Essay by Ed Quillen
Tourism – August 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
ONE BENEFIT of the commercial dialect of modern American English is that it often consists of a string of buzzwords, and all you have to do to sound plausible, perhaps even intelligent, is string a few of them together: “Our commitment to diversity and sustainability is a vital component of our strategic visioning …”
Your eyes tend to glide right across swill like this, since it means nothing. Every now and again, though, a buzzword emerges which has some meaning, and that seems to be the case with “branding.” The business press talks often of “brand identity,” “brand loyalty,” “brand building” and the like, and the idea is worth exploring — especially since the Chaffee County tourism folks have just embarked on a “branding” campaign.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, brand and burn were the same word a millennium ago. Brand came to mean “something burning,” a use that survives in “firebrand” — those torches carried by angry mobs in old Frankenstein movies. Then it evolved to mean “the mark produced by something that had just been in the fire,” which is why ranchers still brand calves in the spring, as opposed to “stamping” or “marking” them.
But 400 years ago, it was criminals who were branded (Hester Prynn’s Scarlet Letter A is a variant on that), and so a brand was a mark of shame.
Other fire-etched marks gained respectability, though, because tradesmen and merchants began branding their goods; a vintner, for instance, would use a red-hot piece of iron to stamp the end of a wine barrel with his name. The meaning was expanded so that any such identifying mark was a brand, even if it had been applied with paint or ink.
I like this sense of “brand.” It’s a way of displaying honest pride in workmanship and of acknowledging responsibility. It says “I made this and I stand behind it.” But American commerce can certainly stretch this concept past all reason.
For instance, the most recognized brand in the world is probably Coca-Cola, which might mean something for other flavors of soft drink, as with Diet Coke. But a couple of years ago, I happened across some canvas chairs which were bright red and emblazoned with the Coca-Cola logo.
Now, why would expertise in selling sugared carbonated water translate into expertise in lawn furniture? And why would anybody pay for something that merely advertised Coca-Cola? In other words, if Coca- Cola wants to put a billboard in my yard, shouldn’t I get paid for that, rather than pay for the privilege?
But Coca-Cola probably got the idea from clothing designers. Instead of designing clothes that were so attractive, functional, and comfortable that people would want them, the Ralphs and Tommys of this world just started sticking their names in prominent places on their clothes. Then they aggressively promoted the names, rather than their products.
SUCH PROMOTION must cost a lot of money, but it apparently works well. Build a shirt somewhere in the Third World for 50ยข, slap your name on it, and sell it for $35. That’s a cheap way to get some “added value,” without the expense of using better cloth or designs. This process must be quite profitable, or else other types of companies wouldn’t work so hard to “develop brand loyalty.”
But I suspect we all have some of that. If I buy a Hewlett-Packard printer for my computer, and it works well, then I’m likely to buy more H-P printers. The company earned a good reputation, not by its marketing, but from the quality of a product — and if I think “those folks at H-P make good printers,” I’ll probably assume that they make good scanners and fax machines, too.
That’s a good form of “brand loyalty.” But of course, it only lasts until H-P comes out with merchandise which isn’t as reliable as the old stuff — even if it comes in gaudier colors. You’d think that companies would want to “build brand loyalty” by building good products, but that’s not how modern American corporations work. Instead, they try to glean brand loyalty from plastering their logo on everything.
But sometimes you just see too much of a brand.
I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere, but I suspect that “brand disloyalty,” or “brand aversion,” can be as important a marketing factor as “brand loyalty.” For instance, a mouse on one of our computers started acting up last month, and a thorough cleaning — even to the extent of soaking the mouse ball in rubbing alcohol overnight — did not make its screen pointer quit jerking and skipping.
So I called Walt Hall at ICE Computing to see if he had any good mice in stock. “You ought to get one of those new optical mice,” he said. “You know, a eunuch mouse.”
I didn’t catch the pun over the phone, so he explained. “It’s not mechanical. It’s got an optical sensor, so it doesn’t need a ball. No balls — eunuch, get it?”
