The campaign will run year round encompassing the Ministry of Tourism’s Vision of keeping the hotels filled throughout the year. It is predicted that more money will be spent to further develop the campaign.
“That’s the business we’re in… this is the start; now we are going to follow up. We are going to be very intense; the Ministry of Tourism is taking an aggressive approach,” Mr. Wilchcombe said during the launching at the British Colonial Hilton.
Using the close proximity of The Bahamas to the United States as a major selling point, the slogan “Just of the coast of the familiar” will resonate throughout the new promotional campaign.
The campaign, created by Fallon Worldwide, based in Minneapolis, “jumps past the traditional and expected sun and sand vistas, embraces cutting edge visuals and technology and real Bahamians to separate The Bahamas from the clutter of Caribbean advertising,” Mr. Wilchcombe said.
Noting that the Sept. 11 terrorist attack changed the world of tourism forever, he revealed that competition for vacationers has become intense, and complex information mediums such as the internet have created a much more sophisticated consumer.
“To be competitive we must re-brand, reposition…we must be compelling…we must break out of the clutter of destination marketing and advertising. We must celebrate our people our heritage, culture, music.”
According to the minister, the development of the campaign, which took place over the last 18 months included research and focus groups to delve into the mind of the traveler. What was discovered was that targeting the traditional demographic: the median aged couple of 42 with 1.6 children and an annual income of $75,000 was no longer effective.
Minister Wilchcombe revealed that what the Ministry of Tourism has now decided to target is a mindset. “We are targeting Caribbean experientials. They are active, seeking adventure, looking for enrichment, want to see and do new things.”
He continued that the idea is to sell travel as a birthright and a unique experience to this demographic. It is felt that this demographic will be the ones who will become ambassadors for the islands of The Bahamas and will sell the country to family, friends and colleagues.
The new branding campaign will provide a visual identity for each island. In addition to the slogan, a new logo will also be used to identify the islands of The Bahamas. The Ministry of Tourism has also gotten a commitment from the private sector to display the logo in all future promotions and advertisements. The objective of this is to portray all aspects of The Bahamas as a part of the “Island Hopping” campaign.
In addition to the main or primary logo, there will also be individual logos and identities for each island in The Bahamas. the primary logo will serve as a consistent point of contact a “family crest”, while the individual island identities will be used in context of the primary identity to help educate travelers on each island and its role in the greater country identity.
Another important aspect of the new campaign will be the new website Bahamas.com, which is currently up and will bring The Bahamas to life onscreen.
According to Minister Wilchcombe: “Our new website…brings The Bahamas to life literally. We have actual Bahamians communicate with the user.” The website will allow for users to plan trips, view events, check out the weather on each island and plan vacation packages; each island will also have and individual homepage. Also to be included on the web are video streams showing different locations and interviews with actual Bahamians as well as 360 degree virtual tours of select attractions including the Hope Town Lighthouse, Lucayan National Park and Bennett’s Harbour, Cat Island.
Advertising will also play an integral role in the new campaign the minister said. “On Nov. 27, the islands of The Bahamas will launch a new advertising campaign over national cable systems in the United States, followed by advertising in major markets, newspapers and magazines.”
The commercials will run on cable networks such as A&E and CNN in specific geographic areas such as New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta and Cincinnati. The print advertisements will appear in publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Conde Nast Traveler and National Geographic among others.
By Martella Matthews, The Nassau Guardian
