Kansas, as Big as You Think: Making a Blank State a Strong Brand
Facts:
The Kansas Department of Commerce “identified the state’s image problem as a top priority” in 2003 (Cases, 162). Image consultants strategized with the newly assembled Kansas Brand Image Task Force. As consultants expressed, “states with a strong brand or image distinguish themselves from other states with a positive impact on everything from economic development to tourism” (Cases, 162).
The first step the Task Force undertook was identifying “core values, attitudes, perceptions, and misperceptions from both in-state and out-of-state audiences” (Cases, 162). Qualitative research showed an abundance of negative preconceived ideas about Kansas from people who had not visited. The negative perceptions included: “slow paced, not sexy, flat and boring landscapes, and blends into other Midwest states,” and “blank state” (Cases, 163). After visiting the state, business travelers noted: “more green rolling hills than imagined, history piques interest, honest, trustworthy, and hardworking,” and “America—the way it’s supposed to be” (Cases, 163). Other potential visitors polled showed a mélange of preconceived ideas about Kansas. The research showed that when people thought of Kansas, they associated it with: “flat,” “plains and grasslands,” and “rich history,” among other things (Cases, 163). The majority of travelers who had not visited Kansas indicated that they believed there was nothing to do, they would rather go somewhere more interesting and fun, and that they do not know what there is to do there. Most of the people who were asked about Kansas’ personality answered: “don’t know.” Other surveyors expressed that they perceived Kansas’ personality as “boring/ dull, Average Joe,” “friendly,” “relaxed, quiet, easy-going,” and “wide open,” among others (Cases, 163).
More tourist research indicated that 2005 would bring a huge tourism boom to America. Cases in Public Relations Management indicates more studies taken into account by the Task Force, such as who is traveling (baby boomers), with whom they are traveling (friends and family), what they were seeking, etc. This information indicated that one of Kansas’ strengths rested upon its “slower pace [which] promised to deliver more lasting enjoyable memories than an exhausting trip to a wellworn tourist destination” (Cases, 163).
Previously, Kansas’ tourism department’s tagline, “Simply Wonderful” vied for distinction from its business development tagline, “Built on Character.” After substantial research, the Task Force developed a new positioning statement that would align the interests of both Kansas’ business development and tourist entities:
In Kansas, our wide open spaces give people the freedom to dream and make big things happen.
The statement harmonized with Kansas’ new statewide tagline: “Kansas, as Big as You Think.” In addition to creating a cohesive positioning statement and tagline, the Task Force assigned a logo “with standardized colors, typography, and graphic elements” (Cases, 164). A Web portal was created to inform and unify Kansans and potential visitors. The site incorporated every aspect about the state from tourist information to economic statistics and government information—it even includes disability information. The homepage is adorned with attractive images of Kansas landscapes and vast city skylines and features a questionnaire to monitor current perceptions of Kansas.
Cases emphasizes, “strong brands are created from the inside out” (164). The strategy to change the image of Kansas began with the state’s citizens. The in-state campaign focused on the most successful Kansans including former president Dwight D. Eisenhower and aviator Amelia Earheart. The focal message was that these Kansans made a difference on the world due to the difference that Kansas made on them. For business, the rebrand showcased “a positive, well-balanced offer featuring the Kansas lifestyle and unstinting work ethic” (p. 165). This strategy highlighted the most successful Kansas businesses like Garmin and Cobalt and the most notorious Kansas venues like Kansas Speedway and Samuel Dinsmoor’s Garden of Eden. Potential tourists were targeted through magazines, emphasizing “the state’s historical sites, off-the-beaten path adventures and experiential trips, such as working ranches” (Cases, 165).
After the state’s rebranding, aviation adventurist Steve Fossett circled the world in four days from Kansas’s Salina Municipal Airport. Cases challenged readers to tie this groundbreaking event to Kansas in support of the state’s image enhancement.
Issue:
This case features the steps an organization will likely take in a rebranding effort. The mission of the Task Force was to “place images in people’s minds to fill in the blank response researchers found in many people outside the state” (Cases 164). The positioning statement, tagline, Web portal, and affiliated campaigns had to be strategic and research-based.
