Michigan State University Extension
Tourism Educational Materials - 33710088
06/06/02
CREATING A PROMOTIONAL THEME
Source: Michigan State University
Authors: McDonough, Maureen; Ackert, Gary
ID: E1957
Year: 1986
People in the tourism industry agree that a critical
activity to any tourism business is promotion. Yet,
promotional strategies are often begun without working
through the very important first step: product
identification. This simply means deciding what you are
trying to sell. This bulletin presents a process for
identifying your product or, put a better way, for
developing a promotional theme.
Image vs. Identity
The first step in theme development is to understand
the difference between image and identity. Your
community or business image is based on who people
think you are. People often form images of places they
have never been and things they have never seen. These
images may or may not be based on reality or facts.
They are influenced by many things, including facts,
education, mass media, other people's attitudes and
opinions, and their own past experiences, prejudices,
and beliefs. Thus people's image of a community or
business may be distorted, inaccurate, or disagree with
the community or business image you want. However, you
can manage your image through the messages you project
to the public.
Before any promotion, you must establish an identity.
Identity is based on characteristics that make you what
you are, and should equal your image in the minds of
the public. The main purpose of promotion is to make
sure that your identity and your public image match.
There are many things that make up identity. When
promoting a business, identity includes:
location
type of business
size of business
types of services/products
prices
climate
hours of operation
promotional activities
number of employees
number/types of customers
appearance of your facility
community characteristics
If promoting a community, identity includes:
location
types of businesses
in your community
lodging facilities
dining facilities
community appearance
recreation activities
unique features
unique historical events
community hospitality
Figuring Out Who You Are
The previous list identifies some of the things that make
up identity. Every community or business has something
that is characteristic or unique that may not be listed
here. Review these lists, identify the characteristics of
your community or business and list them. Go back and add
to the list anything that makes your community or business
unique. Once the list is completed, take time to look it
over. Make sure to include both negative and positive
characteristics. Completeness is important because this
list is a picture of your identity.
Your Product
Once identity is established, it is time to decide what
you want to promote. It is impossible to promote
effectively every characteristic of your identity. Select
which characteristics you want to promote. The
characteristics now become the product you are going to
market to potential consumers (See Extension bulletin
E-1959 for more information).
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33700082.html
There are three things to consider when choosing which
characteristics to promote:
1) Your target audience's needs and desires
2) Uniqueness and Positioning
3) Honesty and Reality of Your Promotion
People buy or use something because it satisfies a need
or desire for them. You need to choose those
characteristics of the community or business that will
show your target audience that you can satisfy their
needs or desires.
When choosing characteristics to help you meet the needs
or desires of your target audience, choose those that are
unique to your community or business. Every community or
business has something that makes it different from the
rest. By using traits that are unique you can distinctly
"position" your community or business in people's minds.
Even though you are promoting your community or business,
be honest and realistic in how you promote. Do not mislead
people. Your community or business must be able to live up
to your promotion or people will not visit again. For
example, Community A wants to promote itself as a tourist
destination. They have compiled a list of the
characteristics that makes up their identity. From that
list, they have chosen three:
1) a large selection of specialty shops;
2) these shops are conveniently open for tourists, and
3) community is conveniently located on a major state
highway.
These characteristics now make up the "product" that
Community A will promote to consumers.
Your Theme
To promote a product effectively, you need to decide on a
theme for your promotional strategy. Don't consider a
theme as a gimmick to get people to buy something or as a
slogan to attract attention. A theme is the main idea you
want people to have about your community. Your product
becomes the basis for your theme. Each characteristic or
part of your product should be reflected in the theme.
Let's consider Community A. There were three things that
they wanted to promote:
1) The large selection of specialty shops
2) The location along a main state highway
3) The convenient hours for travelers.
A possible theme for this community would be:
"Community A is conveniently located on M-59 and has the
largest selection of antique specialty shops in the area
conveniently open seven days a week."
Advantages of Themes
The most important function of a theme is to tie all the
parts of the promotional strategy together (see Extension
bulletin E-1939 for more information).
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33710086.html
A promotional strategy or plan is similar to a novel or
play. A novel or play has many parts, or subplots, which
work together to tell a story, as does a promotional
strategy. Like novels and plays, your promotional strategy
needs a theme to tie all the parts together and to be the
underlying message. Having a theme also provides the
following advantages:
1) A theme provides guidelines for developing your
message. Everything in your message relates to the
theme.
2) The theme helps limit the amount of information put
into the message. This makes the messages easier to
understand.
3) Having a community theme helps bring a community
closer together. This provides people with a common
identity and pride.
