Transcript (pptx, 6.62 MB) - City of Ekurhuleni Tourism Conference

Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
Strategic Destination Marketing
AEROTROPOLIS AS THE HOOK
EMM has adopted
Aerotropolis status
with planned
development of
tourism
infrastructure.
TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
• Conferencing and Dining
District
• Super Regional Outlet Mall
• International Conference
Centre
• Underground Mining Museum
• Medical City Africa
• Sports City
TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
• Developing and organising Tourism Assets
• Tourist routes and facilities in previously disadvantaged areas
• Development and marketing of the wetland areas (i.e. Marievale
Nature Reserve/Bird Sanctuary)
• Promotion of tourist routes (i.e. retail, arts/crafts, music and
mining)
• Development of a gateway information centre at the OR Tambo
Airport
EXISTING TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE
• Natural Attractions: Marievale Bird
Sanctuary, Suikerbosrand Nature
Reserve, Germiston Lake,
Blesbokspruit Nature Reserve.
• Heritage and History: Art Deco
Architecture, Thokoza Wall of
Remembrance, OR Tambo Grave Site
and Narrative Centre, Aviation
Museum of South Africa.
EXISTING TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE
• Entertainment: Carnival City
Big Top Arena, Wild Waters,
Theatre of Marcellus at
Emperors Palace.
• Markets: Flora Farm, Collectors
Fair, Glass art at the Crucible.
• Golf Courses: Glendower Golf
Club, Royal Oak Country Club,
Serengeti, Ebotse.
OR TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AS A HUB
Need to leverage global air
connectivity of OR Tambo
International – Largest Airport
in Africa and over 9m
passengers per year.
EKURHULENI STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK ON THE BRAND
• Market Ekurhuleni as
stop-over destination
• Market Ekurhuleni at
the airport
• Promote heritage
infrastructure and easy
access
• Support local leisure
events, festivals, etc.
• Target African source
markets
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
• Iconic tourist hub – OR Tambo International
• Location as stopover hub
• Existing events, e.g. golf, H20
• Strong conferencing, entertainment and shopping
assets
Weaknesses
• Limited budget, skills and resources for digital
marketing
• Comms centralized in marketing and communications –
tourist audience is different
• No recognisable tourism brand or marketing strategy
• Slow turn around for information and decision making
limits partnerships
Opportunities
• Educating trade to partner with DMO on well-defined
shared strategy
• Leverage work being done by established private
operators
• Strong domestic tourism market
• Leverage stop-over hub location
Threats
• Competition in online space from more experienced
competitor DMOs
• Limited developed and organised commercial tourism
product
• Safety concerns in certain tourism areas
• Perception of EMM as the ‘ugly sister’ of Gauteng
CURRENT MARKETING CHALLENGES
• No tourism marketing strategy and tourism brand = limited digital marketing
activities.
• Tourism marketing in general done in an ad hoc, unintegrated manner with no
strategic goals.
• Current digital marketing by EMM marketing and Comms division and focuses
on corporate communications across all digital platforms – limited tourism
content.
• EMM Tourism website is a tourism product listing no dynamic destination
content, social media, user-generated content, trade portal or best-practice
DMO tools like maps, itineraries and an events calendar.
• Existing site cannot act as the focal point to which other online marketing
initiatives are directed, nor is it updated consistently.
• Digital marketing skills and capacity to implement digital marketing limited
TOURIST MARKET SEGMENTS
• Business, conferencing
and meetings
• Eco-tourists
• Heritage and culture
• Entertainment, including
shopping
• Sports
• Medical
EKURHULENI DESTINATION MARKETING OBJECTIVES
• EMM’s main tourism market advantage is its location as a central and highly
accessible Gauteng destination.
