4. Analysis
4.5 GIMC Strategy: Within Region
4.5.2 Southeast Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia)
Figure 4.5 GIMC Strategy used in Northeast Asia Source: Adapted from Grein and Gould (1996)
Note: SAD : Strategy of Advertising; SPR : Strategy of Public Relations SSP : Strategy of Sales Promotion; SDM : Strategy of Direct Marketing
4.5.2 Southeast Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia)9
According to statistics by Tourism Bureau (2008), total tourist arrivals from Southeast Asia in 2008 are near 1 million (Hong Kong/ Macau: 618,667; Singapore:
205449; Malaysia: 155783), which accounts for one fourth of all international visitors in Taiwan. Hong Kong is also the second largest source country of visitors following Japan.
Since Southeast Asia neighbor Taiwan and countries there are small with fewer residents, most people have visited Taiwan before. Thus, both young and old
generations are the target audiences and stimulate them to revisit Taiwan is the main objective (Li-Hsiung, Lai, 2009/6/9). To propel people to come back, the image building here focuses on “diversified activities in four seasons all year round.” (Work
9 Taiwan opened its door for Chinese tourists in July, 18, 2008. The Chinese market now is under the control of department of Southeast Asia and China. However, the tourism markets are mainly in the hands of the local agencies in China and the promotions are made toward these agencies. Therefore, in this research China is not included in this discussion but the Southeast Asian countries.
Japan Korea
Horizontal: highly coordinated
Vertical coordination
Horizontal coordination High Low
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Plan of “Tour Taiwan Years 2008-2009,” 2007)
Like in Northeast Asia, both global and regional strategies are employed. Since the global strategy is already discussed in Northeast Asia, the following section focuses on regional strategy. Due to the close geographic distance and cultural familiarity, Taiwanese popular cultures influence people in Southeast Asia a lot (Li-Hsing, Lai, interview, 2009/6/9). Therefore, the regional marketing strategy is celebrity endorsement by popular idols in Taiwan. However, unlike in the Northeast Asia where only females are mainly targeted, to attract all local people, double spokespersons from young and old generation, Jolin Tsai, a Taiwanese singer and Nien-Chen, Wu, a Taiwanese director, are invited to co-promote Taiwan (Li-Hsing, Lai, interview, 2009/6/9). Li Hsing, Lai mentioned how they selected the
spokespersons:
People in Southeast Asia are interested in our Chinese (popular) culture, especially the singers in Taiwan. Many Taiwanese singers are well-known in Southeast Asia. In particular, people in Singapore and Malaysia love to sing Taiwanese songs because our entertainment shows are broadcasted there. When we were doing the selection, we found that Jolin has her unique charms in Southeast Asia (Li-Hsing, Lai, interview, 2009/06/09).
To emphasize the theme and objective—revisit Taiwan, the slogan here is
“Welcome 2 Taiwan.” Here 2, on one hand, means the word “to” literally while on the other hand it also symbolizes multiple aspects of Taiwan , a place full of all kinds of activities in four seasons (Tourism Bureau, 2007). Li-Hsing, Lai also mentioned the concept behind the slogan:
We hope they (people in Southeast Asia) can come again. That’s why we use
“Welcome 2 Taiwan”— 2 refers to the “second” visit. Therefore, we invite the
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other spokesperson—Nien-Chen,Wu. One (Jolin) is younger and the other (Wu) is more mature so that different groups can be targeted. Jolin introduces the modern aspect of Taiwan while Wu shows the most classic and traditional aspect of Taiwan……. Through this strategy, the markets in Southeast Asia grow very fast, especially in Hong Kong (Li-Hsing, Lai, interview, 2009/06/09).
The following Table summarizes the global and regional strategies. In the next section, the four marketing communication disciplines in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, will be examined.
Table 4.11 Global and Regional Strategies Employed in Southeast Asia Brand Positioning Global: Island of tourism with diversified charms
Regional Charm: Honeymoon photography tour, agricultural tour, gourmet, scenery, etc.
Slogan Global: Taiwan Touch your Heart Regional: Welcome 2 Taiwan Overall Marketing
Strategy
Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of “island of tourism”
Regional: Celebrity endorsement (double spokespersons)
1. Advertising
The advertising in Southeast Asia follows both global and regional strategies. The global strategy, as in Northeast Asia, aims at building the image of island of tourism by introducing tourism resources of Taiwan. Executions include the TV show “Fun Taiwan,” all kinds of tourism brochures, and keyword advertising on Google, which are all standardized as in Japan and Korea.
