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Destination brand positioning slogans - towards the development of a set
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Acta Turistica, 16(2), pp. 102-124.

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 COVER SHEET

This is the author-version of article published as:

Pike, Steven D (2004) Destination brand positioning slogans – towards the

development of a set of accountability criteria . Acta Turistica 16(2):pp. 102-124.

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Copyright 2004 Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb

 DESTINATION BRAND POSITIONING SLOGANS – TOWARDS THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A SET OF ACCOUNTABILITY CRITERIA

Pike, S. (2004). Destination brand positioning slogans – towards the development of a

set of accountability criteria. Acta Turistica. 16(2): 102-124.

Dr Steven Pike

Abstract
A significant gap in the tourism and travel literature exists in the area of tourism
destination branding. While interest in applications of brand theory to practise in
tourism is increasing, there is a paucity of published research in the literature to guide
destination marketing organisations (DMOs). In particular there have been few
reported analyses of destination brand positioning slogans, which represent the
interface between brand identity and brand image. Brand positioning is an inherently
complex process, exacerbated for DMOs by the politics of decision making. DMOs
must somehow capture the essence of a multi-attributed destination community in a
succinct and focused positioning slogan, in a way that is both meaningful to the target
audience and effectively differentiates the destination from the myriad of competitors
offering the same features. Based on a review of the brand positioning literature and
an examination of destination slogans used in the USA, Australia and New Zealand,
the paper proposes a set of slogan criteria by which a DMO’s marketing manager,
political appointees and advertising agency could be held accountable to stakeholders.

Key words: destination branding, positioning, slogans, destination marketing

organisations

Acknowledgement
The author is grateful to Central Queensland University for research funding, and to
Deirdre Fagan-Pagliano for assistance in compiling the list of slogans.

1
INTRODUCTION

The topic of branding first appeared in the marketing literature fifty years ago (see

Banks 1950, Gardner & Levy 1955). However, most of the literature on brand theory

and practise has only been published since 1991 (see for example Aaker 1991, 1996,

McEnally & de Chernatony 1999, Urde 1999, Aaker & Joachimsthaler 2000, Keller

1993, 2003, Morgan 2003). While works such as these provide a valuable resource for

consumer goods marketers, the topic of tourism destination branding did not appear in

the literature until the late 1990s (see Gnoth 1998, Ritchie & Ritchie 1998). The

paucity of research is a significant gap in the tourism literature, particularly given

assertions that the future of marketing will be a “battle of brands, a competition for

brand dominance” (see Aaker 1991 p. ix; de Chernatony 1993, p. 173), and that in the

travel industry destinations are emerging as the biggest brands (Morgan, Pritchard &

Pride, 2002).

The most commonly cited definitions of brands are from the supply perspective, and

are usually variations of the following:

A brand is a distinguishing name and/or symbol (such as a logo,

trademark, or package design) intended to identify the goods or

services of either one seller or a group of sellers, and to differentiate

those goods from those of competitors (Aaker, 1991, p. 7).

However, it is important to recognise that such public symbols are part of a broader

brand construct, which also includes a demand-side perspective. Aaker (1996)

conceptualised a brand as consisting of a brand identity and a brand image. On the

2
supply side, brand identity represents the aspired self image. This has an internal

focus, and is used to guide and motivate those within an organisation by articulating

the brand’s vision, values, and essence or personality. On the demand side, brand

image is the actual image held in the minds of consumers. Since destination brand

image may or may not bear any resemblance to that intended in the brand identity,

positioning represents the interface between these demand and supply side

perspectives.

Today’s consumers have increasing product choice but less decision time than ever

before in our history. Consequently, a brand that can help simplify decision making,

reduce risks associated with purchase, create expectations about benefits, and deliver

the promise will be invaluable (Keller, 2003). Branding should underpin all marketing

planning (Aaker, 1991), and the purpose of all marketing communication should be to

enhance brand equity in the minds of the target audience.

The purpose of positioning is to establish a distinctive place for the brand in the minds

of the target segment (Trout & Ries, 1979). A number of literature reviews on

memory structure have found the most commonly accepted conceptualisation has

been by a spreading action (see for example Keller 1993, Cossens 1994, Cai 2002).

