Incredible India! Where is a game plan?

The Incredible India campaign did make some noise during the last decade and a half. It captured the attention of many around the world but did not get translated into numbers. The brand conversion was only meek.

The numbers are easily understood. Here they are. Incredible India campaign was launched in 2002-03. Foreign Tourism Arrival (FTA) in 2002-03 was around 2.3 million. Australia had almost double tourist arrival at 4.6 million. In 2002 Indonesia and Japan each had about 5.0 million visitors. Results of this campaign were visible some 6-7 years later. In 2009 India received around 5.1 million visitors whereas Australia could attract only 5.5 million visitors in that year. However, by this time tourist arrival in Indonesia had increased to 6.3 million while Japan received 6.8 million visitors. In another 6 years, that is, in 2015 FTA to India touched 8 million. This year Indonesia received around 10 million visitors while Japan received 19 million visitors. Australia slipped a bit with 7.4 million visitors. The growth of tourism in Vietnam has been interesting as well. While they received 3.8 million visitors in 2009, in 2015, they received 8 million visitors- almost same as us. A simple analysis of the numbers suggests that while this campaign was successful in its initial years, it has lost its sheen lately. An evaluation is imminent. As the country readies for XIII plan period, the question is, do we have a plan for tourism to match the competition in the region?

What will bring tourists to India? What do they think Incredible India is all about? What comes to mind when the word ‘India’ is spoken? For many visitors to India that I have come across, almost everyone has a different idea about what makes India really ‘incredible’. For them, it is same as ‘wonderful’, ‘amazing’, ‘uniquely’, ‘amazingly’, or ‘refreshing’. All mean the same and for various reasons. As a trainer, I have also had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of service providers, especially tourist guides who accompany the tourists and who deliver the ‘Incredible India’ promise to thousands of them. I have often asked them what makes India incredible. Interestingly, each one of them has a different idea. When service providers are not unanimous about what is incredible about India how do we expect visitors to understand the concept of Incredible India. Every service provider that visitors come across conveys a different idea of India. How do the visitors know what they are actually buying? For some it is culture; for others, it is about history, beaches, yoga, Ayurveda, wildlife, nature and what not.

All this time, we have taken pride in promoting India as a different multifaceted destination. But what exactly are we selling- heritage, culture, mountains, beaches, yoga or what? Collective promotion of all the features deprives every feature of its due glaze, making it look much insignificant and less attractive than actually what it is. The target audience comes to know about all the features present at this destination but fails to notice the speciality of any of them. 

For many service providers, India is incredible because of its cultural diversity. Have a look. In 2011 Indonesia unveiled the new brand ‘Wonderful Indonesia’. Indonesia is ‘wonderful’ because of its diversity spread over its 17000 islands. Thailand is ‘Amazing Thailand’ because its diversity and myriad of products will amaze the visitors. Malaysia has been for a long time ‘Truly Asia’ as it presents entire Asian diversity in one place. A part of ‘Uniquely Singapore’ brand is about the cosmopolitan culture of the city. So which one is the true Asian diversity. For distant visitors, they fail to comprehend this diversity.

Branding the destination!

Taglines create curiosity. Curious visitors attempt to decipher the slogan and make sense of the destination. Unfortunately, they end up being confused... no clear image is emerging out of the promotional efforts. They all continue to offer the same tired clichés- culture, nature, beaches, and shopping, nightlife… they have it all! However, to most consumers today these elements are common commodities of the region- obvious and expected.

Taglines and slogans are ‘teasers’; promotional campaigns are ‘trailers’ of the ‘film’ that a tourist would see (experience) at a destination. In fact, a destination strategy is often in the reverse sequence. A unique, differentiated experience is sold to the visitors. Visitors must have a reason to buy the ‘idea’ of the destination. Visitors should be convinced that they are buying an experience which is distinct, at least in their perception. The image of the expected experience in their mind should be evident and that they should believe that only the chosen destination can offer what they are buying. This is a destination’s personality.

Therefore, a more important question is who the audience for our tourism products is? Different segments seek different products. What to destinations of similar magnitude- USA and China- do? They underplay a national brand and allow regional brands to do the speaking. Regional or local brands tend to be customised and focused on specific segments. It will be foolish to sell snow of Kashmir to Swiss, or jungles and sanctuaries of Madhya Pradesh to Africans or beaches of Goa to Mauritians and Caribbean. But yes, beaches of Goa do attract Swedes and Russians, Germans and Swiss like the desert of Rajasthan while Malaysians and Singaporeans have shown interest in the snow in Kashmir. Buddhist circuits have always attracted Koreans and Chinese.

