Do destination brands really have a personality? A comparison of two coastal tourism destinations in Australia

According to Morgan et al (2003), the need for destinations to portray a unique identity is more critical than ever yet much of destination advertising remains blue seas, cloudless skies and endless golden beaches with less than memorable tag lines. They also emphasise that, in marketing terms, brands are meant to differentiate by inciting belief, evoking emotions and prompting behaviours, and that brands have social, emotional and identity value to the users. According to Ekinci (2003), the words 'brand', 'branding' and 'destination image' have appeared in many academic references, with no apparent effort made to distinguish between destination image and destination branding. As a result he proposes a model which states that the process of destination branding begins when the evaluation of destination image includes a strong emotional attachment. Accordingly, only branded destinations are purported to be able establish an instant emotional link with their customers. He elaborates that successful destination branding involves establishing a mutual relationship between destinations and tourists by satisfying tourists' emotional and basic needs. In establishing this link between destination image and consumer self-image an important factor is Brand Personality - emphasising the human side of the brand image.