This has been referred to as the associative network memory model, which sees

memory as consisting as nodes and links (see Anderson, 1983). A node represents

information that is stored about a concept, and is networked by links to other nodes.

Activation between nodes can occur either through the action of processing external

information or when information is retrieved from memory. When a node concept is

recalled, the strength of association determines the range of other nodes that will be

3
activated from memory. A destination brand represents a potential node, to which

associations with other node concepts are connected. Brand associations are anything

linked in memory to a brand (Aaker, 1991). Positioning theory (see for example Ries,

1996) suggests that to cut through the clutter of marketing communication messages

from competing and substitute products, to reach the minds of busy consumers,

requires a succinct message focusing on reinforcing one or a few brand associations.

The challenge is not to achieve general awareness, but to be remembered for the

reasons intended (Aaker, 1996).

Market positioning usually includes a brand name, symbols such as a logo, and a

slogan. The latter is a short phrase that communicates either descriptive or persuasive

information about the brand (Keller, 2003). It could be argued slogans will be limited

in what they can achieve, since they are but one component of a wider destination

promotion strategy. Slogans are commonly used by destinations, which is surely an

indication they are considered important. If slogans are important, why then has there

been so little academic attention in the tourism literature? Since the 1990s there have

been a number of academic/practitioner case study collaborations on destination brand

development published (see for example Curtis 2001, Hall 1999, Pride 2002, Crockett

& Wood 1999, Morgan, Pritchard & Piggott 2002). However, to date there has been

little discussion on brand positioning slogans, to guide destination marketing

organisations (DMOs).

Representative of a both a ‘group of sellers’, as indicated in Aaker’s (1991) brand

definition, and a host community, all DMOs face a number of constraints and

challenges that add to the already complex process of product branding. There are

4
three primary challenges faced by DMOs in designing destination positioning themes.

First, destinations are multi-attributed entities, containing an often eclectic range of

features, including commercial businesses, natural attractions and the host population.

Somehow, a succinct positioning theme must be developed that encapsulates the

community’s sense of place, as well as the tourism industry’s view of the visitor

experience, into a message that will be meaningful to travellers. The DMO has no

direct control over the individual components of the destination community, and

therefore no role in the actual delivery of the brand promise. Second, DMOs operate

in a multitude of markets of interest to members of the local tourism industry and

travel intermediaries. These consumer travel markets are heterogenous and dynamic,

and one positioning theme may not be meaningful over time, to each of the

multiplicity of market segments of interest. Third, DMO decision making takes place

within a political context. DMOs are increasingly governed by public-private

partnerships (PPPs), and face considerable political pressure in decision making, at

various levels. Therefore it cannot be assumed that all destination positioning is

developed through a process grounded in some holistic, theoretical and systematic

foundation.

It has been argued that destination promotion has seen few creative ideas, with most

campaigns failing to achieve anything more than ephemeral indifference (Gold &

Ward, 1994). In other words, they are likely to be short lived, and not effectively

differentiate. The difficulty faced by DMOs in attempting to promote difference and

avoiding hyperbole was recognised by Dann (2000, p. 65):

5
 Undoubtedly the greatest problem of all though, is the perennial and

unresolved question of constructing a message that is both credible

and responsible. If difference is to be projected in order both to satisfy

growing demand for novelty and to eliminate old and emerging rivals,

is there not a tremendous danger of cherry-picking reality to the point

where it becomes unreal, of degenerating into hyperbole and of

irresponsibility portraying a destination and its people without taking

their self-image or the true motives of tourists into full consideration?

Similarly, Pearce (1988, p. 168) proposed there can be much commonality in

promotional descriptions of destinations: “There is an international language of

tourism advertising which promotes similar sorts of images for widely different

destinations”. What would be helpful for stakeholders in progressing the development

of effective destination slogans is a generally accepted set of global standards against

which a DMO’s marketing manager, advertising agencies and political appointees

could be held accountable.

