Tshwane s Marketing and Communications Strategy March 2012 Presented by: CME
Contents Where are we now? 1. Background 2. SWOT Analysis 3. Current Reality 4. Comparative & Competitive Advantage Where are we going? 1. Strategy Drivers 2. Marketing & Communications Objectives 3. Who are we talking to? - Target audience How to get there? 1. Marketing & Communication Summary Strategy 2. Specific Action Plans 3. Roadmap 4. Guiding principles 5. Practical considerations 6. Critical Success Measures
3. Background CoT is the Centre of government with all the national government departments being located here; It forms part of the Gauteng City global region, the wealthiest and fasted growing economic region on the African continent; It houses 2 nd most embassies after Washington DC; It is a national Centre of research and learning with four universities and seven of the eight national science councils, i.e. the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), the HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council), the ARC (Agricultural Research Council), the NRF (National Research Foundation), the MRI (Medical Research Institute), the VRI (Veterinary Research Institute) and the SABS (South African Bureau of Standards). Strong heritage and rich cultural diversity
4. Current Reality Low brand awareness, no brand identity City is not top of mind when it comes to tourism or business, MICE or events destination Reactive vs proactive communications approach Fragmented marketing and events approach thereby leads to double dipping & undermines brand image and not exploiting economies of scale Lack of knowledge about the city brand& tourism attractions Inconsistent brand image and perceptions Lack of knowledge about the key leaders of the city and city s future development plans that impact the citizens and stimulate investor confidence Citizens & Diplomatic Corps are not empowered to be the city s ambassadors
Where do we want to go?
5. New Approach Proactive communications approach Integrated Communications, marketing and events approach thereby enhance brand leverage Seasonal Campaigns to increase brand awareness Coherent and consistent brand image Profile key leaders of the city and city s future development plans that impact the citizens and stimulate investor confidence Develop a city ambassadors programe
6. KEY DRIVERS OF THE STRATEGY International Relations R&D, Innovation & Investment promotion Marketing, Communications & Events Twinning programmes & JMAs Capitalise on Centre of excellence &innovation Destination Marketing (Tourism/MICE) Exchange programs and International best practices Live, Visit, Study & Invest Tshwane Civic/Strategic Events & Sponsorship International Networks e.g Metropolis, UCLGA,ICCA Product development & regeneration initiatives Corporate Communication& Promotion
How do we stand out from the crowd?
7. Comparative & Competitive advantage Comparative Position Tshwane as Africa s Capital City of excellence Improve the perception and image of Tshwane amongst staff, residents, local and international visitors and investors Competitive Recreate the brand image- a new look & feel Re-align the destination and investment promotion strategy to ensure uniformity and refinement Grow Tourism & related industries- Increasing the number of visitors coming to our destination Promote social cohesion and stimulate partnership amongst key stakeholders, staff, residence and business
8. Marketing, Communications& Events Objectives MARKETING Develop a strong integrated brand identity for the City that Positions the city as Africa s Capital City of excellence Positions the city as a preferred destination for tourists and MICE ensuring the promotion of unique experiences offered in the city Positions the city as a preferred investment destination and ensuring the promotion of the investment incentives offered by CoT Improve brand awareness of the City domestically and internationally aligned to positioning Encourage strong partnership approach COMMUNICATIONS: Develop messaging that ensures positive image and manage perceptions about CoT To position the CoT as thought leader in terms of Research, Technology and Innovation To improve profile of the city and create a face of the city To create awareness of the city s proposition internally and externally Promote language diversity with a view of discouraging polarisation in City Enhance Corporate & Brand Communications both internally & externally
8. Marketing, Communications & Events Objectives: Cont d EVENTS Develop Events Strategy for the City to enhance the brand Identify high impact events to promote the brand both nationally and internationally Leverage off these Events to promote Socio-economic impact Use events to promote CoT as a true African Capital city Develop events sponsorship policy with a view of partnering with key stakeholders to promote the city brand Manage the city calendar of events
9. Target Market: Who are we talking to? DOMESTIC Our people (Staff) Citizens /ex citizens Diplomatic Corps / exparts Domestic meeting and event planners South African Corporates Trade and Professional Associations Tourism & MICE trade Stakeholders Media INTERNATIONAL Investors Meeting & event planners Media Trade and Professional Associations Industry Associations Trade
How to get there?