4) Themes can be used to "position" you in people's
minds. Positioning means that when people think of
something a community has to offer, they think of
your community.
Potential Problems with Theme Development
When people start to develop themes, there are three
problems that usually arise:
1) "The Theme Park Mentality"--
When people think of themes, they often think of theme
parks. Theme parks have different areas with rides that
are designated by a theme. These themes are artificial at
best. Topics or ideas are chosen for the different areas
in the park and the rides are then centered around these
topics, making them themes. This is completely opposite
from how a promotional theme is developed. A promotional
theme is based on your identity and centered around the
product using the needs and desires of your target market.
Your identity is the basis for your theme and your product
the focal point of it. Make your theme fit your product,
not your product to fit your theme.
2) Uniqueness vs. the "Same Old Stuff"---
People often develop a theme for their community or
business, without looking to see if someone else has the
same or a similar theme. The key to effective theme
development is to be unique. This is not as difficult as
it may seem because each community or business has
something that is different from those around it.
What is unique about your community? What makes it
different from the surrounding ones? Why should people
come and visit your community or buy your goods or
services? Good theme development involves identifying
this uniqueness because people remember promotional themes
that are different and appealing.
3) Theme vs. Slogan---
Many people equate slogans with themes. They are not the
same! A theme underlies your entire promotional strategy.
A slogan is a promotional tool to use to promote your
theme. Slogans are statements that communicate different
aspects of your theme.
The following list gives some examples of themes and
slogans:
Topic:
State of Louisiana
Theme:
The state where dreams can be fulfilled.
Slogan:
"The Dream State"
Topic:
State of Montana
Theme:
Montana is a state full of untapped natural resources.
Slogan:
"The Natural Place To Be"
Topic:
Seven-up soft drink
Theme:
Seven-up is not a cola.
Slogan:
"The Uncola"
Topic:
State of Michigan
Theme:
Take Your Vacation Here in Michigan.
Slogan:
"Yes, Michigan!"
Think again about Community A. Their theme was "Community
A is conveniently located on M-59 and has the largest
selection of antique specialty shops in the area
conveniently open seven days a week." Possible slogans are
"The past comes to life at Community A" or "Shop the past
without leaving the present."
Who Decides?
Deciding who determines what a community or business
promotional theme will be is very important. Two important
considerations often overlooked are community and employee
participation. Community participation is crucial for two
reasons. First, your community as a whole projects your
identity. To be effective, the majority need to be in
agreement. Second, everyone and everything a visitor has
contact with communicates and promotes something about
your community. Therefore, you need to have a cohesiveness
within the community to promote it effectively.
How can you get the community involved in theme
development? This can be done by holding special meetings
or forums to get input from the community, running
contests in local newspapers, or having contests in local
schools. This list is not exhaustive. If these will not
work for you, develop your own ideas.
In developing a theme for a business, employee involvement
is crucial because anything employees say or do that
concerns your business communicates something about your
business to people. Employees are also in a unique
position to be a source of informal, word-of-mouth
promotion that influences people. Use a business theme to
build employee pride in the business.
Ways to involve employees in the decision process are
very similar to those for getting a community involved.
Things such as contests, surveys, and calling employee
meetings are good ways to get employee involvement. Again,
this list is not exhaustive. If these ideas will not work
for you, come up with your own.
Tourism Information Series
The Tourism Information Series is for those interested in
tourism development. To obtain the series, contact Your
county Extension office. Look in the white pages under
County Government.
1. E-1937, Tourism and Its Significance in Local
Development
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33520059.html
2. E-2004, Tourism Planning
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33000005.html
3. E-1958, Developing A Tourism Organization
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33520069.html
4. E-1959, Tourism Marketing
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33700082.html
5. E-1992, Feasibility Analysis in Tourism
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33119709.html
6. E-1939, Developing A Promotional Strategy
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33710086.html
7. E-1957, Creating A Promotional Theme
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33710088.html
8. E-1940, Information and Traveler Decision Making
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33710085.html
9. E-1938, Managing Tourism Information Systems
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33109703.html
10.E-2005, Selecting Promotional Media
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33710093.html
11.E-1999, Pricing Tourism Products and Services
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33740097.html
12.E-1960, Direct Marketing of Agricultural Products
to Tourists
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33839811.html
Series Editor. Maureen H. McDonough, Associate
Professor, Department of Park and Recreation Resources.
This information is for educational purposes only. References
to commercial products or trade names does not imply
endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not
mentioned. This information becomes public property upon
publication and may be printed verbatim with credit to MSU
Extension. Reprinting cannot be used to endorse or advertise
a commercial product or company.
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