DESTINATION SLOGAN CRITERIA

While there are few guidelines in the marketing literature for empirically testing brand

slogans (Supphellen & Nygaardsvik, 2002), there is a wealth of brand positioning

literature (see for example Aaker 1996, Aaker & Joachimsthaler 2000, Aaker &

Shansby 1982, Chacko 1997, DiMingo 1988, Hooley, Saunders & Piercy 2004, Keller

2003, Lovelock 1991, Porter 1980, Ries 1996, Ries & Ries 1998, Ries & Trout 1986,

Trout & Rivkin 1995, Wind & Robinson 1972, Wind 1980), which can be used to

guide slogan development. However, while there have been a number of positioning

6
typologies proposed in the marketing literature, few have been empirically tested

(Blankson & Kalafatis, 2004). Based on a review of the positioning literature and an

examination of DMO slogans world wide, it is suggested DMOs should be able to

address six questions from stakeholders about the slogan rationale:

1. What is the slogan’s value proposition?

It is fundamental in positioning theory that a value proposition is communicated. To

investigate how destinations are currently being positioned through slogans, an

exploratory content analysis of worldwide DMO slogans was undertaken. A mix of

slogans at national, regional and local levels, from different parts of the world, was

obtained by examining slogans used during 2003 by all national tourism offices

(NTOs), USA and Australian state tourism offices (STOs), and regional tourism

organisations (RTOs) in England, Australia and New Zealand. The approach used was

to record the slogan shown on the home page of each DMO’s consumer web site. The

rationale for this process was the assumption that since the basic tenet of integrated

marketing communications dictates a consistency of message across different media

(Clow & Baack, 2004), the slogan used on a destination’s consumer home page would

represent the desired position of the destination brand. This provided a total of 244

slogans, which, due to space limitations, have been tabled separately in a text (see

Pike, 2004).

An exploratory analysis of the proposition content of the NTO, STO and RTO slogans

was undertaken by categorising the key terms used in each slogan. In only a few

cases was a value proposition not evident, such as in ‘Utah!’ in the USA and ‘The

Coromandel’ in New Zealand. The classification criteria recommended by Guba

7
(1978) was adopted, where categories should feature internal homogeneity and

external heterogeneity. This approach resulted in the identification of 14 categories,

which are listed in Table 1. The total number of slogans and DMOs shown in the table

are not equal as many slogans use more than one term. Also, some of these multiple

terms correspond to different categories. As an example, the key terms used in

‘Canada – discover our true nature’ match the ‘discover’ and ‘nature’ themes. The

most noticeable use of different categorical terms was ‘Ecuador – nature, culture,

adventure and travel’, which either reflects the difficulty faced by DMOs is designing

a focused position or is a deliberate attempt to create multiple associations with the

brand. The propositions used in the following four slogans were not able to be

categorised: ‘I am…Dunedin’, ‘FLA USA’, ‘Could it be Cayman?’, and ‘Slovakia –

your choice’. From the analysis, a typology of destination positioning can be

developed, and it is suggested DMO slogans are currently used to position

destinations by one of the following categories of propositions:

• Functional destination attributes, such as ‘Tropical North Queensland –

where rainforest meets the reef’ and ‘Hurunui – alpine Pacific triangle’.

• Affective qualities, such as ‘Brisbane – its happening’ and ‘West Virginia –

wild and wonderful’.

• Travel motivation benefits, such as ‘Hawaii – the island of Aloha’ and

‘Ruapehu – where adventure begins’.

• Market segmentation, such as ‘Dive into the heart of exotic Micronesia’ and

‘Hawkes Bay – wine country’.

• Symbols of self expression, such as ‘If travelling is your passion, Brazil is

your destiny’ and ‘Pack your six senses – come to Peru’.

8
 • Countering risk, such as ‘Cuba – peaceful, safe and healthy tourism’.

• Brand leadership, such as ‘Zambia – the real Africa’, ‘Egypt – where history

began and continues’ and ‘Eastland – first to see the light’.

• Focus, such as ‘Kalgoorlie-Boulder – gold capital of Australia’ and ‘Auckland

– city of sails’.

• Unfocus, such as ‘Curacao – in the Southern Caribbean. Real. Different’,

‘Ecuador – nature, culture, adventure and travel’ and ‘Take time to discover

Bundaberg, Coral Coast and country’.

• Combinations of the above, such as ‘Northland Naturally – first region of

New Zealand’ and ‘Michigan. Great Lakes. Great times’.