So in simple terms, it all starts with understanding who are the buyers, what do they want to buy and what do we want to sell to them. Next, we need to convince them that only this destination, as compared to others, has the product (experience) that they are looking forward to. This is encapsulated by branding the destination. For those who are interested in unspoilt nature, New Zealand offers “New Zealand 100% Pure”. For those interested in nature Maldives has recently rebranded itself as “Maldives- Always Natural”. While slogans capture their attention promotions present the evidence of the promise. Thus, all three- destination experience, its glimpse (promotion) and teaser (slogan) should convey the concept of a destination (personality).

As is often in a fiercely competitive market, South Asian and South East Asian destinations tend to offer ‘me too products’ – all trying to sell cultural diversity along with nature including wildlife and beaches. Myanmar is ‘mystical’ while Bangladesh is ‘Beautiful’; Laos is ‘Simply Beautiful’. Cambodia is ‘Kingdom of Wonders’ while Sri Lanka is ‘Wonder of Asia’. A visitor stands confused- who is selling what and how is one’s offer different from other.

Slogans in the 80s and 90s were largely one-word descriptors. They tend to describe what a destination or the experience would be like. While the intention of descriptors is to capture the essence of the destination in some cases they tried to capture the spirit of experience that is offered. Branding is not about ‘attention catching’ slogans; it is about executing the idea of a destination- what a destination stands for. Most competitors are reinventing their brands from being passive to being active brands that empower tourists. Today there is a definite shift in sloganeering. From announcing ‘what is being offered’, slogans today tend to empower visitors in terms of ‘what they can do?’

Destination branding is about creating an image in the minds of tourists- present and potential. Today when a tourist seeks a holiday, there are a number of competing destinations which would be offering similar ‘me too’ products. But as Jack Trout once said, “it is not a battle of products and services, but rather, a battle of perceptions in the customer’s mind”. Thus,  the image created and offered by a destination needs to be clear as against being blurred with the bearer not clear (read sure) what exactly is the destination offering. The whole exercise of strategy formulation and delivery is about painting a clear picture (as against a dull and blurred picture). All animate and inanimate elements at a destination must convey a meaning that converges with a destination’s personality. More the convergence sharper and clearer the image is.

Rajasthan Vs. Madhya Pradesh- a case study

In intensely competitive destination market ‘image’ cannot be left to be created by chance; it has to be consciously designed and delivered. It depends on how you create a distinct and differentiated image in the minds of the targeted audience. Competitiveness until recently was about a quality product delivered with efficiency. Today, it is perceived differentiation delivered with finesse and operational effectiveness. Once a senior executive from Madhya Pradesh asked why historical forts at Gwalior and Mandu (both in the state of Madhya Pradesh) are not as popular as smaller forts, castles, and palaces in Rajasthan? An engrossed tourist associates Rajasthan with a destination that offers forts and palaces as it successfully creates an image of medieval feudal Rajput kingdoms and society as against Madhya Pradesh that is known for its natural assets. Image of the royalty of Rajasthan is distinctively different from naturally endowed Madhya Pradesh. The first glimpse of Rajasthan tourism website shows its majestic forts, palaces, Place on Wheels and Royal Rajasthan (both trains) and heritage hotels among others. Madhya Pradesh tourism website shows nature as the dominant first image with caption ‘Unhurried. Unspoilt. Undiscovered.’ Consciously and sub-consciously, Rajasthan is portraying an image of royalty, and they are successfully endorsing it with most of their offers. ‘Colourful Rajasthan’ augments this image. Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) uses a royal scroll as a logo, whereas Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) uses a lion in its logo perhaps depicting wildlife and nature.

The moment tourists land in Rajasthan, they come across locals adorning traditional gears. Most of the guides and service providers display traditional mannerism which is reminiscent of Royal Rajasthan. In Madhya Pradesh, most of the talk revolves around Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench and Panna (the national parks). Add to this Khajuraho, Bhimbetka and a few places of spiritual importance- Amarkantak, Chitrakoot, Maheshwar, Omkareshwar, etc. Interestingly, Madhya Pradesh resounds ‘Heart of Incredible India’ while Rajasthan echoes ‘Incredible State of India’- both trying to draw some mileage from brand ‘Incredible India’.

How do we create a powerful destination brand?

A powerful destination brand is one that reverberates with targeted customers and has a buy-in by internal publics- the different stakeholders. Building a powerful brand requires four basic things.

The first and foremost is to find a Unique Emotional Proposition (UEP) that resonates well with potential tourist as an emotional trigger. Such a trigger has to be the core strength of the destination. This strength should be such that the destination has credentials to deliver and can work harder to exceed the customers’ expectation. Such proposition must also be defendable from the competition. Better, if the competitor does not and cannot offer this (UEP) to the targeted customers. What is India’s UEP?

The next important thing is to ensure that the brand is delivered consistently over time. This means that the differentiated image has to be created and reinforced every time through communication. Further, there has to be continuity in this image over the time. This means destination (managers) make a promise to deliver UEP. The creative power of promotion should bring this to life. Alternate media and channels must be used to create the image.