• Central positioning theme should be travel convenience. The most convenient hub
for entering, enjoying, exploring and doing business in Gauteng:
• Ekurhuleni as a base in Gauteng – ‘At the heart of Gauteng’
• Ekurhuleni as a stopover destination – ‘En route to South Africa’
• Ekurhuleni as a business, events destination – ‘Meet in Ekurhuleni’
• Ekurhuleni as a special-interest destination – Medical, Shopping, Heritage,
Birding, Mining, Sports – ‘Enjoy Ekurhuleni
ROLE OF DMO IN DESTINATION MARKETING
Today’s DMOs are in the inspiration business and
their priorities need to be on meeting the traveller’s
needs in the right place with the right content
at the right time.
ROLE OF DMO IN DESTINATION MARKETING
Unlike with traditional DMO marketing, the new
traveller expects a complete, an integrated marketing
experience, including earned media, web, PR, trade,
traditional and online marketing.
ONLINE STRATEGIC DIRECTION
• DMOs must integrate their online and
offline marketing activities for digitalsavvy consumers.
• Smart Consumers use online travel
information to make travel decisions
and expect to get information while
travelling.
• DMOs must engage on the platforms
that their target travel markets are
using instead of trying to convince the
traveller to come to it.
INTEGRATED MEDIA APPROACH
The DMO’s role is
not to facilitate and
leverage the
conversations of
travellers, not to
control them or the
conversations
COMPONENTS OF AN INTEGRATED DMO MARKETING STRATEGY
Website: Reflect the brand’s
visual identity. Include bestpractice functionality and
dynamic visual and written
content that inspires and
engages. Website is the focus
to which all marketing
activities [PR, email
marketing and social media]
should be directed.
COMPONENTS OF AN INTEGRATED DMO MARKETING STRATEGY
Content: Online marketing
is about the marketing of
content, i.e. Getting the
right content in front of the
right person at the right
time on the right device at
the right point in their
decision-making process to
drive the right action.
COMPONENTS OF AN INTEGRATED DMO MARKETING STRATEGY
Online Marketing Platforms:
Online marketing tools that
EMM should leverage include
a blog, social media, Google
marketing, SEO, eNewsletters,
mobile.
COMPONENTS OF AN INTEGRATED DMO MARKETING STRATEGY
Database: Permission-based
email marketing is the most
relevant and effective
channel through which to
foster relationships with
visitors.
COMPONENTS OF AN INTEGRATED DMO MARKETING STRATEGY
B2B Functionality: Key trade
stakeholders are guided on
how to use the brand in their
own digital marketing
initiatives and customer
interactions.
Online JV: Joint marketing
arrangements with key
trade partners.
COMPONENTS OF AN INTEGRATED DMO MARKETING STRATEGY
Media Plan: DMOs are
employing influential
travel bloggers and
media personalities to
recommend destination
to their networks.
COMPONENTS OF AN INTEGRATED DMO MARKETING STRATEGY
Social Media:
YouTube, Twitter,
Facebook,
Instagram, Google+,
FlickR.
STEPS TO CREATING DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY FOR
EKURHULENI
• Formulating your message: What do I want to tell my source
markets? I.E. Ekurhuleni, the travellers’ hub of Gauteng
• Choosing the right platform: Which digital platforms are my source
markets using?
• How will I engage with your target market: Create a content
calendar that shows your marketing efforts across the channels you
have identified and be consistent in its application
• What goals am I hoping to achieve: Assess your digital marketing
goals, e.g. engagement, and measure them regularly, tweaking your
activities to achieve success
ONLINE MARKETING OBJECTIVES FOR EKURHULENI
• RAISE awareness of and demand
for Ekurhuleni.
• GROW Ekurhuleni’s online
community in target markets.
• INCREASE the dissemination of
accurate, inspiring and engaging
content.
• PROVIDE stakeholders with a
collective online marketing
channel.
ONLINE MARKETING OBJECTIVES FOR EKURHULENI
• UNITE trade partners in one
integrated, focused online
marketing effort.
• PROMOTE aspects of the
destination cost-effectively.
OFFER a reputable portal for
current and potential visitors to
explore Ekurhuleni.
• REACH online travel markets
normally not reachable through
traditional marketing.