Wezi Tjaronda
16 April 2008
Windhoek — The Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) wants all communication about Namibian tourism to reflect the values that Namibia represents.
Namibia's core brand values that the NTB research has identified to underpin the country's visitor experiences and sets it apart from competitors are:
rugged, natural, soulful and liberating. And the more these values are used in communication about Namibia, the more Namibian those communications will appear, the NTB says. To come up with the brand, external market visitor and Namibia perceptions were taken into consideration.
According to the guide, Namibia is rugged and natural because of its element of pristine landscape that is unlike anywhere else. It is soulful because it touches one's soul, it is liberating because it makes one feel free in that one can explore the country at one's own terms.
A brand is the essence of a place that differentiates it from its competitors. The NTB has been holding workshops for companies, advertising agencies, the corporate sector and those that sell Namibia to the outside world to explain the branding tool kit.
At a workshop on Branding Namibia on Friday, NTB's Strategic Executive:
Marketing and Research, Shareen Thude, said branding Namibia would not only put the country on the map but also increase the sales of the product.
A brand is what one remembers about a place and contains characteristics that make a place memorable.
Thude said benefits of brand are that it distinguishes a place from its competitors, it builds loyalty and makes people keep coming, and can cause those offering the product to charge a premium price.
On the visitor profile, Namibia is meant for the self-reliant, resourceful and spirited and visitors that want to be challenged. On the contrary, the Namibia experience is not for the timid, cautious, culture vultures, mass tourists, passive and those that need to be entertained.
Thude said things that Namibians take for granted are those that others cherished and regarded as special.
She urged advertisers, corporate companies and others to see the destinations as they promoted them to the outside world.
"Don't tell people things that we can't deliver," she cautioned.
The branding Namibia guide explains what branding is, the Namibia branding va-lues, and explains how to bring branding values to life.
It also takes the users through colours and textures that marketing communications should take into consideration when talking about the different values of the brand, type faces, words to use and also the use of pictures.
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