is to understand that a successful brand should encompass more than a visual identity. It should borrow from and build upon:
-- The company’s reputation
-- The characteristics that make the company unique
-- The emotional impact that the company has on its target audience
-- How customers experience the products and services that the company has to offer
When approached this way, it’s easy to see how Internet-based content—online reviews, social media activity, etc.—can actually help strengthen a brand image. But this is only possible if the company in question upholds the values, mission, and other attributes with which its brand is associated. Otherwise, the loyalty of consumers will wane—just as brand power will deteriorate—as people start to understand that the image a company puts forth is not an accurate representation of the business. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative for companies to build brands that they can stand behind.
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Source
"Twilight of the Brands," The New Yorker
Fitbit, meet Tory Burch. Tory Burch, meet Fitbit…?
Fitbit, meet Tory Burch.
Tory Burch, meet Fitbit…?
More and more, companies are partnering to bring products and services to consumers that cross socioeconomic, demographic and psychographic lines. Sometimes, bringing two companies together not only reaches a larger audience, but it exponentially builds their brands. Think Apple and Nike, Eddie Bauer and Ford, The Global Fund (Red) and GAP (along with other brands, including Apple, Hallmark, Converse and Dell) and Isaac Mizrahi and Target.
Earlier this year, and on a more unconventional note, Fitbit and Tory Burch announced a partnership: The Tory Burch for Fitbit accessories collection.
In one hand, you have Fitbit, a pioneering maker of health and fitness tracking gear. The NPD Group now says Fitbit has 77 percent of the market for full-body activity trackers despite intense competition from Jawbone, Nike’s Fuelband, and others.
In the other, there’s Tory Burch, an American lifestyle brand with more than 100 freestanding boutiques and a presence in more than 1,000 department and specialty stores. The collection, known for color, print and eclectic details, includes ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, accessories and beauty.
In this fashion meets fitness venture, Tory Burch has designed pendants, bracelets and wristbands that will hold the Fitbit Flex tracker (see images below).
The skinny? Well, the Fitbit Flex retails for $100, but Tory’s jewelry ranges from $50 to $595. And, one of the brand elements that seems to resonate with Fitbit products is their wearability and durability, which seems a little bit at odds with Tory’s classics.
The real question here is, will existing Flex owners buy into the accessory options from Tory Birch, or just stick with the basic plastic bands?
And, on the flipside of this thinking, could Fitbit welcome an entirely new, more affluent audience through this partnership? After all, the pendant and bracelet options are much more attractive for going out.
Either way, I can’t wait to see the finished products (hopefully in silver, too!), and once it launches, watch this unique partnership grow.
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Sources
“Twenty Co-Branding Examples,” Businessweek.com, https://goo.gl/S6Uoy
“How Fitbit Survived as a Hardware Startup,” Forbes.com, https://goo.gl/NbSNpf
“Buzz,” Fitbit.com, https://goo.gl/YGcM8n
“About the Company,” ToryBurch.com, https://goo.gl/SGcIkr
IBM: Building a Lasting Brand
IBM: Building a Lasting Brand
Guest Blogger: Ashley Wiederhold
It’s easy to take today’s big brands for granted; while we can see the process of small businesses developing their brand identities, it’s often assumed that large companies are large companies because they’ve nailed down successful brand strategies (among other things). But these big businesses certainly have journeys all their own—and IBM is a wonderful example of how the right brand strategy can keep a company from crumbling.
An article published by Forbes features an interview between Allen Adamson, a contributor to the publication, and Randy Golden, a former senior corporate staff member at IBM. Golden spent more than two decades working with the company, and his role within the brand architecture and design group allowed him to support the forging of a lasting brand for the IBM Corporation.
