The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) will be launching a program to create a strategy for developing Little Rock as a “destination brand.”  The LRCVB is delighted to announce that BrandStrategy, Inc. has been chosen to advise the organization throughout this project.

The benefit of a destination brand strategy is to enhance Little Rock’s perceived relevance in travelers’ minds in order to influence their preference in choosing Little Rock as a destination.

A successful destination brand clearly defines the community’s unique and distinctive attributes that have both emotional and functional benefits to its visitors.  The destination must convey a certain feeling to the visitor that transcends the area’s physical attributes.

Destinations across the country are now following this formula as they face stronger competition for tourism dollars and the visitors’ time.  Competition is fierce, especially among visitors to regional destinations.  With so many beautiful places, many with strong name awareness, it is critical that Little Rock differentiate itself in order to gain a competitive advantage in the market place.

Over the balance of 2012, Little Rock will discover what makes the destination distinctive, the public’s perception of Little Rock, and visitor experiences and how this information is translated into a cohesive marketing for the destination.

Over the next year, Little Rock will conduct a comprehensive and strategic analysis of the destination that will include the following four phases:

1) The Brand Assessment phase, which includes research to analyze what visitors, prospective visitors, DMO partners, residents, and businesses feel about Little Rock as a destination;

2) The Brand Promise phase, which will determine the essence of the benefits, both functional and emotional, that visitors can expect to receive from experiencing Little Rock;

3) The Brand Blueprint phase, which will determine how to communicate the distinctive brand messages; and

4) The Brand Culturalization phase, which involves the entire community in delivering the brand promise to each of our visitors.

When a destination thinks and acts like a genuine brand, the entire community understands what the promise is and how they deliver the right experience.

Destinations that deliver the right experience benefit from enhanced demand, which provides profitable opportunities for the community as well as increased community pride, tax benefits and the power of a positive experience.