(INSERT TABLE 1 ABOUT HERE)

2. Who will find the proposition meaningful?

Positioning has the potential to be mutually beneficial to marketers by enhancing

differentiation; and to consumers by simplifying decision making. Clearly for the

latter to occur the value proposition must be of interest to the target market. Therefore

the proposition should be at least implicitly linked to benefits in the mind of the

target, such as in ‘Be inspired by Wales’ and ‘St Maarten – a little European, a lot of

Caribbean’. Many others however appear ambiguous in terms of relevance. For

example, ‘Idaho. Great potatoes. Tasty Destinations’ is a clever play on words but is a

curious tourism message, particularly as it appeared on a web home page featuring a

backdrop of snowy mountain scenes (www.visitid.org, October 2003). For any DMO

the question should be asked: Has the slogan been tested for meaningfulness in key

target markets? This issue of relevance is also particularly challenging for

9
destinations with stakeholder interests in a multiplicity of heterogeneous markets. It is

unlikely that one message will suit the needs of all markets, although the literature

review did not source any empirical investigations of this proposition.

3. How does the slogan differentiate the destination from those in the

competitive set?

Differentiation is the key to strong brands (Aaker, 1996). Positioning planning

therefore involves thinking about differentness rather than betterness (Ries & Trout,

1986). However, imitation in destination promotion is rife (see Gold & Ward 1994),

perhaps because few tourism service offerings are actually inimitable. Indeed, until

Tourism Bay of Plenty in New Zealand introduced a new slogan in 2003, the

destination shared the same theme as Australia’s Gold Coast. Both destinations were

touted as ‘the coast with the most’. Similarly, Slater (2002) reported that when

Louisiana unveiled the new slogan ‘Come as you are – leave different’, Florida’s Key

West filed a lawsuit over the similarity with their theme ‘Come as you are’.

Admittedly there is a case for some DMOs to design slogans that attempt to achieve

points of parity rather than points of difference. While points of parity are easier to

achieve, they do not represent a source of advantage. However, they might be used to

negate a rival’s point of difference or establish membership of a product category

(Keller, 2003). Few destination slogans have been able to achieve this in a manner

that is also relevant to the target. One approach destinations might consider is first

mover advantage, which is being the first of a competitive set to launch the theme in

the market. Certainly with new product launches being first to the market can be

associated with market leadership (see Ries & Trout 1982, 1986). Morgan, Pritchard

10
and Pride (2002) suggested unique selling points should be something that others

might have or could copy but couldn’t surpass. For example they suggest there can

only be one ‘Eternal City’ (Rome) or city of romance (Paris).

4. How is the message likely to be memorable?

Brand associations in memory should be strong, favourable and unique, in that order

(Keller, 2003). Slogans should be designed to cut-through the media clutter, and

might therefore lose effectiveness if further promotional material is required to

explain the proposition. It has been suggested that too many destination slogans have

been less than memorable (Dann 2000, Morgan, Pritchard & Piggott 2003, Gold &

Ward 1994). The ideal is for the value proposition to be stored in working memory,

with simplicity the key. As a short statement limited to around seven words the slogan

should be expressed in simple terms and clearly focused on one value proposition of

interest to the target. Examples of simplicity include: ‘Cumbria – lake district’ and

‘Arizona – Grand Canyon state’. Admittedly, simple slogans are often clichéd, such as

‘Nicaragua – a water paradise’. Such terminology might appear unoriginal, but can

nevertheless be effortlessly recognisable in the crowded market place. Examples of

slogans that are vague or require further elucidation include: ‘Could it be Cayman?’

and ‘Rotorua – feel the spirit manaakitanga’. The difficulty in attempting to capture a

brand identity with a short slogan may or may not be implicit in slogans such as

‘Greece – beyond words’ and ‘Barbados – just beyond your imagination’.

