4. Analysis
4.5 GIMC Strategy: Within Region
4.5.3 Europe and America
國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
4.5.3 Europe and America
The statistics by Tourism Bureau (2008) shows that in 2008 tourist arrivals from Europe and America is near 600, 000 (America: 387,197 and Europe: 200,914).
Furthermore, the growth of tourism in European market is 34.59%, the highest among all countries, showing the potential of this market.
Since Europe and America are distant from Taiwan, the main target audiences are businessmen, Chinese immigrants and their descents, and also some groups with special interests such as bird-watching or mountain-climbing (Li-Hsing, Lai, interview, 2009/6/9). Ying-Hui, Cheng (interview, 2009/6/19) suggested that the image building in this region focuses on “Taiwan’s diversified charms.” Li-Hsing, Lai (interview, 2009/6/9) specifically pointed out that the image building here is based on
“Taiwan’s modernity, ecology, and cultures.” As she said:
We attract them (target audience in Europe and America) by Taiwan’s modern cities and cultures. In fact, the Chinese cultures in Taiwan are the best-preserved around the world, such as temple fairs and diversified religions. In addition, Taiwan’s ecology is also attractive, so you can notice some groups in Europe and America come for bird-watching……, some for railways tours…, and some for mountain climbing (Li-Hsing, Lai, interview, 2009/06/09).
It can be seen that the setting of the three features is closely related to the interest of the target audiences, such as cultures for Chinese immigrants or ecology for group with special interest, for instance.
Unlike the regional strategy of celebrity endorsement used in Asia, in Europe and America the whole promotions follow only global strategy, based on which both global and local activities are launched. Ying-Hui, Chen explained why celebrity endorsement that works successfully in Asia is abandoned here:
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
In European and American markets we didn’t invite any spokesperson because the use of celebrity endorsement strategy has a lot to do with the characteristics of the market. For instance, in Japan we invite F4 as spokesperson because we are confident in their market potential. If we want to find a famous people as spokesperson in this region……First, the price is high. Second, the markets in Europe and America are very large with very different interests (Ying-Hui, Chen, interview, 2009/6/19).
Unlike the other two regions, there is no extra slogan for this region during
“Tour Taiwan Years 2008-2009.” Li-Hsing, Lai (interview, 2009/06/09) explained that they did adopt different slogan—“Taiwan Beyond Your Expectation”— from 2003 to 2006, but recently they hope to unite the whole image and identification better and thus “Taiwan Touch Your Heart” becomes the only slogan in this campaign.
Global strategies in Europe and America are shown in Table 4.17.
Table 4.17 Global and Regional Strategies in Europe and America Brand Positioning Global: Island of tourism with diversified charms
Regional Charm: Modernity, ecology, and cultures Slogan Global: Taiwan Touch your Heart
Overall Marketing Strategy
Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of “island of tourism”
1. Advertising
Advertising here follows only the global strategy. Most brochures, guidebooks, and keyword advertising are standardized as in other two regions to introduce
Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources. The media buying of TV commercials and print ads in this region is mainly on international mainstream media such as CNN,
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
BBC, Time Magazine or Newsweek (Ying-Hui, Chen, interview, 2009/6/19). For instance, two TV commercials with focus on Taiwan’s scenery, ecology, and cultures are broadcasted on CNN and BBC (Ying-Hui, Cheng, interview, 2009/6/19). However, unlike in Northeast and Southeast Asia, the two TV commercials are not especially made for “Tour Taiwan Years 2008-2009” but are borrowed from the past in 2005 and 2006. In response to this difference, Ying-Hui, Cheng (interview, 2009/6/19) replied that the image of Taiwan should derive from the past so that using the same TV commercial is appropriate. On the other hand, it is also possible that the absence of spokesperson makes the past TV commercials reusable with no need to produce a new one featuring the new spokespersons as in the other two regions. However, whether there exist the problem of lacking of innovation and creativity should be monitored afterwards.
Also, print ads promoting “Tour Taiwan Years 2008-2009” appear in magazines like Forbes and Monocle. What’s more, the creative way of using illustrations to show different aspects of Taiwan on Monocle magazine has raised many people’s attention (see example in Table 4.18; for more images please see Appendix 1) and also attracts media coverage, which praises “This ad is expected to arouse the curiosity of elites in America and Europe (Common Wealth, 2008/5).”
