Study suggests Branson establish new brand

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Officials aim to change perceptions, reach new markets|ret||ret||tab|

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by Jill Henry|ret||ret||tab|

SBJ Reporter|ret||ret||tab|

jhenry@sbj.net|ret||ret||tab|

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Branson is seeking a new brand.|ret||ret||tab|

A study conducted by The Sterling Group for the marketing advisory council of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau recommended the creation of a brand and marketing campaign designed to change the perceptions of a targeted segment of people who don't visit the city while reinforcing the attitudes of current visitors.|ret||ret||tab|

"We'd known for some time that our position in the marketplace is changing," said Ross Summers, Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce president. "The way that people make their selections on where they travel is changing, so it was time for us to take that leap and hire some outside help. They've really done a great job for us."|ret||ret||tab|

Summers said that the city of Branson paid The Sterling Group $135,000 from tourism tax contingency funds to conduct the survey.|ret||ret||tab|

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The study|ret||ret||tab|

Research conducted over a ve-month period revealed a group of people who resemble Branson's current loyal customers in things such as lifestyle and demographics, according to Austin McGhie, president of The Sterling Group's San Francisco ofce and head of the company's strategy groups in San Francisco, New York and London. "But they are under the misguided perception that they know what Branson offers and that it's just not for them," McGhie said in a city of Branson news release.|ret||ret||tab|

According to Summers, Branson ofcials have been ghting for years the perception "that Branson is nothing but country music and trafc and motor coaches."|ret||ret||tab|

When test groups of resisters actually visited Branson, McGhie said they were pleasantly surprised by their experiences, and became self-professed ambassadors and enthusiastic advocates for Branson.|ret||ret||tab|

Branson brand|ret||ret||tab|

"A lot of people think a brand is your tag line or a jingle on the radio. It's not that," Summers said. "Your brand is what people believe you to be, rightly or wrongly. We're going to be crafting a message that will t the needs as we see it to change those perceptions."|ret||ret||tab|

McGhie said that the Branson brand should reect the character, personality and values of the Branson community.|ret||ret||tab|

"It's a very safe, patriotic, clean community that doesn't mind waving the ag, and not just on the fourth of July," Summers added. "It's someplace where grandparents can bring their grandkids and not be afraid of what they're going to see on the stage or on the streets. We do have such a variety of things to do, and not just in the shows. We've got great golf courses, we've got the beautiful lakes for shing and swimming and boating."|ret||ret||tab|

Summers said that the study revealed the importance of knowing the people who come to Branson and keep coming back. "It's those people who look like our customer but never come here those are the people that we are going to have to focus our marketing energies on," he said.|ret||ret||tab|

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The plan|ret||ret||tab|

Branson ofcials plan to name an advertising rm to the branding campaign by the end of November, Summers said, adding that the timeframe will be pretty tight. Ads for the 2005 marketing campaign must be ready to go out in February or March.|ret||ret||tab|

Branson's 2005 marketing budget is slightly over $4 million, Summers said, with about $3 million earmarked for direct marketing such as television, radio and print advertising.|ret||ret||tab|

Slogans or tag lines have not yet been discussed. "Those types of things will come out of the creative process in the ultimate message," Summers said. |ret||ret||tab|

"The brand doesn't belong with us. It belongs inside the minds of our customers. It's our objective to present them with information that will change that perception and hopefully choose Branson for their destination for their vacations," Summers said.|ret||ret||tab|

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