5. Has the proposition been designed for the long term?

Since destination image change occurs only slowly in the market place (Gartner &

Hunt, 1987), and a considerable financial investment is made in brand development,

11
the positioning theme should be consistent over the longer term. Aaker (1996)

suggested brand equity assets (loyalty, awareness, perceived quality and associations)

may be affected whenever the brand’s position is changed. However, politics at

various levels can inhibit DMO decision making. At the government level for

example, the public funded DMO for Valencia in Spain is obligated to issue a new

advertising agency contract annually (Pritchard & Morgan, 1998). Likewise, the

Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism is legislated to review its

advertising agency account every three years (Slater, 2002). In any public

organisation, there is also a danger that private interests impede the governance

process. Thus DMO politics also arises through inequality between tourism

businesses. An example of this was the influence of the Disney Corporation on the

development of the ‘Orlando Magic’ destination brand (Ritchie & Ritchie, 1998).

Pressure may also be exerted by intermediaries such as airlines, travel agents and

wholesalers. For example, Vial (1997, in Morgan & Pritchard 1998) cited the example

of a new destination brand developed for the Morocco Tourist Board, which while

supported by the local tourism industry, was derailed by pressure from travel agents

and tour wholesalers. Also, the DMO brand strategy can be subject to tinkering with

by new marketing managers wanting to leave their personal mark on promotions.

McKercher and Ritchie (1997) cited the example of a local tourism authority in

Australia, where four managers in six years had developed four different marketing

plans, with each featuring a different positioning statement. Likewise, Woodside

(1982) offered the example of Nova Scotia as a destination with a vague image, where

a contributing factor was the use of four different destination promotion themes in as

many years.

12
Speaking at the 2004 Queensland Tourism Futures Conference, the Tourism New

Zealand CEO George Hickton suggested Australia had failed to stamp a tourism

brand on the country following the success of the 2000 Olympic Games (Madigan,

2004, p. 5):

He advised Australia to create a marketing campaign with a central

theme, and not waiver. “Don’t blink. If you have a campaign, stick to

it”. Many countries wanted to make changes to 100 per cent pure New

Zealand to appeal to perceived domestic tastes…but maintaining

absolute control and conducting the same campaign in every country

paid huge dividends. “it was just like McDonalds – you are going to

get the Big Mac”.

Also, the theme should be capable of sub-suming the addition of new attractions. For

example, Snow World at Surfers Paradise may seem incongruent with the image of a

sub-tropical beach resort, but is nevertheless in keeping with the brand positioning

slogan ‘Gold Coast – the coast with the most’, which implies ‘lots to do’. Potential

advantages of long term consistency include enhanced consumer-based brand equity

through:

• ownership of a position, such as ‘Virginia is for lovers’

• ownership of an identity symbol/slogan such as ‘I ♥ New York’

• assurance for local tourism businesses and travel intermediaries who

invest resources in developing sub-brands that are compatible with the

destination umbrella brand

13
 • cost efficiencies over the long term investment in the brand.

Analysis of the longevity of destination slogans requires access to historical data,

which in the tourism literature is limited. This section focuses on STOs in the USA

and RTOs in New Zealand, for which slogans have been documented at previous

points in time. USA state slogans used in 2003 were compared to those categorised by

Richardson and Cohen (1993) and Pritchard (1982), as shown in Table 2. It is felt

these time frames provide an indication of the consistency of use over the short to

medium term. Of the 47 slogans used in 1982, only 6 were still in use in 1993, and of

the 46 slogans used in 1993, only 13 were still being used in 2003. Over a 21 year

period, only six of the 1982 slogans remained in use in 2003: Arkansas, Delaware,

Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York and Virginia. In Table 3 the New Zealand

RTO slogans used in 2003 are compared to those recorded by Pike (1998). It should

be noted that some RTOs did not participate in the 1998 study. Of the 15 slogans

listed in 1998, nine of the RTOs had retained the same message over the five-year

period.

(INSERT TABLE 2 ABOUT HERE)

(INSERT TABLE 3 ABOUT HERE)

6. Is the proposition promise deliverable by the destination community?

Ultimately, the need for creativity in slogan design must be tempered with reality. In

this regard amplification over fabrication is recommended (Gilmore, 2002). Any

claims of propositions must be deliverable, for ethical as well as litigious reasons.

14
Many of the slogans analysed feature what could be regarded as embellished claims.

These include: ‘Barbados – just beyond your imagination’, ‘England’s North Country

– the perfect package’ and ‘Greenland – out of this world’. There should be no reason

for destination marketers to resort to puffery, even if exaggerated claims might be

considered difficult to objectively refute. Are today’s sophisticated consumers likely

to be convinced by such efforts?

