Unique Selling Propositions-What's yours? Tourism marketing recipes with fresh ingredients

Bhutan turns up the happiness for tourism marketing

Bhutan, the country perhaps best known for giving the world the measurement of 'gross national happiness,' is preparing to inject some happiness into its tourism marketing in an effort to boost visitors.

The Tourism Council of Bhutan announced recently that it had adapted a new global marketing effort for the Kingdom, centered around the phrase "Bhutan, happiness is a place."

Designed to differentiate the tiny country from its booming neighbors China and India, the campaign is focused on the thing from which Bhutan made its name, happiness, which the council says "has irrefutably been proven as the core and the true essence of Bhutan."

Since being coined in the 1970s by the King of Bhutan, the idea of gross national happiness has been used as a cornerstone of Bhutan government policy and has also spread to other countries as a welcome counterweight to GDP, an economic measurement.

Now, Bhutan's tourist authorities are hoping to cash in on the brand, using their new slogan with the country's blue national flower to headline a push for the upmarket tourism they are keen to develop.

Tourism to the unique towns and unspoilt jungles of Bhutan is relatively young by most standards, initiated only in 1974, and although it has grown rapidly in recent years, the government is keen to make sure that visitors don't have a noticeable impact, preferring low-key visits which contribute a lot financially.

Tourist authorities, therefore, will be hoping that their new campaign strikes the perfect balance - Bhutan needs visitors, but it fiercely protects the traditions, culture and wildlife which make it unique, as one of the last bastions of a pre-globalization world.

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Korea Tourism Organisation launches tourism campaign based on food and culture

At the center of the global online campaign is a Web site, www.buzz-korea.com, which targets English, Chinese and Japanese-speaking countries by highlighting different aspects of Korea. The Web site encourages user interaction, including the posting of stories about Korean food and culture. Users are encouraged to repost the Web site's address on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Ameba and QQ.

"We would like to see the wide-spreading of the Korean culture and food to the American audience through this global campaign," says Lee Charm, the CEO of the Korea Tourism Organization, in a statement.

The effort includes a Korean cooking contest, "Korean Food, Top Chef Challenge," hosted by Cathlyn Choi. Choi is the producer of "Cathlyn's Korean Kitchen," the only Korean TV Cooking Show in English

Another feature on the website is a three-minute long omnibus mini-drama starring Clara C. and Jennifer Chung, rising stars of YouTube who are proud of their Korean heritage. The video footage is scheduled to be released simultaneously through YouTube and Buzz Korea's campaign site.

Source: www.mediapost.com

Online advertising is expected to become more popular in the United States during the next 12 months, with a recent report from eMarketer indicating that American companies will spend more than $28 billion on online marketing campaigns.

Dublin launches Culture Trail website and App to promote its cultural collections

Dublin Culture Trail is an interactive, virtual trail that opens up a unique window into the world of culture in some of Dublin's finest visitor attractions.

Dublin Culture Trail takes you on a journey of discovery and adventure through stunning videos and photographs of Dublin's museums, galleries, historic buildings and cultural centres and introduces you to the people and artists who make it all happen.

Located in the heart of Dublin city and within a short walking distance of each other, the venues on the Dublin Culture Trail will give you a sense of the city's distinct history, heritage, tradition and vibrant contemporary cultural life.

The Dublin Culture Trail and the downloadable app is designed to help residents and visitors learn more about the cultural life in the city and plan their own unique cultural trail.

Dublin Culture Trail is an initiative of Temple Bar Cultural Trust in partnership with a consortium of Digital Hub Companies, funded by the Department of Tourism Culture and Sport. All of the content available on dublinculturetrail.ie has been developed in consultation with, and with the generous support of, the staff and supporters of the venues themselves.

The Dublin Culture Trail App takes you on a journey of discovery and adventure through stunning videos and photographs of Dublin's museums, galleries, historic buildings and cultural centres and introduces you to the people and artists who make it all happen.

Source: http://dublinculturetrail.ie

"California Classics"  showcases various California destinations through the lens of classic California movies

Ever wondered where the car chase in Bullitt was filmed? Fancy drinking wine in the vineyards from Sideways?  Want to shop 'til you drop in the exclusive boutiques from Pretty Woman?

CTTC's U.K. office created a unique campaign, "California Classics," to showcase various California destinations through the lens of classic California movies. The multi-faceted campaign is composed of tv channels, movies magazine, newspaper coverage and film screenings.

Sky TV – Eight California movies (Vertigo, Terminator 2, Chinatown, Milk, East of Eden, Escape from Alcatraz, Bullitt and Rebel Without a Cause) played at 8 p.m. on Sunday Sky Movies Modern Greats over January and February. The screenings were preceded by an introduction by well-known U.K. TV presenter Alex Zane.

Sky Movies Magazine (5 million circulation) and Skymovies.com – CTTC has secured 4.5 pages of advertising and content in Sky Movies Magazine, the world’s largest circulating movie magazine. Additionally, CTTC has a four-week road block of Sky’s Web site for the main campaign period. All advertising inventory will drive consumers to californiaclassics.co.uk.

The Guardian (356,000 circulation) and Guardian.co.uk (31 million unique visitors) – Each Saturday in its “Weekend” magazine, the Guardian published an advertorial based on the film showing the following night on Sky TV. Through Guardian.co.uk, CTTC launched a microsite to house all advertorials.

Film Screenings – CTTC featured four additional classic California films (Top Gun, Point Break, Pretty Woman and Sideways) in high-end movie theaters in six locations across the U.K.

In addition to the campaign elements above, CTTC will also be running several incentives and promotions to further engage the U.K. audience via social media. These will include a Twitter competition in which participants will be asked to review a California film in 140 characters or less, thus earning a chance to be published in the Guardian and win a trip to California; and a UGC competition, where participants will remake a California movie, upload it to californiaclassics.co.uk, and have a chance to see the film remade in California and shown on the Guardian.co.uk site.

Source: tourism.visitcalifornia.com