Evaluating Slovenia's image as a tourism destination: A self-analysis process towards building a destination brand
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MAJA KONECNIK is an assistant in the Marketing Department of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana. Her interest lies in the area of tourism marketing, especially destination branding.
Abstract This paper points out the importance of evaluating the image of a destination. The importance of the role of identity in branding is discussed and the process of image evaluation as a self-analysis process leading towards building a strong destination brand is considered. Image evaluation is even more important for young countries like Slovenia. Slovenia’s general image — especially the perceptual/cognitive component — as seen by tourist experts, is evaluated. Possible image factors are presented and suggestions for marketing actions in line with new trends on the demand side are offered. The emphasis is on the active component, including the different types of activities offered to foreign tourists in the mountain areas and the participation of Slovenian people in living and sharing the destination brand.
INTRODUCTION
Maja Konecnik Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Kardeljeva ploscad 17, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Tel: ⫹386 1 5892 522/ ⫹386 1 5892 400 Fax: ⫹386 1 5892 698 E-mail: [email protected]
Branding appears to be one of the most important phenomena of the 20th century, although it began many decades ago.1 Brands have been considered to be the marketer’s key tool for creating product differentiation.2 Stemming from the literature on product3 to service branding,4 destination branding is one of the newest research areas.5 It is obvious that (re)branding processes have been occurring in many nations over the last few decades,6 whereas research studies on this topic are limited. Much work has, however, been done in the area of analysing the image of destinations.7 The main weaknesses of the previous studies stem from the fact that there have been no great
efforts to distinguish between the image and branding functions. Intentions to combine marketing literature, focusing mostly on the branding area, with tourism literature, focusing primarily on a destination’s image, are merely in their infancy.8 This recent work by Cai clearly highlights the difference between the image-formation process and its branding, as ‘image formation is not a branding, albeit the former constitutes the core of the latter. Image building is one step closer, but there still remains a critical missing link: the brand identity.’ Common misunderstandings and confusions in the terminology between brand identity and brand image9 should be explained. Brand gurus pointed to brand identity as a necessary concept in brand management.10 Kapferer11
䉷 HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 1479-1803 BRAND MANAGEMENT VOL. 11, NO. 4, 307–316 APRIL 2004
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stresses the importance of brand identity because, unlike brand image, it is created by the brand owner. Before projecting an image out to the public, the sender must know exactly what he or she wants to project. The importance of brand identity as a core concept in a
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