Country positioning in the Russian travel market: destination branding and marketing

The process of destination marketing and branding involves the use of various tools and channels to create an appealing travel product. Nowadays, almost every country, region, and city is creating its own brand.

The Steps Involved in Developing a Brand for a Travel Destination

Market research and analysis

Conducting a comprehensive analysis of the market and brand allows for an objective evaluation of the market situation, competitor activity, and a balanced strategic decision on the future development of the brand.

To create a successful travel destination brand, you need to:

– Estimate market capacity and stay up-to-date with the latest market trends. You can conduct a market analysis on your own or use ready-made studies such as the Russian Tourism Market Report: Trends, Analysis & Statistics.

– Identify major competitors and analyze their brand strategies:

• Identify who your competitors are.
• Understand how they build and position their brand.
• Analyze the key messages they use to attract tourists.
• Examine the marketing channels they use to promote their brand, such as exhibitions, advertising events, mass media, websites, social media accounts, outdoor ads, and email.

– Find out consumers’ needs and wishes and create profiles of your target audience. In the article “Travel Market Segmentation: A Key to Better Understanding of Russian Customer Needs,” we provide a thorough analysis of how to create a profile of your target audience in the travel segment.

– Conduct a SWOT analysis of your travel destination, evaluating its opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses.

Potential strengths and weaknesses of destinations can include:

• Geographical location
• Climate
• Availability or lack of coastline and beaches
• Visa requirements
• Availability or lack of direct flights
• Landmarks and cultural heritage
• Level of hospitality and tourism infrastructure, among others.

Some potential threats and opportunities for destinations include:

• Political and economic instability
• Global events, such as expos, competitions, and forums held in the country
• Changes to visa regulations
• Fluctuations in tour prices
• Changes in tourists’ income
• Competitors’ marketing activities
• Opening or closing of destinations for tourists within the country
• Range of tours offered
• Availability of infrastructure
• Environmental factors, such as natural disasters and climate change.

Positioning

Once you have the results of the marketing study, you can move on to the next phase, which is developing your brand positioning. A brand is not just about advertising or marketing; it is a distinct concept that aims to evoke particular emotions, images, and associations related to a travel destination in people’s minds.

Creating the right positioning strategy is crucial for forming a desirable image in the minds of potential tourists. As examples, most people know that the Mayan pyramids are located in Mexico, the Eiffel Tower in France, and the Pyramids at Giza in Egypt.

At this point, it’s crucial to:

• Identify the primary advantage of your travel destination compared to your competitors.
• Develop a unique selling point (USP) that will serve as the foundation for your key message. Additionally, the USP and message may need to be adapted depending on the target market.
• Establish the mission of your destination and define its core values.

Developing the identification of brand elements

Primarily, a territory brand encompasses a robust concept – a carefully crafted and apt place identity built on expectations, emotions, and experiences. For a country to make a favorable impact and establish affirmative associations, it must have its distinct brand and buttress this perception with user encounters between the brand and its audience. Crafting a prosperous brand for a country, highlighting its strengths over other nations, can foster its appeal. Therefore, to develop an efficacious territory brand, it is crucial to deliberate on its individuality, ideology, and validation of factors that shape expectations and their feasibility.

A territory brand encompasses all vital aspects of its existence, including its economy, culture, prominent export trademarks, tourism, and populace.

In the case of travel destinations, the following brand elements are crucial:

• Logo
• Selection of color palettes and brand hues
• Development of a distinctive typeface
• Advertising catchphrase
• Brand narrative.

Brand promotion marketing strategy

A strategy for branding entails an all-inclusive plan to establish and market a location in foreign markets. Typically, it is the primary corporate dossier that highlights:

• Key characteristics of the target audience;
• Findings of market and competitor analysis;
• Definition of brand goals and objectives;
• Determination of promotional approaches and techniques.

For further insights on the marketing strategy for destinations, refer to our article “6 Steps to Enhance Your Destination Marketing Strategy in Russia.”

Illustrations of Branding and Positioning Strategies of Different Countries in the Russian Market

A nation’s brand not only influences tourism but also aids in positioning domestically produced goods as superior, leading to higher prices. For instance, the phrases “Swiss watch” or “Dutch cheese” carry an inherent association with high quality and cost.

Previously, we discussed the marketing of tourist destinations in Northern and Southern Europe, as well as Eastern and Western Europe, in Russia.

To obtain a more comprehensive understanding of country branding, let us examine multiple tourist brands – how countries project themselves in the global and Russian travel markets.

The Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) showcases their nation as a “green boutique global destination” through their logo. Moreover, their catchy slogan “I FEEL SLOVENIA” employs a wordplay to capture the brand’s emotional value. The STB’s marketing initiatives in the Russian market revolve around positioning Slovenia as an ideal destination for eco-friendly, dynamic, and healthy leisure pursuits.

The Turkish Tourism Board markets their country’s brand in the Russian market by incorporating the word “HOME,” signifying their warm hospitality towards all cultures and nations.

The brand made its debut in 2014 and has secured the second spot worldwide since 2016, based on the number of followers on social media and media platforms.

One of TurkeyHome’s recent promotional videos, “Feel the Meaning of Turquoise in Turkey,” earned several accolades at international festivals.

“TAT” (Tourism Authority of Thailand) presents their nation as “Amazing Thailand,” which is reflective of their new and vibrant logo. Given that tourism is a crucial part of the Thai economy, the authority attempts to present their country in a fresh light every year. For example, in 2019, TAT released a series of video clips named “Amazing Romance in Thailand.” These videos portray the multitude of leisure activities available in the country, ranging from Thai massages to shopping, gastronomic delights, culture, and traditions. They also exude an aura of romance and offer an ideal getaway for two.

n case you’ve chosen to promote your travel destination using bloggers, the Quarter Billion Agency Travel professionals can aid you in organizing and coordinating blog tours. Additionally, they can help you select bloggers that match the characteristics of your area.

We highly recommend that you read our article “7 Steps to Create Your Perfect Destination Marketing Plan.” It will provide you with insights on the specificities of creating a marketing plan for promoting your travel destination in the Russian travel market.