Brand Strategy Presentation Presented by: Kwakye Donkor...

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“Experience Southern Africa”

Brand Strategy Presentation

Presented by: Kwakye Donkor,

Marketing and Communication Director, RETOSA

The process that was followed evolving the brand strategy was highly consultative:

• It commenced with a RETOSA staff workshop (01/03/2010.

• Then a Marketing and Communications Committee workshop (04/03/2010).

• A first presentation of the preliminary draft was presented to the Executive of RETOSA (05/03) and revised drafts, up to a seventh draft, were presented (11/03 – 09/09/2010).

• The Marketing and Communications Committee was kept up to date with presentations culminating in a presentation of 10/09/10.

• The process was informed by external conversations with tourism stakeholders, completed on 06/0910.

• Refinements to the brand strategy and brand identity were suggested at the RETOSA Conference held in Malawi (19-22/0410).

• A final draft was presented by the Marketing and Communications Committee to the RETOSA Board and approved on 22/09/10.

Discovery DISCOVERY

BRAND WORKSHOP WITH STAFF

BRAND WORKSHOP MKT.COMMITTEE

EXTERNAL CONSULTATION

PRELIMINARY BRAND STRATEGY

FINAL BRAND STRATEGY

BRAND IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT

BOARD APPROVAL (Nov, 2011) & MINISTERS ENDORSEMENT (March, 2012)

An evolved brand strategy

A refined brand identity

A platform for focused communication.

The deliverables

Best practice methodology was applied to ensure rigorous process.

This methodology covers the following:

Brand definition

Brand architecture

Brand expression

Methodology

To ensure that the brand strategy was properly aligned to the realities facing RETOSA a background brief was interrogated using the following model:

Background brief

The market

Definition

Segmentation

Size

Share

Trends

Issues

Marketing strategy

Objectives

Target market

Product

Value proposition

Price

Brand

Business

Marketing

Segmentation

Priority

Size

Sales material

Advertising Expression

External

Internal

Architecture

Definition

CI

Logo

Slogan

Positioning

Essence

Values

Mission

Vision

Must cover distribution channel

A summary of the background brief is included to ensure that context is established.

Market overview

Issues: Southern Africa is challenged by a perception of it being a risky destination which is relatively inconvenient to visit (both from a time and cost point of view) and there are a wide array of alternatives being aggressively marketed.

Trends: Tourism is benefitting from a macro-trend of increasing accessibility and availability, with destinations like Southern Africa enjoying the benefit of trends supportingg adventure tourism and responsible tourism.

Size and share: Southern Africa has 2% share of market measured against tourists entering countries in the region. This share is growing slowly. It is relatively small when compared to established markets like Europe (55%), but competitive to similar markets e.g. Caribbean (2,3%) or India (2%).

Market definition: RETOSA is a government enterprise, established by the SADC, to facilitate growth and development of tourism in Southern Africa through the promotion of Southern Africa as a tourist destination.

Business objectives

• Increased tourism to the region measured by:

o Travel between the 14 countries in the region.

• Intra-regional travel (i.e. by citizens of the 14 countries)

• Inter-regional travel (i.e. by tourists from outside the 14 countries)

• Increased propensity to invest in the growth and development of tourism as measured by appropriate research.

Marketing strategy

Marketing objectives

• Make business objectives measurable.

• Increase intra-regional travel.

o Positive awareness

o Promotion

o Digital infrastructure

• Increase inter-regional travel

o Promotion

o Digital infrastructure

o Follow-up visits direct campaign

• Increase propensity to invest in the growth and development of tourism through events and communication.

Build capacity and resource through collaboration which will require promoting a positive perception of the benefits of collaboration.

Marketing strategy (cont’d)

Target market

This is tourists who can be segmented as business or leisure and are prioritised by where they live:

1.Southern Africa

2.Europe and UK

3.North America

4.Middle East

5.Asia

6.Australasia

7.Rest of Africa

The above priority is for the region, individual countries may well have different priorities.