Besides, a regional campaign in UK—Surprise Taiwan—is launched in July, 2008 to February, 2009 to promote “Tour Taiwan Years 2008-2009” since UK is the major source country of tourists in Taiwan ( Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2009). The ads, which feature the image of “Eight Generals” in Taiwanese folklore along with the copy emphasizing the diversity and variety of Taiwan, appear in the subway as well as on the cabs racing around the road.
Table 4.18 shows the cases of advertising in Europe and America. For detailed images, please see Appendix 1.
‧
Table 4.18 Advertising in Europe and America Advertising
Strategy
Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of “island of tourism”
America Europe
TV
commercials
“Taiwan with infinite variety”
“Flying Taiwan”
Same Print Ads 1. “I Land Paradise” : Stopover
in Taiwan for just US$79
2. Tour Taiwan Years (Forbes &
National Geographic)
1. “I Land Paradise”: Natural Beauty, Shopping, Design Culture, Food (Monocle)
2. “Surprise Taiwan” (UK only)
DM &
Brochures
Maps
Guidebooks for cities and food Brochures for theme tours and other topics like art & culture, tea, handicrafts, festivals, religion, especially for women
Same
※ Strategic alliances with
Giant—distributing brochures for available on the website of Tourism Bureau
2. Keyword advertising on Google
Only keyword advertising on Google
Source: Taiwan Tourism Bureau http://taiwan.net.tw/; Executive Information System of Tourism Bureau http://admin.taiwan.net.tw/indexc.asp
In addition, the promotional materials for this region are mainly written in English, with only a few in different language versions. For instance, bicycling riding
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
tour is a key promotion for European people. Thus, Tourism Bureau cooperates with Giant, the well-known bicycle producer from Taiwan, and provides the brochures in different language versions introducing cycling in Taiwan, which are available in the Giant stores in England, Germany, France, and Netherland (Monthly Report on Tourism, 2008/10).
2. PR
Although the PR activities in Europe and America include travel fairs and also large events as in the other two regions, the travel fairs here are mainly for
communicating with local travel agencies, not with the end consumers. Thus, below only large PR events are discussed.
Following global strategy, PR activities in this region, as listed in Table 4.19, are mainly standardized as in the other two regions, with only a few local events. These regional activities are held to strengthen people’s image toward Taiwan, such as
“Taiwan Day” in L.A. Angels Stadium and “Mets Night” in Shea Stadium in New York during the baseball season (Epochtimes, 2008/8/10; 2008/9/25), and also
“Taiwan Cuisine Festival” in Paris (Ying-Hui, Chen, interview, 2009/6/19). During these events, information about touring in Taiwan is provided and also Taiwanese cultural performances are given to let more people aware of Taiwan. Ying-Hui, Cheng, (Interview, 2009/6/19) also mentioned that many French, through this festival, wonder that Taiwan has such exquisite Chinese cuisine they haven’t noticed before and thus have more understanding toward this place. Actually, this is similar to the idea behind
“Taiwan Night Market Fair” in Hong Kong.
In addition to the large PR events, another PR practice in this region is to invite the international mainstream media to Taiwan for a free tour and they would produce programs or publications on Taiwan after they are back (Li-Hsing, Lai, 2009/6/9). For
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
example, “Fantastic Festival of the World” on Discovery and “Megacities: Taipei” &
“The Emperor’s Treasure” on National Geographic are TV programs introducing Taiwan’s modern city and traditional cultures (Li-Hsing, Lai, interview, 2009/6/9), which are the focus for image building as mentioned earlier. Monocle Magazine is also invited to shoot four short films placed on its website10.
Besides, media specialized in certain interests such as “Birdseekers,” “Sunrise Birding,” and “Birding World” are also invited to Taiwan for coverage to attract people with special interest. As suggested by Ying-Hui, Cheng:
We will emphasize some theme tour depends on what the local people like. For instance, we will promote cycling tour in Europe but not in Southeast Asia because Europeans pursue nature, environmentalism, and leisure activities. We will start from what interest them such as footpath-walking tour or
bird-watching tour. Although these only appeal to minor market, they are easy for the western people to accept (Ying-Hui, Cheng, interview, 2009/06/19).