10. Marketing & Communications Broad Strategic Thrust Brand Building Events & MICE Destination marketing Communications Brand positioning Convention & events Bureau (bidding for large events) Establishing a Destination brand Image building & perception management Advertising and promotional campaigns Sponsorships / events development & activations Increase Length of stay &spend Reputation & crisis management Research &Insight mining Corporate events Geographic spread & seasonality Media & investor Relations Community involvement & Stakeholder partnerships Trade partnerships and channel management Internal /Corporate Communications Underpinned by innovation, excellence, ruthless execution and strong partnership approach
11.Marketing: Specific Action Plans OBJECTIVE Specific Action Plan TIMING Create strong & integrated brand with clear positioning Promote CoT as the preferred destination for tourists and MICE Research and Market intelligence Develop clear positioning embraced by stakeholders and citizens Develop brand logo in line with city s positioning Develop brand and advertising campaign Development of Marketing and promotional tools Aggressive marketing improve brand awareness in all the City s key markets Identify and promote City s unique experiences Develop a database on accessible tourism services and attractions, to enable Information Offices to disseminate appropriate information to tourists Develop and strategy to secure more domestic and international conferences and events into the city Build consumer-based information & knowledge management Commission brand insight research and segmentation studies to understand target markets and make decisions on where to play internationally Commission brand tracking stud to understand brand performance Initiate measurement systems to monitor performance against targets. Community Involvement Develop a calendar of external interface forums between the City and key stakeholders(business, investors) Regional izimbizo marketing to reach its communities Mar/Apr 12 Mar/Apr 12 Apr/May 12 April 12
Communication Strategic Framework The brand communication strategy will culminate into a 4 phases: Unleashing and showcasing City s hidden treasures across the Country, Continent and the globe.. Elevate Tshwane s competitive and comparative edge 1.The rising of the sleeping Giant Brand architect and attribute to reinforce this positioning 2. Pioneering Africa s innovation and excellence 3. Igniting Excellence Dialing up on the positioning 4. Creating City Ambassadors Mar 12 May 12 July 12 Oct 13
12. Communications: Specific Action Plans OBJECTIVE Specific Action Plan TIMING Proactive image & perception management Develop messaging document that position Tshwane as Africa s leading innovative, lifestyle, sporting, and cultural destination of choice Identify strategic platforms that CoT can support and partner with Content development and develop messaging to create positive perception and build image Tourism awareness programmes Communications plans to profile strategic projects Apr 12 Increased Profile Identify strategic platforms to profile Mayor and City Target key influencers and adopters to elevate the brand Ongoing Media Relations Proactively engage media updating them on key news and developments in the city and provide content Form strong media relations in order to aid crisis management quarterly Crisis and Issues Management Establish a Communications & Marketing Forum Develop a crisis and issues management strategy, that is shared and embraced internally Internal Communications Identify relevant channels to communicate internally including managing of newsletters Investigate inspiring campaigns that make our staff become city s ambassadors and drive executional excellence Digital Communication Develop digital communication strategy to leverage on the modern use of social media platforms to enhance our messages and strategic goals(including blogs, twitter, etc.) Mar 12 Mar12 April 2012
13. Events: Specific Action Plans OBJECTIVE SPECIFIC ACTION PLANS TIMING Integrated Events strategy Establish Events JOC to ensure alignment & uniformity Identify strategic events that CoT can support to strengthen the brand Build own events Integrated Annual event calendar Strategic Events/ Events Bidding Identify strategic events to be Hosted in CoT- Tshwane Open TITIIC Freedom Month Tourism & Heritage Month Festive Season-Xmas Carols & Lighting Cycling Challenge Socio-economic impact analysis March 2012 Annually Bi-annually Annually Corporate Events Calendar Identify strategic events in the city Develop a guide that constitute strategic events and how they impact on the city s brand Communicate the process to all affected departments Populate the calendar with all planned and approved events Market these events through different platforms quarterly Sponsorship Develop /Draft events sponsorship policy Jun2012 22
15. Roadmap: Key milestones As part of the development of the 5year IDP & CDS2055 marketing promotional campaigns and platforms, tools & collateral ( including missions, roadshows, marketing campaigns, publications, advertising, online/digital platforms & management thereof Marketin, Comms& Events Strategy development and approval Annual Marketing, Communication & Events plans with budgets and approvals Finalise media implementation plan Develop Events Marketing & Sponsorship strategic framework IMPLEMENTATION All of this to be finalised with Marketing, Communications& Events Department aligned with the overall City s annual business plan Appointing, managing & performance monitoring of all agencies including advertising, BTL/activations, digital, research & PR Agencies Mar 12 Apr 12
16. Guiding Principles and Implications 360 degree Integrated marketing approach including digital platforms Marketing that is driven by consumer (audience) needs and stay true to the brand positioning Alignment (Vertical & Horizontal) brand synergy with key sub-brands in Tshwane, provincial and national but also aligning our stakeholders and trade partners. Establish measurement systems to monitor performance against targets. Invest inspire in our people training and development for capacity building and inspire excellence Move from functional towards Experiential Marketing, that is emotionally engaging Aggressive investment to support approved programmes
17. Success Measures Brand Marketing & Comms; Top of mind brand awareness Conversion Positively impact key brand attributes Perceptions of value for money Perceptions of being a City of Excellence Perceptions of being a welcoming destination Ability to rest and relax Perceptions of Tshwane s historical and cultural product including urban wildlife Customer satisfaction and confidence in the City Positivity positive media coverage Internal executional excellence streamlined focused and strategic approach Events & MICE Setting up of a Convention and Visitors Bureau Growth in number of events hosted p.a. and their economic contribution Positively impact city s economy Number of jobs created Arrivals number of delegates attending conventions in the city p.a. Conversion rate : leads converted to actual bids Number of Bids submitted p.a., bids won plus socio- economic contribution thereof
18. Good Bye!
19. New Look & Feel!
Change is the process by which the future invades our lives. - Alvin Toffler
Here s to a rebirth of brand Tshwane. Thank You! 30