Stakeholders

This is the industry itself as well as those who markedly influence the industry, and they are prioritised as follows:

1.Governments

2.Travel trade

3.Travel media

4.Travel associations

5.Special interest groups

INCREASING TOURISM Facilitation promoting

collaboration Southern Africa as a tourism

destination

SERVICE PRODUCT

Value Proposition

Target market

This is tourists who can be segmented as business or leisure and are prioritised by where they live:

1.Southern Africa

2.Europe and UK

3.North America

4.Middle East

5.Asia

6.Australasia

7.Rest of Africa

The above priority is for the region, individual countries may well have different priorities.

Stakeholders

This is the industry itself as well as those who markedly influence the industry, and they are prioritised as follows:

1.Governments

2.Travel trade

3.Travel media

4.Travel associations

5.Special interest groups

VALUE PROPOSITION Collaborative effort as SADC

custodian of tourism Experiencing

Southern Africa

SERVICE PRODUCT

Brand Strategy - Methodology

Brand definition:

Brand identity

Brand positioning

Brand architecture:

Hierarchy

Roles

Visual treatment

Brand expression:

Internal buy-in

External expression

Organisation and process:

Responsibility

Management

Resource

Brand

champions

David A. Aaker’s best practice methodology as published in Brand Leadership was applied to developing the brand strategy.

Brand champions

Brand champions are those intimately involved with the brand strategy process, consisting of the participants of the two workshops.

Brand definition:

Brand identity

Brand positioning

Brand architecture:

Hierarchy

Roles

Visual treatment

Brand expression:

Internal buy-in

External expression


Responsibility

Management

Resource

Brand

champions

Brand definition

Brand definition positions Southern Africa in a way that is a robust presentation of itself, resonates across stakeholders, and is differentiated

from competitors.

Brand definition:

Brand identity

Brand positioning

Brand architecture:

Hierarchy

Roles

Visual treatment

Brand expression:

Internal buy-in

External expression


Responsibility

Management

Resource

Brand

champions

Brand architecture

Brand architecture creates a structure that facilitates easily understood communications.

Brand definition:

Brand identity

Brand positioning

Brand architecture:

Hierarchy

Roles

Visual treatment

Brand expression:

Internal buy-in

External expression


Responsibility

Management

Resource

Brand

champions

Brand expression

Brand expression provides guidelines for the expression of the brand in communications.

Brand definition:

Brand identity

Brand positioning

Brand architecture:

Hierarchy

Roles

Visual treatment

Brand expression:

Internal buy-in

External expression


Responsibility

Management

Resource

Brand

champions

Organisation and process

Provides resource, systems, processes and policies for ensuring brand building and protection. This element of brand strategy was not covered in

the scope of the project.

Brand definition:

Brand identity

Brand positioning

Brand architecture:

Hierarchy

Roles

Visual treatment

Brand expression:

Internal buy-in

External expression


Responsibility

Management

Resource

Brand

champions

Brand definition model - Distillation Process

Self analysis Stakeholder analysis Competitor analysis

Core expression

Summary expression

Essence

A P R O C E S S O F D I S T I L L A T I ON

Brand identity Brand positioning

Internal expression of brand essence

External expression of brand essence

25

Endless Horizon

27

Inspiring new ways

30

Let’s Explore

Self analysis – Member States and the region


Core expression

Summary expression

Essence





RETOSA has used the pay-off line, the essence of Africa, to capture what the value proposition is that Southern Africa offers world tourism.

This was unpacked in the RETOSA staff workshop and RETOSA Marketing and Communications Committee workshop and refined in the presentations that followed to the RETOSA Executive and representatives of the RETOSA Marketing and Communications Committee.

Central to this essence of Africa is abundant diversity. It is a challenge to capture this abundance visually, and a necessity to ensure that it encompasses the region.

But abundant diversity on its own was recognised as not being a differentiator. It needs to be combined with other elements to make it a truly differentiated and powerful value proposition.

Whatever this proposition is, it needs to encompass what each member country is doing, so that the place to start was a review of their effort.