To set the scene: IBM was, in 1993, facing collapse. With an $8.1 billion loss, the company had to let go more than 100,000 employees. Ultimately, the problem stemmed from the disorganized brand that IBM had become. While it was built according to a celebrated business strategy (“the promise of a globally integrated enterprise with integrated solutions”), the organization suffered from redundant processes, different internal marketing and advertising approaches, information systems that were disconnected, and more. The brand was, to put it simply, fractured.
To put the company back together, IBM hired Lou Gerstner, who was the former president of American Express and CEO of RJR Nabisco. Instead of facilitating the simple and timely dismantling of the business, which was assumed, Gerstner decided to unite all of the brand’s identities under one brand strategy. To do so, Adamson explains, “He understood that IBM’s inherent strength was in its ability to provide total business solutions for its customers. This was what the brand stood for.”
Bridging the gaps between different corporate entities is not always easy as a business grows. Each group within a brand family offers unique strengths, which is why they were acquired or built in the first place. But when trying to establish a solid, global brand, it’s essential that these entities are brought under the same umbrella.
As IBM’s leadership well knew, simply changing a logo wasn’t enough. Golden explains: “It was the responsibility of the brand team to identify, prioritize, and build integrated systems for presenting the IBM brand across all of the global business units and the numbers departments, products, and programs […] We did the foundational work to develop and articulate the core brand attributes and values, things that help truly differentiate the brand.”
Yes, a logo is important (critical, even). But there’s more to having a logo that matters, and today’s big brands understand this. Arguably, that’s why these brands have succeeded in growing to the extent to which they have. Internal communications, visual identity guidelines, brand architecture—these are just some of the many facets of branding at which IBM has excelled, and, ultimately, these are a few of the reasons why IBM is recognized around the globe.
Sources
Image from Mashable
“A Former IBMer Reflects on Building a Smarter Brand,” Forbes.com
Brand Genius: Jack Dorsey
I was in a Bank of America a week ago and came across Fortune magazine’s 40 under 40 issue. I began flipping through the pages and stumbled across Jack Dorsey; I recognized the name, but only as the co-founder of Twitter. What I learned reading the article, and doing more research on Dorsey for this post, far surpassed my initial impression (he started Square, too?!?!).
So, similar to our “Brands We Love” posts, we’ve talked internally about focusing on key influencers and brand leaders who are making waves in our industry. Dorsey will be our first post profiling such an individual.
There is something innately fascinating about someone like Jack Dorsey – a college dropout who soaks up information like his life depends on it. Someone inherently curious, who has built a life for himself that revolves around invention, innovation and seeing the world as something to evolve, to make better. Learning about him, you find yourself a little envious, but then realize that he has harnessed what he excels at and shared it with the world. It’s remarkable.
A St. Louis native, Jack Dorsey had an affinity for studying maps and spending time in railway yards as a kid. He taught himself basic computer programming and by the time he was a teenager, he had developed a program that graphically simulated the movements of the vehicles on a police scanner.
He studied at the University of Missouri, but a job took him to New York where he enrolled and eventually dropped out of NYU. He bounced around – working at (and leaving or being fired from) two different start-ups and eventually ended up back in St. Louis feeling like a failure. But, his time home allowed him to study varied interests, from botanical illustration to massage therapy.
In 2005, San Francisco became the impetus for Dorsey’s creativity. Through a job at Odeo, a directory and search website for syndicated audio and video, Dorsey was able to partner with colleagues to brainstorm new computer programs. Odeo’s popular “hackathons” which allowed its programmers to work on anything they wanted, eventually gave way to the development of Twitter. A poster on the Y Combinator blog once commented that Twitter was “more of a discovery than an invention” and because of that reality, its precise origins are convoluted. That said, Dorsey was instrumental in its creation and success, along with a team of highly intelligent programmers and developers.
The fledgling Twitter needed to build buzz and awareness, so Dorsey and company used the South by Southwest festival to do just that. Twitter named six attendees who were enthusiastic tweets its “ambassadors,” and posted their messages on plasma screens in the lobby of the conference center. The stunt was insanely successful and paved the way for continued growth.
