100% pure New Zealand : Destination branding campaign : Marketing New Zealand to the world

Abstract

This case is about a marketing campaign started by Tourism New Zealand in 1999 and how New Zealand built up a global reputation as a destination brand through this campaign. The case revolves around the '100% Pure New Zealand' campaign and the different marketing initiatives used by the country for tourism promotion. The branding campaign along with the channel development strategy adopted by Tourism New Zealand helped New Zealand to maintain a uniform positioning for the country among the world travelers. The theme of the campaign was to invite people to visit New Zealand and enjoy the diverse range of experiences available there. Industry experts appreciated the campaign as an excellent example of brand strategy and destination branding. However, Tourism New Zealand was later criticized for the 'pure' claim that it made as it ranked low on climate change performance. It was also criticized by independent agencies for not informing travellers about the potential health hazards present in the country. Faced with increased criticism from various quarters, Tourism New Zealand found it had to take measures to overcome these challenges and further leverage its destination brand. This case will help students to: (1) Understand the importance of branding a place to successfully promote it as a tourist destination; (2) Understand the marketing strategies adopted by Tourism New Zealand to successfully create a brand for promoting itself as a tourist destination; (3) Understand how a tourist destination can identify its unique selling propositions and positioning for marketing itself to global customers (tourists); (4) Discuss and debate the issues and challenges associated with New Zealand's destination branding campaign. This case is meant for MBA / MS students as part of a brand management / tourism marketing / marketing communication / green marketing curriculum. The teaching note includes the abstract, teaching objectives and methodology, assignment questions, feedback of the case discussion, and additional readings and references. The teaching note does not contain an analysis of the case