This review certainly endorsed the fact that the region offers abundant diversity, but it also revealed a lot of other elements that in combination deliver differentiation.

Self analysis | What is the ‘essence of Africa’?


DIVERSITY

There is so much to experience, so much to discover, a profusion of choice, from landscapes to cultures and the people that live them, and activities that range from adventurous to

indulgent.

WILDERNESS

There is so much that is excitingly untamed and as beautifully natural as it was when time began.


HUMANITY

There is warmth that embraces you, wreathed in smiles that are wide and sparkle in honest eyes.


CLIMATE

There is the warmth of the sun that hurries the rain into mist and lingers long into the balmy nights.


Experience Abundance Welcome

+ + WILDERNESS DIVERSITY HUMANITY + CLIMATE

Warmth

Self analysis insight: A warm welcome to an indulgent abundance of discovery.

This diverse offering provides the tourist with a never-ending

source of experiences to discover; the

untamed wilderness is pure abundance;

humanity embraces them; and the sun

warms them.

This diversity is enhanced by

collaboration. To enable the discovery of this wide range of experience requires

facilitation.


RETOSA has two distinct shareholder groups: the tourist and the tourism industry. Both need to be taken into account for brand insight.

Stakeholder analysis


Core expression

Summary expression

Essence





Stakeholder analysis | What is the benefit of the

‘essence of Africa’ to the tourist?

A WARM WELCOME TO AN INDULGENT ABUNDANCE OF DISCOVERY

FUNCTIONAL EMOTIONAL SELF EXPRESSIVE

Adventure Discovery

Experience Choice

Weather

Excited Exuberant Entranced Enthralled Welcomed

Valued Belonging Privileged

Transformed Alive

Heroic Experienced Interesting

Envied Achieved

Stakeholder analysis insight: Enthral all with whom you share these experiences that have nurtured your senses back to life.

A WARM WELCOME TO AN INDULGENT ABUNDANCE OF ADVENTURES

+ ENTHRAL ALL WITH WHOM YOU SHARE THESE ADVENTURES THAT NURTURED YOUR

SENSES BACK TO LIFE.

FUNCTIONAL EMOTIONAL SELF EXPRESSIVE

Opportunity created Collaborative effort

Pooled resource Scale

Shared expertise Communication platform

Networking

Confident Energised

Empowered Together

Professional Respected

Responsible Status

Stakeholder analysis insight: Feel empowered by a collaborative effort that shares your responsibility and enhances your achievement.

Stakeholder analysis | And the benefit of the ‘essence

of Africa’ to the membership of RETOSA?

An essential input to the brand definition is differentiation from competitors, particularly the Caribbean, South America, South East Asia and the Bahamas.

Competitor analysis


Core expression

Summary expression

Essence





South America is particularly effective in promoting inter-regional travel. It has done this by creating travel routes that cross countries by appealing to interest groups.

Their emphasis is on diversity, but they have used special interests to focus this diversity and the development of tourist routes to make it tangible.

| How is the ‘essence of Africa’ better?

South East Asia puts emphasis on exotic culture and on making it easy for tourists and tourism operators to access this diversity of culture.

The Caribbean is limited in the diversity that it offers compared to many other regional destinations. They have countered this with a proposition that makes it easier for them to claim diversity, i.e. life needs the Caribbean.

The Bahamas have a similar challenge to the Caribbean. A lesson to learn from them is the way they have created a design language that they can own.

COMPETITOR HOW ARE WE BETTER HOW THEY ARE BETTER

Caribbean We have a more persuasive diversity offering.

They have an established identity and a focused value proposition.

South America We have arguably more diversity, e.g. our natural heritage.

They have packaged their diversity in a way that makes it accessible.

South East Asia We have as rich a cultural diversity and need to turn lack of awareness into an opportunity for discovery.

They have established themselves as a culturally exotic destination.

Bahamas We have far more diversity. They have countered a lack of diversity through the creation of a strong identity.

Diversity and choice focused by a value proposition that can be owned.