The beauty of Twitter is how much its basic interface lends itself to all sorts of purposes – uses unforeseen by Dorsey and its designers. And, every step of the way, Twitter has embraced its own evolutions, including retweeting, the @-reply and hastags.
“I believe fundamentally that the next Gloria Steinem, the next Ghandi, the next Martin Luther King – they’re out there and they’re actually using Twitter today. And our job is to insure that people find them.” -Jack Dorsey
Twitter’s beginnings were bumpy, and the management structure was innately flawed. Eventually, Dorsey left the company (he still retains the chairman title, but it’s somewhat ceremonial in nature) and began searching for a new problem to solve.
Genius struck when Jim McKelvey, a longtime friend of Dorsey’s, complained that he failed to sell a piece of glasswork to an overseas buyer because of credit card payment issues. Dorsey began to think of money as “commerce, which is conversation.” Together, they assembled a team; Dorsey focused on the software and McKelvey, the hardware. Soon, they had a prototype and were approaching investors…and Square was born.
Just four years after Square’s technology breakthrough (using the iPhone’s audio jack, rather than its patented dock connector to attach to phones), the company has been valued at $3.25 billion and IPO rumors are swirling. Dorsey has been able to shape Square into a company that he’s proud of, and one that is profiting off of his experience.
At 36, Jack Dorsey is strategically building his personal brand on a colorful Twitter and Square foundation. He’s thoughtful, deliberate and open-minded. He continues to act unconventionally – at a recent talk at Y Combinator’s annual startup school, Dorsey read from some of his favorite books and played music for the audience. And, in some ways, he’s a bit of an enigma – mentioning a possible run for mayor of New York and also enjoys riding the bus to work to be able to observe people’s interactions with technology and apps (via phones, tablets, etc.).
With so many accomplishments already in his repertoire, Dorsey still has immense potential ahead of him and it will be interesting to see is brand develop further with each new venture. Stay tuned, branding nerds!
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Sources
“Jack Dorsey: The pride of St. Louis,” Fortune magazine, https://goo.gl/CGPVOS
“Jack Dorsey holds impromptu art and lifestyle symposium,” CNET.com, https://goo.gl/CUwWvI
“Two-Hit Wonder,” The New Yorker, https://goo.gl/5qB7qd
“20 Things About Jack Dorsey,” All Things D, https://goo.gl/fAUG8
“The Many Sides of Jack Dorsey,” WIRED, https://goo.gl/4vY6E
Destination Branding: A Look at States and Countries around the World (Part Two)
Last year, more than one billion tourists travelled the world and five to six billion more were expected to have travelled within their own countries. With stats like that, a successful tourism brand could mean millions (or even billions) of dollars for a destination.
On Tuesday, we continued our series on destination branding by looking at states and countries (specifically, North Carolina, Germany and New York). Today, we’ll cover the rest of the states and countries where we have offices…
Part Two: California, Washington and Japan
California is the third largest state by area, so you can imagine how much work goes into branding it as a travel destination. When searching for the tourism entity’s logo, I found two versions – the one being used on the website now and one from a few years back. The difference lies in the font treatment, where the current logo is more cartoon-y than the old.
Here’s the current logo:
And here’s one from a few years back:
Given the immense amount of information the website needs to cover, I think Visit California has done a good job of simplifying vacation options for potential visitors. And, it’s presented in a way that keeps it interesting and on-brand.
Washington seems to have had a somewhat tumultuous past when it comes to its tourism organizations. In February 2011, the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) was created following the announcement of the closure of the state tourism office. The WTA immediately worked to protect and preserve a number of ongoing state tourism programs and valuable marketing assets of great importance to the industry. In addition, the WTA began to create a long-term strategy for funding, development and marketing of a new, industry driven state destination tourism initiative.