The third important thing is to live the image. It implies that all stakeholders at every point of time during the visit should ensure that a visitor’s actual experience supports the image that is created, making the brand believable and relevant.

For above to happen, the fourth important thing is that the (host) community should buy the emotional proposition enshrined in the brand. All stakeholders at the destination must have unflinching faith in the intrinsic values that the brand portrays. The community is the key contributor to a visitor’s experience. The context of the community sets the premise for the experience. The way members of a community conduct self, have a lasting impact on a tourist. Members of the community are therefore the best and most dominant brand champions. A good brand strategy, therefore, envisions internally advocating the brand. Destination managers should, therefore, devise practical ways of instilling the brand values within the community. By the same arguments, values that are unnaturally put together as a brand value and that are not shared by the community as a whole contradict the natural ways of living and tend to blur the image. For example, RTDC slogan “Padhro mahre desh” is truly representative of the Rajasthani hospitality and humility with which members of society are willing to accept the guest. So also, was the controversial Australian tourism slogan “Where the bloody hell are you?” that reflected the Aussie aggression, though presented as humour.

The destination brand strategy

The strategy is not about identifying a few activities and allocating budget to them. Fundamental to a strategy is the coherence between the various activities and consistency between these activities and the personality of the brand.  The activities should converge to the values enshrined in the brand. The question that needs to be asked is whether there is some internal coherence between the activities that we have allocated budget, and whether spending money on these activities reinforces the image that we want to create for the destination. For example, do we want to promote rural tourism as a national scheme because it has potential? Or does that fit into the image of India as a destination? If the answer to this second question is yes- ho ahead; if the answer is no- stop at once. A second-tier decision will be to determine if rural tourism suits the image of all the states alike? So where is the strategy in case of Indian tourism?

A destination brand strategy should address six tests. 1) Differentiate. The destination brand should create differentiation. The logo, the slogans and the promotion should create an image of the destination, different from that of the competitors. 2) Personality. Brand should not only be catchy and loud it should powerfully convey destination personality. Brand should be able to paint a near real picture of the destination. Success lies in capturing the essence of the destination personality in few key punch words. 3) Deliverable. The brand promise should be deliverable. Two important factors contribute to the successful delivery of the brand- one, the necessary and right kind (in sync with destination image) of infrastructure should be in place; and two, the service providers should be competent and must demonstrate destination values and ethos. 4) Credibility. The brand dynamics is a two-step process. First, brand makes the promise. Subsequently, the promise must be delivered. If delivered, the brand is reinforced; else it is diluted, and the image that brand tries to create gets blurred. A brand strategy is not only about what all should be done to strengthen the brand; it is also about a conscious decision what not to be done in spite of many temptations for quick gains. 5) Buy-in. All stakeholders including the community and the service providers must buy the ideas enshrined in the brand. They should feel enthusiastic about the brand and must demonstrate commitment. 6) Resonate. The brand should resonate with the customers. They must believe that this destination offers the best value for the money. That this destination meets the expectation for the kind of holiday, they were looking forward to.

What can we do in the case of India?

The six checkpoints above can be applied to brand Incredible India. Does the brand meet the above six criteria for all targeted customer segments? The answer is negative. Can we, or should we expect single brand trait to explain and represent an entire offer that India has to make. The challenge is not unique to India. Bigger destinations like China, USA, Russia, Canada, and Australia with diversity have not gone full steam for national brands. Whereas, in India over the years, we have expanded effort to create a powerful national brand “Incredible India” like New Zealand, Malaysia or Thailand.

With different states of India discovering the potential within and rightfully making efforts to project their homogenised uniqueness, it is the time that we reconsider destination branding options before us. States have legitimate aspirations to present self differently as ‘Incredible India’ does not sufficiently explain the diversity of different states and regions. It appears as a generic comment explaining all the variety and miscellany that we have. Fundamentally, three options are available. The first option is to have a master brand and its sub-brands that connect to the master brand. Rajasthan with “Incredible state of India” and Madhya Pradesh with “Heart of Incredible India” are attempts in this direction.

The second option is to have endorsed brand. Allow freedom to stakeholders to endorse the brand. “Incredible Tiffin” endorses the “incredible” of the brand. Brand managers may issue standards and guidelines for using the brand. For example, Brisbane in Australia has detailed instructions for using the brand for conventions, investments, experience, marketing, business, meetings, downtown, etc. Private players all over India do endorse the brand. This is rather unorganised and chaotic.   

The third option is to make a move to have a house of brands like Australia, Canada or China. While “Incredible India” can continue as an umbrella brand, we must allow more space to states and/or regions to brand themselves. They may operate as a sub-brand or more or less an independent brand that may choose to endorse the mother brand. The rather independent regional brands may closely reflect the destination’s core values. This will also allow them to target specific segments with appeals that resonate and deliver the same with more finesse.

The bottom line is ‘supply tourists a reason to buy’.