A scan of competitive regional tourism associations shows one important thing: that diversity on its own is not enough because it is over-claimed, and that this availability of choice must be focused.

Competitive Insight

Diversity and choice that in some way changes your life.

Brand essence

Self analysis Stakeholder analysis Stakeholder analysis Competitor analysis

A warm welcome to an

indulgent abundance of

discovery.

Enthral all with whom

you share these

discoveries that have

nurtured your senses

back to life.

Feel empowered by a

collaborative effort that

shares your

responsibility and

enhances your

achievement.

Diversity and choice

that in some way

changes your life.

A warm welcome to share an indulgent abundance of discoveries that will empower you by nurturing your senses back to life.

SUMMARY

SHARE THE WARM ABUNDANCE

OF LIFE

ESSENCE

Share the warmth of an indulgent abundance of discovery that will nurture

your life. CORE CORE

The brand essence is not the vision, mission or slogan of RETOSA. It is the central thought or inspiration for all these things, as well as for all other ways in which the brand is communicated.

As it is a distillation substantiated by facts it is robust. This means RETOSA can confidently use it for brand focus.

A brand essence is distilled from the brand insights


OF LIFE

With a brand essence in place we can provide guidelines for brand communication.

Brand expression

Brand expression begins with the formal brand expression, which is an extrapolation from the brand essence of vision, mission and core competence.

Brand definition:

Brand identity

Brand positioning

Brand architecture:

Hierarchy

Roles

Visual treatment

Brand expression:

Internal buy-in

External expression


Responsibility

Management

Resource

Brand

champions

MISSION (INTERNAL EXPRESSION) VISION (EXTERNAL EXPRESSION)

Brand expression | Formal


OF LIFE RETOSA is a government enterprise, established by the SADC, to facilitate growth and development of tourism in Southern Africa through the promotion of the region as a tourist destination where visitors share a warm abundance of life.

RETOSA will facilitate travel to and between the 14 countries in Southern Africa by motivating collaboration that

delivers measurable results.

CORE COMPETENCE FACILITATING CHOICE

Brand expression | Colour

The abundant shades of the rich Earth in

natural harmony,

surprised by an accent of

bright colour.

The abundant diversity of animal, fish and bird life, from sweeping herds of wildebeest to hidden gorilla families; the surprise of colour in the deep forest from a Loerie, or a lilac

breasted roller in the grasslands; dolphins surfing

or a whale breeching...

There is so much to discover, and RETOSA helps facilitate this discovery, collaborating like elephants do in a herd.

Brand expression | Animal

Water, pure and natural, and the abundant variety of local brews to be discovered, all with a warm welcome in common.

Brand expression | Beverage

An abundance of activities to discover, so much to do and always best when it can be shared with family and friends, the experience captured

in pictures and stories.

Brand expression | Activity

It is difficult to choose a person to represent the region because nationality is exclusive rather than inclusive. The personification is therefore an amalgam of many people, representative of a wide range of Southern African life.

Brand expression | Personification

Physique Character Style

An African of stature and presence.

Modern yet proud of cultural heritage,

unassuming, friendly, humorous,

knowledgeable, inquisitive and compassionate.

Confident, cosmopolitan, and

elegant.

If the RETOSA brand was a person, how would we describe that person?

In terms of archetype we are a combination of the creative sage and the explorer in love.

Represents Southern Africa as a tourist destination

Represents RETOSA

Through wise and sage counsel RETOSA persuades stakeholders to collaborate in the creation of opportunity.

The tourist to Southern Africa falls in love with the region

because of the warm welcome and the exploration of

enchanting experiences.


Africa has an oral tradition rich in storytelling and this should be captured in our style, tone and manner.

Storytelling, whether oral or written, is about characterisation, intrigue and plot. It extends to proverb, wise in meaning and profound in message.

Brand expression | Words | Style, tone & manner

Brand strategy

Wisdom enclosed in

the heart is like a

light in a jar “ ”

One hand cannot lift

a thatched roof “ ”

The most ubiquitous set of words that will be used is RETOSA’s slogan.