Research into the perceptions of ‘New Asia – Singapore’ by Henderson (2000),

highlighted the challenges involved in gaining acceptance of new destination branding

from the local community. Henderson’s study provided insights into the problems of

designing a tourism brand that does not encapsulate the host community’s sense of

place (p. 215):

When residents are called on to live the values of the brand in pursuit

of tourism goals, it would seem that marketers are in danger of

assuming too much influence and a sense of balance needs to be

restored. Societies cannot be engineered or places manufactured for

tourist consumption without a loss of authenticity which is ultimately

recognised by the visitor who will move on to seek it elsewhere.

Similarly, Lawton and Page (1997) found the slogan ‘Auckland- city of sails’ was

incongruent with the imagery used in the brochures of Auckland tourism operators, of

which relatively few featured ocean-based products.

15
DISCUSSION

The topic of branding first appeared in the marketing literature during the 1950s.

However, applications of branding theory to destinations have only been reported

since the late 1990s. The purpose of a brand is to establish a distinctive and

memorable identity in the market place that represents a source of value for the

consumer. The fundamental challenge for DMOs is to somehow develop a brand

identity encapsulating the essence or spirit of a multi-attributed destination that is

representative of a group of sellers as well as a host community. The marketing

strategy then requires the effective positioning of the brand identity to achieve the

desired brand image in the market place. Effective positioning represents a source of

advantage, but requires a succinct, focused and consistent message tailored to meet

the needs of crowded, heterogeneous and dynamic markets. Slogans are an efficient

means of communicating such a message. However, there has been a lack of

discussion in the tourism literature to guide DMOs on the development of effective

brand positioning slogans.

Given a slogan is a short statement, is it fair to expect destination slogans to ever be

anything other than ephemerally indifferent? Destination brand positioning is

constrained by a number of challenges, not the least of which is achieving a degree of

differentiation in the first place by selecting a few choice words from the public

domain that have not already been claimed, and then somehow protecting the theme

against imitation by competitors, particularly those with larger budgets. After all, a

great slogan with an inferior promotional budget may be little more than a field of

dreams. Clichés and repetition are understandable to some extent given the relatively

limited resources available to DMOs (Gold & Ward, 1994).

16
There is a paucity of destination branding research in the tourism literature, with

which to guide DMOs. In particular there has been a lack of examinations of the i)

relevance, ii) history, iii) long term management, and iv) the effectiveness, of

destination brand positioning slogans. Future research in this field will see a shift

from case studies of brand development towards studies of accountability and

destination brand effectiveness. In the meantime it is suggested the six questions

raised in this paper represent progress towards the development of a globally accepted

set of slogan development criteria by which a DMO’s marketing manager, political

appointees and advertising agency could be held accountable:

1. What is the slogan’s value proposition?

2. Who will find the proposition meaningful?

3. How does the slogan differentiate the destination from those in the competitive

set?

4. How is the message likely to be memorable?

5. Has the proposition been designed for the long term?

6. Is the proposition promise deliverable by the destination community?

More research is required into the role of slogans, from both the supply and demand

perspectives. A greater understanding is required, from the DMO perspective, on the

role of slogans within the wider marketing campaign. Also, more insights are required

on the value of slogans from the traveller perspective. More research is required to

gain an understanding of issues such as the politics of brand development decision

making and the extent to which slogans are based on a brand development strategy.

17
Also, more research needs to address the effectiveness of destination brands in

relation to DMO strategy. This is a complex task that requires analysis at three levels.

First, investigations of brand image require more than a survey of perceptions about

the destination. What is also required is an understanding of the perceptions held for

the competitive set of destinations, since brand positioning analysis requires a frame

of reference with the competition. Second, the view of stakeholders must be

canvassed. These include the host community, travel intermediaries, and local tourism

operations, who are collectively responsible for delivering the brand promise. Third,

such investigations will be required in different markets, if one brand positioning

strategy is to appeal to different markets. Clearly, such a research undertaking will be

beyond the resources available to smaller DMOs such as RTOs. With increasing

investments being made in developing destination brand slogans at country, state and

local levels, more published research will be of value in guiding these politically-

charged organisations.

