Mustard’s Richard Walker explains why destinations that win focus relentlessly on why they matter, not what they offer.
Working with destination marketing organisations on place marketing briefs is right up there with my favourite projects.
Why?
Well, that feels like the right place to start.
I’m a geographer by training. I love the outdoors. I love exploring. I love scenery. I love finding great places to eat and drink. I always try the local delicacy. I love getting close to local culture. I love local stories, and I love how proud and passionate people are about where they’re from. I even love experiencing local transport. Visiting new places is a highly charged, emotional experience for me. Often the highlight of any given year.
And yet, despite all the affection that Team Walker has for travel, we rarely go back to the same place twice. There’s simply too much to see and experience across our collection of islands, never mind the rest of the planet.
There’s an important tension attached to this personal oversharing. Because it underlines something fundamental about place marketing. Destinations are not competing against their nearest neighbour. They are competing against everywhere. And in that environment, leading with a checklist of assets (i.e. “the what”) is never going to be enough. Welcome to the game of who’s got the best “why”.
The checklist trap
Place marketing and the campaigns that go with them have a habit of defaulting to the obvious. The headline attractions. The list of things you can do once you get there. Pools, spas, walks, bars, views, shopping, culture, food, family-friendly, dog-friendly. Most destinations aren’t suffering from a lack of assets. They suffer from an excess of sameness.
When everyone leads with the “what”, any given category collapses into a more functional comparison mode. Take cruises – one has more onboard entertainment, one has a no-kids policy, one has more exotic itineraries, one ship’s newer and another one is bigger. Someone else has a sharper price this weekend. When it’s functional it’s even harder to remember which was which.
As you likely already know, the best brands don’t lead with “what”. Given the competitive challenges associated with place marketing, it’s ultra imperative that DMOs don’t fall into the “what” trap.
And it’s why some destination campaigns might come across as being “technically accurate” but emotionally thin. They tell people what’s available, but not why it matters. When I’ve asked around colleagues in preparing this blog which recent campaigns stand-out, it seems the most memorable ones might only have landed due to more media budget than anything else. I won’t name names.
Why “why” beats “what”
Places are not chosen because they tick the most boxes. They’re chosen because they mean something. Destinations need that absolute clarity about what they stand for.
Strong brands have a reason for existing in people’s lives and places are no different. People travel for escape, reconnection, reassurance, inspiration, belonging, nostalgia and many more things besides. Often several at once. People have different motivations according to the visit purpose or occasion. If you don’t understand which of those motivations your destination is addressing, no amount of tactical marketing will deliver that all important emotional tug (of the heartstrings)…
Relevance over reach
Award-winning place brands such as Sheffield Inspires avoided the usual tourist tropes. Rather than competing on landmarks or attractions, the campaign focused on character. The energy of the city. Its independence. Its pride. It wasn’t trying to appeal to everyone. It was trying to resonate with the right people. Those who recognised themselves in the values being presented.
There’s the difference between visibility and relevance. The campaign articulated something true about the place. That truth created confidence and coherence.
Contrast that with campaigns remembered for the wrong reasons. Tourism Australia’s “Where the bloody hell are you?!” generated awareness, but awareness alone is never enough. There’s a separate blog on this link all about why that campaign (and others) failed so badly. Boldness without deep alignment to the audience and their motivations introduces risk. The lesson is not to avoid bravery. It is to root that bravery in insight.
Insight before action
The most effective place marketing strategies are insight-led, not asset-led. They start by understanding:
- What role the destination plays in people’s lives
- What emotional needs it meets better than alternatives
- How perceptions differ between audiences
- Where expectations are shifting
That deepness of understanding provides focus. It tells you what to amplify, what to prioritise, and what to leave out. Crucially, it gives place brands permission to say no. “Something for everyone” is rarely for anyone. Clear positioning is about coherence, not exclusion. When people understand what a place is for, they are far more likely to see how it fits into their own lives. If this was a longer article, I’d now start going on about segmentation again. I’ll spare you – but here’s a link to more of that if you’re interested.
The long-term prize for destinations
Focusing on “why” rather than “what” is not just a branding exercise for the benefit of campaign development. It informs investment decisions. It shapes experience design. It guides partnerships. It builds internal alignment as much as external appeal.
Destinations that understand why they matter are better equipped to adapt when circumstances change. Economic pressure, shifts in travel behaviour, sustainability concerns. The core remains intact. They are earning relevance.
Hopefully, you now understand why I enjoy these briefs so much. When place marketing is done well, it goes beyond just promoting “what”. It articulates meaning and is emotionally charged. And it gets me even more excited about my next holiday.