It’s all about you: destination marketing campaigns in the experience economy era
ISSN: 1660-5373
Article publication date: 8 June 2018
Issue publication date: 30 August 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The experience economy is characterized by the consumers’ search for emotions and memorable experiences through consumption. While the experience economy has a fundamental effect on tourists’ decision-making and their consumer behavior, only a limited number of past studies have examined the relations between the experience economy and destination marketing campaigns. To extend the scope of the existing knowledge, this paper aims to explore the use of experience marketing in destination marketing campaigns.
Design/methodology/approach
The study conducts a qualitative case study analysis of six national tourism marketing campaigns, i.e. it examines the use of experience marketing in tourism campaigns and the use of the strategic experiential module as an analysis framework for destination marketing campaigns.
Findings
The findings reveal an influence of experience marketing on the examined marketing campaigns as destinations highlight the motifs of memorable experiences, engaging people’s senses and creating meaning. In accordance with the strategic experiential module, the campaigns analyzed shift the marketing focal point from the characteristics of the destination to the tourists’ experiences of sensing, feeling, thinking, acting and relating.
Originality/value
The conclusions of the study contribute both to scholars and practitioners, extending the present knowledge of the link between experience marketing and tourism marketing, illustrating the effect of experience marketing on destination marketing and shedding new light on the role of the experience economy and experience marketing in tourism marketing campaigns.
Keywords
Citation
Ketter, E. (2018), "It’s all about you: destination marketing campaigns in the experience economy era", Tourism Review, Vol. 73 No. 3, pp. 331-343. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-03-2017-0053
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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