There is an interesting insight to be learned from the Caribbean:

Brand expression | Words | Slogan

Brand strategy

What the Caribbean has cleverly done is to use the slogan, Life needs the Caribbean, which is very versatile as a means of focusing their offering e.g.

Life needs nights to remember

Life needs depth

Life needs adventure

Life needs luxury

Life needs culture

The recommendation is therefore to use a line which is as versatile, and a direct representation of the brand essence: SHARE THE WARM ABUNDANCE OF LIFE.

It can be used to cover a wide range of Southern Africa’s wonderful diversity:

Experience the nightlife

Experience the depth

Experience the adventure

Experience the luxury

Experience the culture

Brand expression | Words | Slogan

Landscape, timeless, vast, enduring, awesome.

Brand expression | Another way of stimulating creative

expression is to describe RETOSA in terms of the senses

Not limited to wilderness, but defined by scope.

Warm...

...and mellow.

Visual expression must be a

combination of visuals that present diversity. This does

not require a collage – in fact, a collage

reduces impact and invites censure

through exclusion. The visual expression

should rather use two visuals which in combination stretch

the imagination to encompass diversity.

From game...

|The senses - Sight

... to gold.

...or the juxtaposition of the unexpected.

Visual expression must be a

combination of visuals that present diversity. This does

not require a collage – in fact, a collage

reduces impact and invites censure

through exclusion. The visual expression

should rather use two visuals which in combination stretch

the imagination to encompass diversity.

The provocative sounds of distance:

The call of the wild, the fish eagle in the river valley, the

guinea fowl in the evening, the lion’s grunt at night.

Rhythm and beat echoing off distant mountains....

...or welcoming one in from the city pavement to the cosy

warmth of music.

| The senses - Hearing

Brand strategy

It’s the fresh smell of the wilderness, like earth after

rain...

...but with a hint of the muskiness of animals.

| The senses - Smell

As with aroma, it is a combination of freshness and

spiciness.

It‘s like cooking on an open fire. The taste of warm spicy nourishing food eaten under

the stars.

| The senses - Taste

It’s grainy, like sand running through fingers, or walking barefoot on a beach... it‘s like bark or crushed, dry leaves, or brushing the stalks of

high grass.

| The senses - Feel

The next part of the brand strategy is brand architecture.

Brand architecture

Here we develop the theoretical basis for evolving the brand identity of RETOSA.

Brand definition:

Brand identity

Brand positioning

Brand architecture:

Hierarchy

Roles

Visual treatment

Brand expression:

Internal buy-in

External expression


Responsibility

Management

Resource

Brand

champions

Aspects of Brand architecture

Brand architecture

Brand portfolio

Communication roles

Portfolio graphics

Brand portfolio

structures

Strategic roles

Business-to-business master brand, consumer endorsement brand, representing an SADC initiative to facilitate collaboration in the tourism industry.

| Current portfolio & roles

Product to consumer master brand and business-to-business ingredient / benefit brand, presenting Southern Africa as a destination.

Product to consumer master brand and business-to-business ingredient / benefit brand, presenting Trans-frontier Conservation Areas as a destination.

Product to consumer master brand and business-to-business ingredient / benefit brand, presenting community based offerings to tourists.

Business-to-business endorsement brand.

| Current portfolio hierarchy | Business-to-business

Master brand

Product sub-brands representing various offerings (selective)

Endorsement brand (always)

Product master brand representing a destination (selective)

| Current portfolio hierarchy | Tourist

Product sub-brands given master brand status only if offering is limited to that specific product (selective).

Primary endorser (always)

Secondary endorser (selective)

Product master brand given prominence when representing the destination & an ever-present endorser of product sub-brands (always).

There is no graphic consistency and this is not desirable.

The brand identities should collaborate in building each other.

When someone sees the brand identities together they should lend credibility to each other.

When they are seen on their own they should still have stature, but this should be built off a common brand expression.

The exception will be SADC because it is so established.

