Since the implementation of local government system, local authorities have engaged themselves in establishing regional development strategies, reducing dependency on the central government. Particularly, with new recognition on tourism industry, loca...
Since the implementation of local government system, local authorities have engaged themselves in establishing regional development strategies, reducing dependency on the central government. Particularly, with new recognition on tourism industry, local governments have been actively working to develop local tourism industry to vitalize their local economies. However, those efforts to promote localities have been carried out as just simple publicities without differentiation. It is true that local authorities are in stiff competition to develop tourism product, but their marketing activities have been nothing more than conventional and mundane forms.
Rather than just plunging into competition, local governments should enhance strategic communication to gain success out of promotional efforts. If not, those efforts will not serve desired purposes of attracting tourists, promoting regional image, and further exchanging human and cultural resources and will end up as a waste of limited budget and another example of inefficiency.
This study examined local governments’ creative strategy in local tourism promotion by putting the current ad practice into comprehensive perspective and based on which, I am going to propose a theory and strategic direction for tourism creative.
For the analysis, 120 samples of ads placed by local authorities during the period from Jan. 2004 to April 2007 were selected out of major magazines with nation-wide readership. Out of the 120 samples, I have identified the current creative strategies for local authorities and adopted “contents analysis” method using advertisement in magazines so as to be of help to future endeavor to establish ad and communication strategies at local governing bodies.
120 pieces of ads were encoded to 29 analysis items and then the result was put into contents analysis using five measuring criteria: Advertising Appeal, Creative Strategy, Headline, Information Content and Creative Style.
To summarize the study result, tourism ads by local governments are mainly composed of facts and emotional appeals, which just display festival/event names tied in with local theme and proposal/invitation type message. My findings are that local tourism products have become more specialized and local-specific, but their advertisements have been only delivering a general notice of an event or festival in order to encourage public participation. Regardless of unique features from local to local, advertisements have been only shown in the very stereotyped way. This is a proof of the fact that local traits are not reflected in the advertisement, so that creative strategy and vision are not well presented.
People by basic instinct want to travel other places to get away from daily lives and pursue changes. More often, it is means for self-achievement. Therefore, the current general local product ads should be advanced to strategic ads catering to different needs, age, thoughts and lifestyles.
As local tourism is featured by local themes, such themes are naturally embedded even in intangible service, which is core value of tourism business. Therefore, to impress consumers who have been exposed to and familiar with many types of media, ads messages should be conveyed through more various creative strategies. I also hope that this study can provide local governments with strategic frameworks in its efforts to establish ad communication and marketing strategies.