Most advertising here follows regional strategy of celebrity endorsement by double spokespersons, Jolin and Nei-Jen, Wu, including the four short TV
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commercials, print ads, outdoor ads, and also the website specifically made for this region. Nevertheless, compared to Northeast Asia, the focus of these ads is on the tourism products than on the spokespersons. For example, the posters are not just printed with the image of spokespersons but accompanied with the key promotional themes in Southeast Asia—2 ways of experiencing Taiwan, which are shown by the contrast of high-speed railways vs. A-Li Mountain trains, outdoor hot spring vs.
beauty spa, etc (please see Table 4.12 for images). The emphasis on tourism products as well as on the spokespersons also echoes to the strategy and theme in this
region—Welcome “2” Taiwan. Table 4.12 shows the cases of advertising in Southeast Asia. For images, please see the Appendix 1.
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Table 4.12 Advertising in Southeast Asia Advertising
Strategy
Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of “island of tourism”
Regional: Promote Taiwan as a tourism destination with diversified charms by celebrity endorsement (double spokespersons)
Slogan: Welcome 2 Taiwan 4 TV
commercials
Jolin, Tsai & Nien-Chen,Wu as spokesperson in all four 2. 2 ways of experiencing Taiwan (30 sec.)
3. Introduce “Quarterly giveaway” (15 sec.)
4. Introduce “Summer Tours” (theme park vs. agricultural farm) 5. Introduce “Seashore Tours” (honeymoon photography vs.
eastern-coast)
Print Ads Posters with the image of spokesperson and tourism resources in four seasons (railway tour, gourmet tour, cultural tour, hot spring tour)
Outdoor Ads Images of Spokesperson and tourism resources in four seasons (HK: subway; Singapore: subway; Malaysia: elevated walkway) DM
Brochures
1. Taiwan Maps
2. Guidebooks for cities and food
3. Brochures for theme tours (celebrity, healthcare, agriculture, hot spring & food, honeymoon photography tour)
Product Placement
TV show “Fun Taiwan”
Online Advertising
1. The above advertising is available on the website 2. 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
Note: Since the promotions in both countries are basically the same, they are combined into one table.
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2. PR
The use of PR in Southeast Asia is quite similar to that in Japan, with both global and regional strategies. The global PR strategy is also to build the image of “island of tourism” by introducing Taiwan’s tourism resources through local travel fair and large global PR events. This part is the same as in Northeast Asia, so in the following section only regional strategy and execution are discussed.
The regional PR strategy is celebrity endorsement by double spokespersons.
They show up in the events like “Taiwan Night Market Festival” in Hong Kong to promote Taiwan as a gourmet heaven, or participate in events such as “99 HoHuan (久久合歡)” and “Love 101” to promote Taiwan as a romantic place for honeymoon photography tour (Monthly Report on Tourism, 2008/5; 2009/1). In addition, Tourism Bureau also launches PR activities online to propagate Taiwan’s tourism and help image building. For example, “Taiwan Fun” and “Master Traveler Face-off” are two online PR activities which let people in Southeast Asia have chances to win the prizes by answering questions related to Taiwan or voting for their favorite itineraries proposed by either Jolin or Nein-Jen, Wu (see Figure 4.6).
The cases of PR activities in Southeast Asia are summarized in Table 4.13. Please see Appendix 2 for more details.
(a) (b)
Figure 4.6 Online PR activities: Master Traveler Face-Off (a); Taiwan Fun (b) Source: Tourism Bureau Website http://www.welcome2taiwan.net/cht/default.aspx
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Table 4.13 PR activities in Southeast Asia
PR Strategy Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of “island of tourism” through travel fairs and global PR events Regional: promote Taiwan as a tourism destination with diversified charms by celebrity endorsement (double spokespersons)
Travel Fair
& Local Promotions
1. Promote “Tour Taiwan Years 2008-2009,” especially honeymoon photography tour
2. Taiwan booth decorated with the pictures of spokespersons and the four seasonal activities
3. Performance of aboriginal dances, traditional arts, and DIY children’s toys
4. Samples of Taiwanese specialty snacks 5. Interactive games with local people
※ For Hong Kong market only, “Taiwan Night Market Festival” (April, 2008/ 2009)
Large PR Activities
2008/03 Wedding Plaza Opening Ceremony 2008/05 99 HoHuan
2008/06 Wedding in the North coast
2008/10 Taiwan Hot Spring & Fine Cuisine Carnival 2008/11 Master Traveler Face-off (online)
2009/01 Taiwan Fun (online) 2009/05 Love 101
2009/06 The Best Trip in the World: Taiwan Explorers Wanted 2009/08 Come and Taste Taiwan’s Unique Outdoor Banquet
Delights
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:
PR Only for Southeast Asia PR For all markets
Note: Since the promotions in both countries are basically the same, they are combined into one table.