Although Tourism Bureau doesn’t interfere how Taiwan is depicted in these programs or reports, how these media view Taiwan is shaped by Tourism Bureau since the tour is well-arranged based on the key attractions for this region (Ying-Hui, Cheng, interview, 2009/6/19). However, whether there exist the issues of image inconsistency should be monitored afterword.
Table 4.19 shows the summary of PR activities in America and Europe. For details, please see Appendix 2.
10Website of Monocle http://www.monocle.com/webprogrammes/Touring-Taiwan/
‧
Table 4.19 PR in Europe and America PR
Strategy
Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of “island of tourism” through global PR events
America Europe
Stadium in New York (2008/9)
“Taiwan Cuisine Festival” in Paris (2009/3)
Invited Media Tour
1. TV show—“Fantastic Festival of the World”
(Discovery)
2. TV show—“Megacities:
Taipei” & “The Emperor’s Treasure” (National Geographic)
3. In-depth reports: “National Geographic Traveler,” “San
2. In-depth reports by specialty media: “Birdseekers,” “Sunrise Birding,” “Limosa Holidays,”
and “Birding World” from Europe
Global PR Activities
2008/08 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition
2008/10 Taiwan Hot Spring & Fine Cuisine Carnival
2009/06 The Best Trip in the World: Taiwan Explorers Wanted 2009/08 Come and Taste Taiwan’s Unique Outdoor Banquet Delights 2008/08 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition
2009/09 Cycling in Taiwan
Source: Monthly Report on Tourism by Tourism Bureau, 2008; 2009; Bimonthly Magazine of Taiwan’s Tourism by Taiwan Visitors Association, 2008; 2009 Note: Since global PR activities are standardized, they are combined into one Table.
3. Sales Promotions
The sales promotions, following the global strategy, are standardized as in
Northeast and Southeast Asia, including 1) Quarterly Giveaway, 2) Gifts for Millionth Visitors; and 3) Free Half-day Tours for Transit Passengers. However, regional sales
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
promotions like “US$79 Stopover in Taiwan” and “One-Dollar/Euro Super-Value Taiwan Stopover” are also offered.
Actually, the sales promotions are standardized all over the world as stated in
“Tour Taiwan Years,” but for Europe and America we have other programs like the recent “One-Dollar/Euro Super-Value Taiwan Stopover,” which allows people to stay in Taiwan for one night only for one dollar. We have many transit
passengers from Europe and America to Southeast Asia or Australia through Taiwan, and we can attract them here for two days, during which they would eat, transport, and maybe go shopping. These would produce economic profits (Ying-Hui, Cheng, Interview, 2009/6/19).
Although these two promotions are mainly for Europe and America, the concept behind still follows the global strategy—to stimulate international visitors to come and experience the beauty of Taiwan.
Table 4.20 Sales Promotions in Europe and America Sales
Promotions Strategy
Global: To stimulate people to tour Taiwan by providing incentives which also help visitors explore Taiwan further
Incentives Global
1. Quarterly Giveaway 2. Gifts for Millionth Visitors
3. Free Half-day Tours for Transit Passengers Regional
4. US$79 Stopover in Taiwan
5. One-Dollar/Euro Super-Value Taiwan Stopover
4. Direct Marketing
The strategy of direct marketing, as the other two regions, is to provide an
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
interactive channel between consumers and Tourism Bureau for exchanging travel information in Taiwan. The website of Tourism Bureau is the main platform for exchanging information. There are mainly four websites for this region, including the English version of Tourism Bureau, one English website specifically set up for North America, and the other two, with the same structure and design, are in French and German, respectively.
Although these websites are different in designs and layout, the function like
“Contact Us” for exchanging information are available among all. However,
compared to the English versions, French and German versions are lack of variety and multimedia functions such as CF/ advertising display or downloading. The external links to the other promotions of the campaign are also scarce. Although adapting to the local language is more user-friendly as pointed out by Li-Hsing, Lai (interview, 2009/6/9), there needs to be more variety and interactivity of the website in German and French versions to arouse people’s interest and curiosity.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Table 4.21 Direct Marketing in Europe and America Direct
Marketing Strategy
Global: To provide an interactive channel between consumers and Tourism Bureau for exchanging travel information of Taiwan
Website 1. “Contact Us”
2. “Interactive Area” for downloading brochures and guidebooks (not in German and French versions)
English http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/ English version for North America
http://www.go2taiwan.net/
French http://www.taiwantourisme.com/ German version http://www.taiwantourismus.de/
Summary and Analysis
The strategies of all marketing communication tools in Europe and America are summarized in Table 4.22, showing the vertical and horizontal integration:
RQ1-a: How well does each country integrate the marketing communication
‧
tools (i.e., vertical integration)?