SOUNDED GOOD TO ME until he said it was made by Microsoft, at which point I began asking if he had any from any other company, because I don’t like Microsoft’s bug-prone software, nor do I care for the way the company does business. But Walt eventually talked me into the Microsoft Optical Mouse, and I’m pleased to report that the critter works quite well. I was shunning a good product on account of my “brand aversion.”
Although Microsoft spends a lot of money to develop “brand identification,” the more I see the brand, the more I hate the company for attempting to control every computer on earth. So obviously this “brand- building” can cut both ways; after all, I’d hardly take the trouble to hate Microsoft if it seldom came to my attention.
There are companies which try to have things both ways. One night a friend and I went shopping for a six-pack of beer to lubricate the process of swapping lies. We usually sample some microbrew, and we saw a brand we hadn’t seen before. Its label looked for all the world like one from a tiny ma-and-pa brewery, but upon later examination, the Red Dog came from Mill er, which is hardly a ma-and-pa operation.
Miller spent millions to develop a brand identity, especially for that abomination known as Lite Beer. And just in case that corporate excess turned a few potential customers toward small breweries, Miller tried to cover that angle by marketing a beer that didn’t appear to have come from Miller. It made me wonder: Is Miller so ashamed of what it does that it prefers not to be identified with some of its products?
Of course, Miller is not in business to make good beer. It’s in business to make good money, and it will slap on whatever label will assist in the process. If I were an investor, that might make me like Miller, but as a consumer, it makes me read the fine print whenever I’m shopping for beer.
These thoughts of brands and branding arose because Chaffee County promoters are now developing a new brand: “Colorado’s Headwaters of Adventure,” which replaces “Now THIS is Colorado.”
Other counties have slogans, and sometimes they don’t fit. Every time I drive to Denver on U.S. 285, for instance, I pass a Jefferson County sign that says “Gateway to the Rockies.”
Except I’m not going “to the Rockies,” I’m leaving them. But I guess it would be inconvenient — and a dilution of their branding strategy — to erect a suitable sign for eastbound traffic: “Gateway to Gridlock.”
SOMETHING AS VITAL as a Brand Identity for Chaffee County could not be left to mere creative inspiration, though. This one took research. I know, because a couple of months ago, I was one of those people selected to receive a questionnaire from the Brand Development Consultants.
Their questions struck me as absurd, however. But I’ll let you judge.
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1. What are the top three (3) reasons why visitors come to Chaffee county? (please number by descending order of priority (#1 the #1 reason people come here)
arts community
hunting and fishing
summer recreation, specifically
mtn biking
rafting/kayaking
hiking
peak bagging
winter recreation, specifically
resort skiing/snowboarding
backcountry skiing/snowboarding
snowmobiling
snowshoeing
special interest festivals/events
history buffs
visiting friends and family
on the way to someplace else where?
other: please name
Now, why would I know that? I might talk to 50 people a year who are visiting Chaffee County, and that’s not a big enough sample to be meaningful. Besides, I’ve developed “brand aversion” to the phrase “peak bagging.” It seems contemptuous of the mountains.
2. From the full list above, which visitor activity has the most room for growth and positive economic impact and why?
Again, how would I know that? We’ve run articles about how 14ers are getting too much traffic, but certainly there are enough other summits to provide some room for growth in that area. But does that mean there’s a possibility of making more from climbers?
I don’t know, but I suppose it depends. Was somebody planning on putting a chain of concession stands on the tops of thirteeners? Or was the county planning on charging premium rates for search and rescue?
I’m not really sure I want more hikers and mountain bikers in our forests, but I figured I’d better not get into that issue and skipped to the next question.
