TOURISM MARKETING AND THE INCREASING SIGNIFICANCE OF AUTHENTICITY A study conducted quite recently by the leading German market researcher marketagent.com attempted to find out how effective pictures prove to be when it comes to tourism online marketing ads. To say the least, the results were quite surprising. What the research company found is that, although pictures do matter to a great extent and make a difference when it comes to attracting tourists, clichĂŠ photos that contain sceneries and landscapes often do not work very well. What work, instead, are images that speak compelling stories visually. Differentiating offerings is important Examining the utilization of promotional pictures to promote alpine skiing spots located in Austria and Germany, the study found that the majority of promoters relied on interchangeable tourism marketing themes and photos to gain best results. Among the brands promoting the 68 destinations examined, about 60 percent showed such inclination. Advertising a destination by showcasing its best foot forward in every way, often with the help of photos of natural attractions, is a good idea. But, differentiating ads from competitors is utterly crucial, too. Storytelling can move the youth To carry out its study, marketagent.com created a number of different campaigns associated with a fictional alp destination. The researchers examined 2500 participants in total, and measured a large number of factors. The study found that, during the early stages, different types of campaigns did not produce very different results. However, it ascertained that images that describe a visual story can impact consumers for a better duration, assuring an effect that is longer lasting. It seems that using tourism industry images to tell a story can achieve market differentiation quite effortlessly. The strategy can present a particular destination under a unique light, especially to young affluent travelers and experience seekers. Opportunities for online tourism marketing To conclude, the study found that while most tourists look for an appealing natural destination in the alpine, they also look for something unique an exciting. That means if a travel brand wants to remain on top of its competition, it must differentiate its offerings by exhibiting its authentic flavors by telling stories with its tourism industry images.
Further, these days, digital media gives brands plenty of opportunities for developing something that is both visually exciting and authentically appealing. Not just that, tourism brands can enhance the impact of their ad campaigns even more by working with travel bloggers and utilizing effective content that is user generated.