LOGO

Ever since the crash of 2008 countries have increasingly been looking at tourism in order to stimulate economic growth. But getting a bigger piece of the “travellers’ pie” can be tricky.

Spain and Iceland are among those that have gone to considerable lengths to market their countries as a dream destination for tourists. The marketing and branding strategies are quite different, but both none the less represent an interesting approach in raising the profile of a country as a tourist destination.

Inspired by Iceland

www.inspiredbyiceland.com

Inspired by Iceland is an on-going campaign went live in 2010 after the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull a.k.a. Bob. Icelandic travel agencies feared that the eruption would have a negative impact on tourism so it was decided to launch an advertising campaign to remedy the bad perception the world had on Iceland. I’m not sure that Bob had such a bad influence on tourism because lots of people were affected by the eruption and for a few weeks Iceland was one of the most talked about country in the world. The campaign is said to be a success because there were no drop in tourism in 2010.

Inspired by Iceland Video from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.

Since then another volcano erupted. I wonder how that will effect tourism in 2011. My prediction is that it will have no effect. And how cool is it that a volcano will erupt at the exact same time as you are visiting! That’s a story you can’t put a price on.

I like the jolly vibe of the video. It shows Icelanders dancing to Emiliana Torrini’s Jungle drum. It was supposed to help the campaign to become viral. The video has over 2 million views on Youtube and Vimeo so from that perspective it was a success. But how many individuals does a campaign need to reach to be considered a viral success?

I need Spain

www.spain.info

I first noticed the campaign when ads started to run during prime time on Icelandic television. This is not the first time Spain tries to lure travellers to their country. In 2009 the Canary Islands launched an interesting campaign I wrote about previously (see: Unorthodox marketing! The Canary Islands invade Reykjavik).

What I like about the Spanish campaign is that it main focus is on the traveller and all the things he can experience if he decides to visit. I think that is a good way to promote the country because the viewers can easily relate to the subject.

Of the two campaigns I think that the Icelandic campaign has superior online presence and is more interesting to watch and more accessible through the internet. The Spanish campaign messaging is clear and more direct, probably because the ads were made for television. I wonder if they use a Brand Asset Management system (www.brandregard.com) to manage those campaigns.

 

 

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