This can be accommodated by using the SADC logo as a endorsing stamp of approval which fits the design.

| Current portfolio graphics

The first step in evolving the brand identity is to seek alignment in naming the portfolio.

| Evolving the brand identity – Alignment of portfolio

What all of these have in common is ‘Southern Africa’ (not surprisingly) and this can be expected to be consistent into the future.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

BOUNDLESS SOUTHERN AFRICA

SOUTHERN AFRICA COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

In naming prominence should therefore be given to Southern Africa.

COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

SOUTHERN AFRICA

BOUNDLESS

SOUTHERN AFRICA

REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATION OF

SOUTHERN AFRICA

SOUTHERN AFRICA

THE ESSENCE OF AFRICA

| Refined alignment of the brand identity

In naming prominence should therefore be given to Southern Africa.

But there is a brand equity to be considered and this must be taken into account

Alignment should be further enhanced by alignment of graphic elements

And a simpler brand hierarchy which satisfies both consumer and business needs.

The result is a smaller portfolio of brandsERN AFRICA

UNDLESS SOUTHERN AFRIC


Then it is useful to look at reducing the portfolio.

Evolving the brand identity

SOUTHERN AFRICA



BOUNDLESS

SOUTHERN AFRICA

RETOSA REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATION OF

SOUTHERN AFRICA


SOUTHERN AFRICA

SOUTHERN AFRICA SHARE THE WARM ABUNDANCE OF LIFE

EXPERIENCE

It would be elegant and practical to roll these two brands into one. This means that RETOSA would remain only as a legal entity and corporate brand for business –to-to business transactions rather than as a destination brand.

Brand architecture | The new brand architecture

Brand strategy

Master brand for both business-to -consumer and business-to-business communication or endorsement brand when offering is limited to a product sub-brand(always present).

Product sub-brands representing various offerings which assumes master brand status when the communication is limited to what they represent (selective).

Endorsement brand, always used in business-to-business communication (selective).

SOUTHERN AFRICA SHARE THE WARM ABUNDANCE OF LIFE

EXPERIENCE



SOUTHERN AFRICA

With brand focus provided by the brand strategy the brand identity has been evolved.

The challenge for the brand identity is to capture the brand essence, share the warm abundance of life in a way that:

• Is an expression of the brand.

• Shows the diversity.

• Brings that diversity together.

• And evolves from the current identity.

Introduction

The refined destination brand identity is therefore an evolution and an expression of unity in diversity.

The new brand identity

In combination these three

elements are representative of the region as well as the diversity to

be discovered there.

Blue represents the diversity of rivers, oceans, lakes and the vast sky.

This element captures the warmth of Africa’s humanity and sunshine.

This element is representative of Southern Africa’s diversity of natural heritage.

The slogan that is recommended works powerfully with the brand identity descriptor:

The new brand identity and the slogan Brand identity

An invitation that acts as a call to action.

A description of the benefit that is the reward of exploring Southern Africa.

New visual language | Colour palette

Brand expression

Logo, Flat tone, Black & White

and reverse

The recommended route is an evolution of the existing RETOSA brand identity:

The graphic representation of Southern Africa has been retained

Ensuring continuity through evolution Brand identity


The descriptor, Southern Africa (or Africa) has been retained but given much more emphasis.



The warmth of Southern Africa’s people and climate has been retained with the use of the yellow sun.



Diversity to be discovered has been retained represented by a colour spectrum


Refined Brand architecture | Current portfolio

hierarchy | Tourist & Stakeholder

Brand strategy

Product sub-brands given master brand status only if offering is limited to that specific product (selective).

Primary endorser & B2B (always )

Secondary/Parent endorser (selective)

Destination(product) master brand given prominence when representing the destination & an ever-present endorser of product sub-brands (always).

Visual Language

| Stationery

Digital application

Web design

| Marketing Collateral

& clothing

Brand expression

The visual language lends itself to application across all fifteen countries in the region. Where the communication zeros in on one country the visuals would be representative of that country, but the visual language would create a common denominator between all the countries.

Brand expression

Brand Strategy Presentation Presented by: Kwakye Donkor...

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