3. Pick the best choice in each category to describe the most common Chaffee County visitor:
Origin
In state
Out of state, adjoining
Out of state, non-adjoining
Financial
on a budget
deep pockets
Age
older (50+)
middle age (30s and 40s)
younger (under 30)
Family
Singles traveling together
Couples without kids
Families with kids
Empty Nesters (traveling as spouses, or in coed or same-gender pairs or groups)
Length of Stay
Passes through, no lodging
Spends one night
mid-week
weekend
Stays at least two nights
combination of weekday/weekend (Sun-Thurs)
weeknights only
weekend only (Fri/Sat)
Stays 4 or more nights
Type of Lodging
Hotel/motel
B & B
Campers on public lands
Friends & family
Motel owners, B&B operators, and campground hosts might be able to provide some relevant information here, but I sure couldn’t. I’m an authority only on the “Friends and Family Type of Lodging.” And let’s face it: those generally aren’t people with money to spend, or they wouldn’t be mooching. So again, what I’d have to say wouldn’t mean much.
4. What three words or phrases would you use to sell Chaffee County to prospective new visitors?
There’s an assumption here that I want to “sell Chaffee County.” But let’s ignore my attitude problem (or theirs, depending upon how you look at it).
Chaffee County seldom has the “best” in any Colorado tourism category. But it is close to the top in most categories, thus making it a convenient place for visitors who want to sample a lot of Colorado attractions. For instance, the state’s highest summits are in Lake County, but they’re convenient to Chaffee, and Chaf fee’s peaks are almost as lofty — our 14,420-foot Mt. Har vard is just beneath Lake County’s Elbert, 14,433, and Massive, 14,421.
Connoisseurs also tell me there’s better whitewater than the Arkansas, but ours is pretty good. Although fishing might be better elsewhere, ours isn’t bad. We don’t have a scenic railroad, but there are several nearby, and we’ve got lots of railroad history. Yet “Second best at nearly everything” probably isn’t a very good marketing motto.
Merchants might object to truth in advertising, however, as in: “Chaffee County — because we want your money.”
And Realtors probably wouldn’t appreciate, “All this can be yours — for a price.”
Besides, I’m a professional writer. You want my work, get out your checkbook.
5. Name the Colorado visitor destination that you think most lures people away from Chaffee County.
Why does it matter what I think about this? Let’s see, there’s the Royal Gorge and the Air Force Academy to the east, the Sand Dunes to the south, Leadville to the north, and the Gunnison Country to the west.
And they’ve all got things we don’t. So what are we supposed to do? Haul in some sand? Get our congressman to move the Coast Guard Academy here? Spread rumors about Hanta and West Nile viruses lurking in nearby counties?
How is Chaffee County better, worse, or just different than that destination?
Talk about a silly question. Give Martha a vacation and she’ll head toward an ocean. Do I need to explain the difference?
As for my travel plans, (the annual “Let’s try to save our sanity with a road trip during Mud Season” getaway), the major consideration is that I be in a place where, if the phone rings, it’s not for me.
6. Which of the following best describes the typical visitor experience in Chaffee County?
Dissatisfied and won’t ever be back (disappointment)
Mildly dissatisfied but might come back anyway (disappointment)
Better than expected and will come back at least once again (surprise)
A priceless memory; they’re looking forward to coming back and will tell all their friends about it (surprise)
Now how would I, or anyone else, know “the typical visitor experience” here?
A more logical question might be: “How do you hope the typical visitor responds to Chaffee County?”
In which case, I’d bet a high percentage of locals would respond, “I hope they think it’s a great place to visit, but they sure wouldn’t want to live here.”
7. What’s the best surprise or biggest disappointment Chaffee County visitors regularly experience that leads to the answer you chose above?
How am I supposed to know this? Telepathy?
On the other hand, from the hearsay testimony of people who work with tourists more often than I do, I’ve heard that one of the big disappointments seems to be that river guides don’t row people back up the river (and therefore make them ride on buses). To remedy that, however, we’d have to hire boatmen from Harry Potter’s class.
8. What’s the single greatest thing Chaffee County needs to do or change in the short term to attract new visitors and keep them coming back?
