When Destination British Columbia began its recent rebranding campaign it thought long and hard about replacing the “Super, Natural British Columbia” tagline used for the past 30 years to sell the province as a top tourism destination.
“People are still attracted to British Columbia for our nature. Even in our cities, it’s all about being at the edge of nature,” said Maya Lange, Destination BC’s vice-president, global marketing. “We asked ourselves ‘Is this still the right thing for us?’”
The Crown corporation spent hours brainstorming with Vancouver agency, Dare, to see if there were better lines to highlight the powerful draw of B.C.’s wilderness.
In the end, they decided to stick with the old saying, but changed the logo to look like it had been etched into the side of a tree.
“We came back to it and said, ‘Super, Natural British Columbia is who we are,’” said Lange. “It’s what has inspired millions of people to come.”
While the tagline is the same, Destination BC’s marketing approach is different.
The organization decided to target travellers in certain regions closer to home and at an earlier stage in their vacation planning. That’s after extensive research, which included input from 10,000 consumers across local, national and international markets, showing B.C. was considered a place travellers wanted to visit, someday.
“We really needed to create an emotional connection and a sense of urgency to come now,” Lange said.
There’s a lot at stake for B.C. The tourism industry is the province’s third-largest employer, contributing more than 132,000 jobs and $7.3 billion to GDP in 2013.
Destination BC’s strategy, as part of the government’s BC Jobs Plan, is to strengthen the province’s reputation and brand as a tourism destination. The goal is to increase visitor volumes and revenues.
Lange said Destination BC’s budget hasn’t increased, which meant cutting expenses and increasing marketing spending in key markets closer to home such as Alberta, Washington state, California and China and less in places such as South Korea, India and Mexico, where fewer visitors are from.
“We are being outspent in many markets and need to outsmart our competition,” said Lange. “That is why we’ve taken this bold new look at how we present ourselves and taking a strong look at where we go.”
Another change in strategy is how the marketing money is being spent. Instead of big television buys used by provinces such as Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, Destination BC is focused on digital platforms, including travel websites such as Expedia, and social media on YouTube and Facebook.
Its campaign includes a three-minute video called The Wild Within, featuring stunning images of B.C’s oceans, mountains and forests.
“We prioritized media that could deliver high visual impact and emotional power – video and large format out of home,” said Catherine Piercy, planning director at Dare Vancouver.
The ad blitz, in advance of ski season, also includes large billboards and some print advertising.
Destination BC also relies on work with travel media to help sell the province as a tourist destination, including National Geographic’s recent decision to put Haida Gwaii (commonly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands on the north coast of B.C.) on its Best Trips 2015 list.