18
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 Table 1 - Categories of Destination Slogans

Theme Example NTOs USA Australia Australia NZ UK Total

STOs STOs RTOs RTOs RTBs

n =127 n = 50 n=8 n = 26 n = 22 n = 11 N = 244

Superiority Yemen – be ready to be astounded 30 12 3 5 5 2 57
Discovery Discover Bundaberg, Coral Coast and 24 9 2 7 1 2 45
Country
Nature Canada – discover our true nature 21 6 2 6 5 3 43
Location Heartlands – just a drive away 25 2 7 2 6 42
People Kentucky – its that friendly 24 7 2 2 35
Water River region – New Zealand’s river region 12 3 6 4 1 26
Self Nelson – live the day 14 3 1 5 1 24
expressive
Escape Norway – a pure escape 10 2 1 1 14
Pleasure Virginia is for lovers 5 6 2 1 14
Treasure Samoa – the treasured islands of the South 8 1 1 1 11
Pacific
Royal The Ancient Kingdom of Tonga 6 6
Vibrancy Melbourne – a vibrant place to be 2 1 2 5
Climate Ethiopia – 13 months of sunshine 3 2 5
Culinary Hawkes Bay – wine country 1 1 1 1 4

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 Table 2 - USA STO Slogans used in 1982, 1993 and 2003
State 2003 1993 1982
Alabama Alabama – Wonder Full Alabama! The state of surprises Alabama the beautiful
Alaska Alaska. Beyond your dreams. Within your reach (Not included) Alaska! Where have you been all my life?
Arizona Arizona - Grand Canyon state Arizona - the Grand Canyon State Arizona - do it all
Arkansas Arkansas - the natural state Arkansas - the natural state Arkansas - is a natural
California California - the land of golden opportunities You have a date to discover the Californias No slogan
Colorado Discover Colorado (Not included) No slogan
Connecticut Connecticut - full of surprises! Classic Connecticut Better yet, Connecticut
Delaware Delaware - the first state Delaware - the first state Delaware: In the first place – the first state
Florida FLA USA Florida - coast to coast Florida – when you need it bad, we’ve got it good
Georgia Georgia on my mind Georgia on my mind Georgia – this way to fun
Hawaii Hawaii - the island of aloha Come to life in Hawaii The Hawaiian Islands – where the world wants to be
Idaho Idaho. Great potatoes. Tasty destinations Discover Idaho Idaho – the great getaway
Illinois Enjoy Illinois Illinois. The American renaissance Magnificent miles of Illinois
Indiana Enjoy Indiana Back home in Indiana Wander Indiana
Iowa Iowa - come be our guest The time is right. Discover Iowa’s treasures Try Iowa
Kansas Kansas - simply wonderful Kansas – the secret’s out Kansas – land of ah’s
Kentucky Kentucky - it’s that friendly The uncommon wealth of Kentucky Oh! Kentucky – you’ll come to love it
Louisiana Louisiana’s great outdoors Louisiana - we’re really cookin’! Louisiana – a dream state
Maine It must be Maine Maine -the way life should be Maine invites you
Maryland Maryland - welcome Maryland - more than you can imagine Ooh! The state I’m in – Maryland
Massachusetts Massachusetts – make it yours The spirit of Massachusetts Make it Massachusetts
Michigan Michigan. Great lakes. Great times Yes! Michigan! Michigan: Call on a neighbour – call on a friend
Minnesota Explore Minnesota Explore Minnesota Minnesota – lakes and a whole lot more
Mississippi Mississippi - feels like coming home Picture it - Mississippi It’s yours in Mississippi
Missouri Missouri - where the rivers run Wake up to Missouri Missouri is for kids just like you
Montana Montana - big sky country (Not included) Montana – last of the big time spenders
Nebraska Nebraska - possibilities…endless Send a postcard from Nebraska Nebraska – discover the difference
Nevada Nevada - bring it on (Not included) Nevada – you’ve been making fun of us for years
New New Hampshire - make up for lost time It’s right in New Hampshire New Hampshire – we’re better natured
Hampshire