Wow, there are so many things we could do. We could hand out money, or offer free lots. We could add fourteen feet of rock to the top of Mt. Harvard, so we’d have the tallest mountain in Colorado (like those people did in that Hugh Grant movie).
Or perhaps instead of merely digging play holes in our river, we could install a waterfall (although a tourist attraction as big as Niagara might be rather costly).
On the other hand, perhaps Congress could be persuaded to give us the Statue of Liberty — which should be safer sitting here in rural Colorado than in a bay next to the biggest city in the U.S. Then again, maybe we could just change names with Pitkin County — which would definitely give “Chaffee County” a momentous surge in real estate valuation.
9. Think about one of your favorite vacations. Geography aside, tell the proverbial genie in the bottle what wish(es) (3 max) he could grant to help Chaffee County be more like that place.
Geography aside? Let’s see. We could try being as cheap as Puerto Rico, but wages here are low enough as it is. Or as friendly as Texas, but let’s face it, we’d need a major cultural shift to start drawling “How y’all doin’?”
But why can’t we just like Chaffee County as it is, instead of trying to make it into something that tourists will find more appealing? After all, we do have a substantial number of tourists already.
On the other hand, though, we can always use more money, can’t we? So maybe everybody here could start dressing in lynx kitten costumes. That should definitely make us more winsome.
10. If Chaffee County was a famous person, who would it be and why? (political figure, recording artist, actor/actress, athlete, etc)
Who? Why?
Okay, let’s go for Keith Richards, because he’s rugged, worn, and not too cute — and despite all the hard living, he’s still doing what he loves to do.
THERE, I finally answered the questionnaire, and I feel like a better citizen and local businessman, here in “Colorado’s Headwaters of Adventure.”
As often happens, this survey showed me once again why some modern business consultants need to take more logic classes. Quite obviously, there are questions appropriate for locals and questions appropriate for tourists.
And even though tourists’ perceptions may be a bit more difficult to obtain, surveys could be included in packets given out at local chambers or distributed in restaurants and motel rooms.
Or perhaps not. Perhaps these questions should be aimed at finding out what locals do know, instead, things like: What business are you in? What are your best weeks in terms of sales? Your worst? Which local events help your business? Are there local events that seem to make no difference in sales? Do you answer tourist inquiries in your line of business? If so, what do tourists ask you most often? What events do you personally enjoy most?
Or maybe it would be better to consult with other communities about what they’ve done to attract tourists and what their results have been.
But either way, asking residents what they think are the best and worst things about visiting here is silly — and it may be counterproductive. Sure, we’ve all got ideas about why tourists come here, but presumably we should base improvements on facts rather than impressions. That way, we’re not as likely to make frivolous changes that don’t do a bit of good.
BUT AS SILLY as this branding research sounds, how we actually “brand” our place does make a difference. Every study I’ve read of the tourist industry points out that there are different kinds of tourists — thrill-seekers, history buffs, culture connoisseurs, etc. — and your locale’s “image” or “brand” plays a big part in determining what kind of tourist you get.
Most of the Salida merchants I deal with will say that Art Walk is one of their best weekends, that it brings a lot of people to town who spend money at galleries, restaurants, bookstores, etc. That’s “cultural tourism.” Another good group of visitors, I hear, are “heritage tourists,” like railroad buffs or historic-district pedestrians.
“Colorado’s Headwaters of Adventure” doesn’t aim at those crowds. It invites water-borne thrill-seekers. There’s nothing wrong with them, but it’s not a good year-’round slogan. Our economy is already too seasonal, and this new motto doesn’t encourage other kinds of desirable tourism (which support other kinds of businesses).
But the money is spent and the consultants have spoken — for better or worse.
Now, we’re going to be branded as a great place for young, adventuresome thrill-seekers. Talk about disappointment: Chaffee County just doesn’t seem like a great place for spring-break excitement.
But then again, how would I know? Like I said, I leave town for mud season.
