Emotional Branding for Tourist Destinations: A Review of ICT Tools

Abstract

Hums that express emotion, colors that mesmerize, symbols that draw, tastes that stimulate desire, shapes that tap, smells that rouse are becoming more dominant weapons with which companies realize an emotional connection with consumers. It all began in the twentieth century, at the moment when the machinery industry converted into service industry making their main element as people. Also, the consumers changed with the change in industry. With numerous products at their offering consumers are often undecided which product to choose. They expect the brand to know about them personally. Trying to improve relationships between consumers and products, marketing researchers concluded that the vital component in purchasing a product is an emotion. And the motivation behind emotional branding is to build a relation between a buyer and a product by evoking buyer’s emotion. Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in the process of offering a better service or product and can be effectively applied to tourist businesses. Tourism primarily comprised association between the operator, the tourist, the host, and the habitat. Since tourists have various destinations to visit it is essential that a destination attracts tourists with its own mark. Branding includes advertising the distinctive benefits which the tourist will undergo while visiting the destination, apart from the destination itself. Destination branding depends on reputation, quality, and specific attributes along with a vital component, emotion. Marketers normally desire that buyers experience the destination and many advertise their product or service as an experience through sounds, words, and visuals. The most important aspect is the experience traveler gets. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the fastest growing technologies and plays a major role in our daily life. It has changed our way of living and experiences. On the viewpoint of business outlook, it has touched each and every aspect of commerce. Since the beginning of internet, it is gaining strength day by day. Therefore, ICT, with significance on the internet, has swiftly adjusted to the tourism wherein novel opportunities for creative online advertising strategies are investigated. The radical changes in the society developing from the rise of ICT gave birth to novel consuming experiences which bind virtual and physical worlds, enhancing the participation of consumers both in the production and consumption processes. The chapter focuses on the role of ICT tools in emotional branding of tourist destinations.

Citation

Moturu, V.R., Nethi, S.D. and Challa, K.A. (2020), "Emotional Branding for Tourist Destinations: A Review of ICT Tools", Hassan, A. and Sharma, A. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of ICT in Tourism and Hospitality, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 99-109. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-688-720201007