The cost of Kansas’ rebranding and image reconstruction was $1.7 million. The money went to research, development, promotion across television, radio, theater, and print advertisement, the website, marketing and public relations efforts. The price of the initiative was controversial, albeit less costly than the standard price.
According to Cases, the primary goals of the Brand Image Task Force and the Department of Commerce were as follows:
- To begin to change the way Kansans talk about Kansas.
- To change the way out-of-state people think and talk about Kansas.
- To ultimately create new jobs and new capital investments and increase the economic impact of tourism on the state.
(165)
Assessment:
I admire the proactive consumer relations approach that Kansas stakeholders applied to promote tourism in their state. I feel that the steps taken by the Task Force were taken with all the important precautions. The most important points I will address in my assessment include: the governance over tourist initiative, rebranding, and including associations and companies in tourist initiatives.
One of every nine (non-farm) jobs is related directly or indirectly to travel and tourism; travel is among the top 10 industries in 48 states and D.C. in terms of employment (U.S. Travel Association). Clearly, the economic impact of tourism is astounding. Since travel is such prominent aspect in economy, the most logical step for a state governing body to take is to organize and promote tourism. “Governance is important for tourist destinations to promote sustainable development” (Governance, 473). Kansas’ tourism initiative was undoubtedly a profitable venture.
Kansas’ decision to rebrand itself was a wise decision from a marketing perspective. According to research, the state’s image was suffering from misrepresentation in potential visitors’ views. Marketing: an introduction tells us: “To build profitable relationships with target customers, marketers must understand customer needs better than competitors do and deliver more customer value” (184). Research conducted prior to the rebranding of Kansas was crucial to understand the needs of potential visitors. Having a clear image of Kansas’ reputation before making any decisions about the rebrand is important. This way, the Brand Image Task Force and the Department of Commerce could accurately see state’s strengths and weaknesses before deciding what needed to be changed and what needed to be accentuated.
The cooperation of local commerce with tourist initiatives is crucial. Local business and tourism share common goals. Both industries benefit from consumer traffic. If more people visit a state, more money is spent on local business. Consumer relations can be associated to the relationship between local tourist agencies and local business. According to Cases, “By paying attention to consumers’ needs and concerns, organizations can develop a long-term relationship resulting in repeat patronage and valuable word-of-mouth endorsements from the consumer sphere of influence” (148). Tourist agencies can refer businesses and events, and businesses and events can promote tourism.
My Solution:
My solution entails maintaining Kansas’ new image as “big.” My plan would focus on publicizing Kansas’ events, and novelties in and outside the state’s media, in travel brochures and magazines. I would also encourage its tourist administration to monitor public opinion regarding the state and its environment.
In addition to maintaining Kansas’ new image, I would focus on travel public relations practices that Think outlines: 1) Stimulating the public’s desire to visit a place, 2) Arranging for the travelers to reach it, and 3) Making certain that visitors are comfortable, well-treated, and entertained when they get there” (342).
To address Steve Foskett’s appearance at the Kansas airport, I would distribute a press kit prior to Fossett’s trip to local and national media. The press release would contain an interview with Fossett and airport officials about the experience and highlight Fossett’s thoughts about Kansas. This press release would surely yield a substantial amount of media attention on behalf of Kansas. “A product that is favorably mentioned in the news […] is a relatively inexpensive publicity tactic to draw attention to the product and heighten consumer awareness” (Cases, 149). This story would definitely shed a new light on Kansas’ blossoming image.
References:
Armstrong, Gary, Kotler, Philip. (2013). Marketing : an introduction 11th ed. Pearson Education Inc.
Bramwell, B. (2011). Governance, the state and sustainable tourism: a political economy approach. Journal Of Sustainable Tourism, 19(4/5), 459-477.
Swann, Patricia. (2010). Cases in Public Relations Management. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Wilcox, Dennis L., Cameron, Glen T., Reber, Bryan H., & Shin, Jae-Hwa. (2011). Think Public Relations. Allyn & Bacon
U.S. Travel Association. 2013. http://www.ustravel.org/government-affairs/travel-industry-economic-impact
Olivia Barton 