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New Jersey New Jersey. America the beautiful…only smaller New Jersey and you – perfect together New Jersey’s got it
New Mexico New Mexico - land of enchantment New Mexico - America’s land of New Mexico – where the Southwest began, land of
enchantment enchantment
New York I ♥ New York I ♥ New York I ♥ New York
North North Carolina - a better place to be The best part of your location is where you North Carolina – variety vacationland
Carolina go. North Carolina
North Dakota North Dakota - legendary Discover the spirit. North Dakota North Dakota – historically a good route
Ohio Ohio - so much to discover Ohio - the heart of it all Ohio’s for you
Oklahoma Oklahoma - native America Oklahoma - native America On to Oklahoma
Oregon Oregon - things look different here Oregon - things look different here Oregon - one big surprise after another
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania - memories last a lifetime Pennsylvania - America starts here You’ve got a friend in Pennsylvania
Rhode Island Rhode Island - unwind Rhode Island - America’s first resort Rhode Island – biggest little state in the Union
South South Dakota. Smiling faces. Beautiful places South Carolina - this is your day in the sun Come see S.C.
Carolina
South Dakota South Dakota – Great faces. Great Places South Dakota - Great faces. Great places Imagine your vacation in South Dakota
Tennessee Roll over the map to discover Tennessee Tennessee - we’re playing your song Follow me to Tennessee
Texas Texas - it’s like a whole other country Texas - it’s like a whole other country Texas – come live the legend
Utah Utah! Utah! Utah – more vacation per gallon
Vermont Vermont – New England’s breathing space Vermont makes it special Vermont, a special world
Virginia Virginia is for lovers Virginia is for lovers Virginia is for lovers
Washington Experience Washington Destination Washington No slogan
West Virginia West Virginia - wild and wonderful West Virginia. A welcome change Wild, wonderful West Virginia
Wisconsin Wisconsin - stay just a little bit longer Wisconsin - you’re among friends Escape to Wisconsin
Wyoming Wyoming - the cowboy state Find yourself in Wyoming Big Wyoming – picture perfect

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 Table 3 – New Zealand RTO Slogans in 1998 and 2003

RTO 2003 1998

Destination Northland Northland – naturally. First region of New Zealand Northland - birthplace of a nation
Tourism Auckland * Auckland - city of sails Auckland - city of sails
Tourism Coromandel No slogan No slogan
Tourism Waikato Waikato - where the grass is greener No slogan
Tourism Rotorua * Rotorua - feel the spirit Manaakitanga Rotorua - feel the spirit Manaakitanga
Tourism Bay of Plenty Bay of Plenty. Ocean – spirit - earth Bay of Plenty - the coast with the most
Tourism Eastland * Eastland - first to see the light Eastland - first to see the light
Destination Lake Taupo * Lake Taupo - think fresh Lake Taupo - think fresh
Hawkes Bay Tourism Hawkes Bay - wine country Not included – did not participate
Destination Ruapehu * Ruapehu - where adventure begins Ruapehu - where adventure begins
Tourism Wairarapa * Wairarapa - capital country escape Waiararapa - capital country escape
River Region River Region – New Zealand’s River Region Not included
Taranaki Tourism Taranaki - real people, special place Taranaki - turn west
Positively Wellington Tourism Wellington - positively irresistible Not included – did not participate
Destination Marlborough You’re going to love Marlborough Not included – did not participate
Latitude Nelson * Nelson - live the day Nelson - live the day
Hurunui Tourism Hurunui - Alpine Pacific Triangle Not included
Christchurch and Canterbury Marketing Christchurch and Canterbury - fresh each day! Not included – did not participate
Tourism West Coast * New Zealand West Coast - with the world’s other special places West Coast - with the world’s other special places
Tourism Dunedin I am…Dunedin Not included – did not participate
Central South Island Tourism No slogan Not included
Destination Queenstown Queenstown. Any season…every reason Queenstown - simply remarkable
Destination Fiordland No slogan Fiordland - the sightseeing and walking capital of the world
MacKenzie Tourism * MacKenzie Country - New Zealand’s treasured highland MacKenzie Country - New Zealand’s treasured highland
Lake Wanaka Tourism Lake Wanaka – life the way it should be Wanaka - where the good life is
Tourism Southland Soul time in Southland Southland - the spirit of a nation

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