3. Sales Promotions
The sales promotions in Southeast Asia follow the global strategy as in Northeast Asia, but moreover regional strategy by celebrity endorsement is also employed. The
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global strategy is to stimulate people to visit Taiwan by providing the same incentives, including 1) Quarterly Giveaway, 2) Gifts for Millionth Visitors; and 3) Free Half-day Tours for Transit Passengers (For details, please see Table 4.9 in Northeast Asia). To spread the news of these incentives, a 15-second TV commercial with the appearance of Jolin and Nien-Chen, Wu is produced specifically for this region (see Figure 4.7).
Figure 4.7 CF with the Image of Spokespersons to Promote the Sales Promotion Source: Tourism Bureau Website http://www.welcome2taiwan.net/cht/default.aspx (Retrieved: 2009/8/8)
The sales promotions are summarized in Table 4.14.
Table 4.14 Sales Promotions in Southeast Asia Sales
Promotions Strategy
Global: To stimulate people to tour Taiwan by providing incentives which also help visitors explore Taiwan further
Regional: Celebrity endorsement to promote the incentives which encourage people to visit Taiwan
Incentives 1. Quarterly Giveaway 2. Gifts for Millionth Visitors
3. Free Half-day Tours for Transit Passengers Source: Work Plan of “Tour Taiwan Years 2008-2009” (2007)
4. Direct Marketing
The global strategy of direct marketing, as in Southeast Asia, is to provide an interactive channel between consumers and Tourism Bureau for exchanging travel
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information of Taiwan. The platform for exchanging information here is also the website of Tourism Bureau. However, the website for Southeast Asia, with English and Chinese versions, is adapted to the regional strategy and specifically designed with the image of spokespersons through the whole website (see the image in Table 4.15). Compared to the websites for Japan and Korea, the website for Southeast Asia well integrates the strategy of celebrity endorsement.
Table 4.15 Direct Marketing in Southeast Asia Direct
Marketing Strategy
Global: To provide an interactive channel between consumers and Tourism Bureau for exchanging travel information of Taiwan
Regional: Celebrity endorsement Website 1. “Contact Us”
2. “Interactive Area” for downloading brochures and guidebooks, request for online publications
English version: homepage (left); “Contact Us” section (right)
Retrieved from http://www.welcome2taiwan.net/eng_2006/default.aspx (2009/7/13)
Summary and Analysis
Table 4.16 summarizes the marketing communication strategies across all disciplines in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, showing the vertical and horizontal integration in Southeast Asia.
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RQ1-a: How well does each country integrate the marketing communication tools (i.e., vertical integration)?
In Hong Kong, each of the four marketing disciplines follows both global and regional strategies, manifesting the positioning and image of Taiwan here—an island of tourism with infinite variety and thus worthy of revisit. The use of regional slogan
“Welcome 2 Taiwan” and regional strategy of celebrity endorsement by double spokespersons, Jolin and Nien-Chen, Wu, are also well integrated to echo the theme and image building in this region. The image of the spokespersons are closely related and shown across all marketing communication tools, which makes the level of vertical integration in Hong Kong much higher than that in Japan or Korea where celebrity endorsement is also used.
Since the strategies and even the executions are standardized across the three main target countries in Southeast Asia—Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, the vertical integration in the other two countries are also as high as the situation in Hong Kong. Thus, the answer to RQ 1-b can also be provided:
RQ 1-b: How well do the countries within and across region(s) integrate the marketing communication tools (i.e., horizontal integration)?
With the same strategies shared across all marketing communication tools, the executions are mainly standardized across the three countries in this region. For instance, across the three countries in Southeast Asia, the same advertising with the spokespersons is circulated; and local travel fairs as well as global and regional PR events like “Love 101” or online activity “Master Traveler Face-off” are held. The same sales promotions and regional website are also shared across countries.
Therefore, the horizontal integration is very high in this region. High vertical and horizontal integration together make the strategy here “globally integrated strategy” as shown in Figure 4.8.
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Table 4.16 Marketing Communication Strategies across disciplines in Southeast Asia Marketing
Communication Disciplines
Marketing Communication Strategies
Hong Kong Singapore Malaysia
Advertising Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of
“island of tourism”
Regional: Celebrity endorsement
Same Same
Public Relations Global: Introduce Taiwan’s diversified tourism resources to build the image of
“island of tourism” through travel fairs and global PR events
Regional: Celebrity endorsement
Same Same
Sales Promotions
Global: To stimulate people’s willingness to tour Taiwan by providing incentives which also help visitors experience Taiwan further
Regional: Celebrity endorsement
Same Same
Direct Marketing
Global: To provide an interactive channel between consumers and Tourism Bureau for exchanging travel information of Taiwan
Regional: Celebrity endorsement
Same Same
Figure 4.8 GIMC Strategy used in Southeast Asia Source: Adapted from Grein and Gould (1996)
HK Singapore Malaysia
Vertical: highly coordinated Horizontal: highly coordinated
Vertical coordination
Horizontal coordination High Low
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