Washington’s tourism logo emphasizes the natural resources of the state in much of the same way that North Carolina’s new logo does. What confused me a bit was the inclusion of “The State” under Washington. I’m sure there’s some initial confusion regarding whether someone is talking about Washington state or D.C., but I’m not sure tacking on “The State” to the logo is necessary.
And, since the website does such a beautiful job of highlighting what makes Washington a great place to visit, I feel “The State” is even less necessary.
Last up is Japan. Since 1964, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has led a broad range of activities promoting travel to Japan through various activities overseas as well as tourism-promoting activities in the country itself. Interestingly enough, the country’s travel brand has two different identities: one for the NTO and another, more consumer-friendly tourism brand.
That said, the website follows a different approach. The landing page for Japan’s travel site features both logos, although neither is featured prominently.
Once I chose English, I found that the new site didn’t feature the consumer-friendly Japan travel logo at all, which I found a little strange. I feel like the “Endless Discovery” logo tells an intriguing story and could be used as a showpiece for Japan’s travel site.
So, that concludes our look at state and country branding. In two weeks, we’ll finish up this series by diving into how the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific regions handle tourism branding. Stay tuned!
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Disclaimer: This post is purely subjective. My background is in brand strategy (positioning, messaging and portfolio organization), not design. Good visual branding can be challenging to achieve, and I whole-heartedly respect designers at Addison Whitney and beyond.
Source
“UNWTO: Annual Report, 2012.” UNWTO.org, https://goo.gl/pp5a7g
“About WTA.” Washington Tourism Alliance, https://goo.gl/5GiRIn
“What is JNTO?” JNTO.org, https://goo.gl/o6J8NL
Destination Branding: A Look at States and Countries around the World (Part One)
Two weeks ago, we started a series on destination branding by looking at cities where we have offices worldwide (Charlotte, Munich, NYC, San Francisco, Seattle and Tokyo). A quick recap – Last year, more than one billion tourists travelled the world and five to six billion more were expected to have travelled within their own countries. With stats like that, a successful tourism brand could mean millions (or even billions) of dollars for a destination.
Now, let’s jump into state and country branding…
Part One: North Carolina, Germany and New York
Last month, the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development launched a new look and feel to its travel-planning website, VisitNC.com. The overhaul was the first time the destination refreshed its identify since 2009.
The previous look was a simple typographic font treatment that referenced the website and the travel destination’s 800 number.
The new identity is much more visual and showcases the state’s natural resources along with a new tagline, “beauty amplified.” Two different applications are below.
The new website pays precise attention to the natural beauty of North Carolina and showcases it in a way that draws the potential visitor in. It’s easy to navigate and really delivers on the “beauty amplified” positioning.
Germany is up next. For more than 60 years, the German National Tourist Board has been promoting the country as a travel destination. Germany is a nation rich in history and culture, but the logo doesn’t seem to reflect much of that life. Sure, the colors connect to the country, but overall, the icon doesn’t tell a story.
The website feels a little dated. It’s nice that the destination chose to exhibit larger photos from around Germany, but they’re muddled by the center navigation. With images like these, you would imagine a site rich in visuals that easily and cleanly tells the story of Germany’s most well-known cities and lesser-known jewels.
To round out today’s state and country branding post, we’ll focus on the state of New York. New York’s logo is probably one of the most well recognized in the U.S. and it works. Two different executions of the logo are below.
Of course, New York has a lot to offer as a travel destination. That said, it feels like it’s trying too hard to fit all of that information on the home page. I guess I wish it told more of a story about the state of New York, especially since so many immediately think of Manhattan first.
So, that’s part one of our look at state and country branding. On Thursday, we’ll round out our observations by highlighting California, Washington and Japan. Stay tuned!
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Disclaimer: This post is purely subjective. My background is in brand strategy (positioning, messaging and portfolio organization), not design. Good visual branding can be challenging to achieve, and I whole-heartedly respect designers at Addison Whitney and beyond.
Source
“UNWTO: Annual Report, 2012.” UNWTO.org, https://goo.gl/pp5a7g