Table 4.22 Marketing Communication Strategies across disciplines in Europe and America
Advertising Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of “island of tourism”
Slogan: Taiwan Touch Your Heart
Same
Public Relations Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of “island of tourism”
through PR events and invited media tour
Same
Sales Promotions
Global: To stimulate people’s willingness to tour Taiwan by providing incentives which also help visitors experience Taiwan further
Same
Direct Marketing
Global: To provide an interactive channel between consumers and Tourism Bureau for exchanging travel information of Taiwan
Same
In America, only global strategy is employed to build the image of “island of tourism.” Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources, mainly focusing on its modernity, ecology, and cultures in this region, are introduced through all marketing disciplines.
In two TV commercials derived from the past, the image of Taiwan is consistent by showing the beautiful scenery, famous scenic spots and cultural activities in Taiwan with the slogan already familiar to the local people—“Taiwan Touch Your Heart.” In terms of PR, another frequent practice, in addition to holding global PR events as in the other two regions, is invite international media to Taiwan for a free tour and then programs or in-depth reports on Taiwan would be produced in return, such as
“Fantastic Festival of the World” on Discovery, for instance. Sales promotions and
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
direct marketing are also employed to stimulate more people to visit Taiwan by
providing incentives or traveling information. Thus, in general the strategies across all marketing disciplines are coordinated, but the connection in between is not as strong as in the other two regions where the endorsement of spokespersons complement the global strategy and give people synergic and clear identification of this campaign.
Comparatively speaking, lack of a creative and outstanding technique to attract people’s attention on Taiwan makes the vertical integration in America in a medium level.
Though the executions in Europe are not exactly the same as in America (e.g., local PR events like “Surprise Taiwan” in UK only or reports by different media), the strategies of all marketing tools are standardized. However, the level of vertical integration between direct marketing and other marketing tools in Europe is worse than that in America. As mentioned earlier, the travel information and multimedia function of the website of Tourism Bureau in French and German versions are scare and lack of interactivity, though “contact us” as an interactive channel for exchanging ideas is provided as well. Therefore, the vertical integration, especially between direct marketing and other marketing tools, needs to be strengthened.
RQ 1-b: How well do the countries within and across region(s) integrate the marketing communication tools (i.e., horizontal integration)?
In advertising, the CF and most brochures, guidebooks are standardized across Europe and America, with some different ads for each such as ads on Monocle for the former while ads on Forbes for the latter. However, the strategies behind the ads are all aim to promote Taiwan as an island of tourism. The situation in PR is similar to that in advertising. Based on the same strategy, most PR practices are standardized across Europe and America but with different presentations such as in-depth reports by media in each region. Sales promotions are standardized in either strategy or
‧
execution. For direct marketing, the websites of Tourism Bureau in different language versions are all equipped with the function for exchanging information between Tourism Bureau and the local consumers. Therefore, the horizontal integration is high.
Since the level of vertical integration is medium along with high horizontal integration, the strategy in this region is somewhere between globally integrated strategy to globally but non-integrated strategy as shown in Figure 4.9.
High
Figure 4.9 GIMC Strategy used in Europe and America Source: Adapted from Grein and Gould (1996)
Within each of the three target regions, the strategies are all close to “globally integrated strategy,” but with different level of coordination. The level of integration is the highest in Southeast Asia, followed by Southeast Asia, and then Europe and America. Southeast Asia, with both global and regional strategies implementing through all marketing disciplines, has the highest level of integration either vertically or horizontally. In Northeast Asia where celebrity endorsement is also used but only in advertising and PR, the vertical integration can be strengthened better based on the example of Southeast Asia. In Europe and America, the vertical integration, especially between direct marketing and other marketing tools, can also be improved. What is in
America Europe Horizontal: coordinated, but SP >AD = PR > DM
Vertical coordination
Horizontal coordination High Low
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
common in the three regions is that the horizontal integration is pretty high within each region.