Smart City Branding Forum - (Barcelona - September 2012)

1. SMART CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT:
The Case of Athens

2. Why branding matters? Brand Knowledge Brand Trust Brand Loyalty
For Tourists:
Because they would choose a destination brand only when they can trust it.
For Destinations:
Because a trusted brand brings about tourist loyalty.
Source: Brand Knowledge, Trust and Loyalty { A Conceptual Model of Destination Branding/ Cathy Hsu Liping - A. Caiy

3. FOUR
KEY
FACTS

4. FACT #1
“Countries are judged by what they do, as they have always been, and not by what they say’’.
Simon Anholt

5. FACT #2
Perception is more Powerful than Reality.

6. FACT #3
There’s no smoke without fire..

7. FACT #4
“No single national stakeholder has control over all of the factors that affect a country’s reputation’’
Source: ETC/UNWTO Handbook on Tourism Destination Branding

8. the question is..

9. Can you successfully brand
an entire destination?

10. At least most of us agree on that:
destination branding seems to be working within tourism

11. what about destination branding
and citizen engagement?

12. ONE
MAJOR
CHALLENGE

13. lack of control and
multiple competing stakeholders

14. FOUR
KEY
PRINCIPLES

15. A symbiotic relationship which needs commonly accepted goals to evolve
Tourists
Businesses/Investors
Residents
#1

16. Strong Leadership with sufficient authority can set the focus point & establish the necessary mechanisms of stakeholders engagement about developing a shared and welcomed view of the future.
#2

17. #2

18. Online/Offline Integration at the Core: From Fragmentation to Wholeness.
#3

20. It’s not just about heritage & culture.
brand-building must focus relentlessly on creating new value frontiers
#4

21. citizen engagement increases when civil order is ensured and urban environment is clean & functional.
#5

22. The Case of Athens/Greece

23. A Story of Rise..

24. ….and Fall

25. Not just an economic crisis

26. social stability under threat

27. no public funds available

28. urban improvement projects & policies on hold

29. on-going
negative exposure

31. Stage One: Identifying the Problem

32. aggressive media in major source markets

33. falling tourist numbers
(Athens)

34. social depression

35. unfair competition from inside = Isolation

36. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj06RMIo_Cc

37. however..

38. in every crisis lies opportunity.

39. social awakening & urban activism movements

40. private
initiatives

41. public-private partnerships

42. 120m fund for historic centre regeneration

43. This Is My Athens Program:
Engaging Locals for Tourism

44. Stage One:
Setting the Goal
‘‘to engage local people, showcase the everyday life in Athens, promote a flavour of true experiences and an alternative image of the city through the integration of online/offline marketing methods’’.

45. Stage Two:
Plan & Develop the Program

46. PHASE ONE

47. PHASE TWO
Launch a volunteers visitor greeters program

48. Stage Three:
Engage & Support

49. Listen to the (Athens) Locals

50. Engage Local Audience via online channels

51. and offline activities..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJymu5KVENA

52. provide support via visitors information & services

53. PHASE THREE
Evaluate Results
5.000+ photos
400+ Athens Locals so far..
Hundreds of Visitors Requests..
Monitor & Evaluate
Set KPIs
# of requests
# of Athens Locals
# visitor satisfaction survey results
Web & SM Metrics
media coverage

54. Stay Relevant
Breathtaking Athens – Real Time Tourist Safety Information

55. To Sum Up..

56. We cannot control everything being said about the destination’s brand

57. but by actively listening to visitors & locals feedback

58. We can better manage the destination’s reputation, improve our tourism product & achieve higher levels of social engagement.

59. ‘‘The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear’’ Socrates

60. Thank You
www.aboutourism.com
@about_tourism
Manolis Psarros
CEO/aboutourism
mprarros@aboutourism.com