Greece: Marketing a destination

Description:

Greece is situated in Southeastern Europe, with an area of 131,957 sq.km. and a population of 10,964,020. (

www.visitgreece.dr) The advertisements displayed here were found on the streets of Vienna, Austria. They are promoting tourism in Greece. The ads show young people having fun at the beach with picturesque views of an ocean in the background. One ad shows a young man on a sailboat smiling and having fun. The ad invites the viewer to visit the Visit Greece website for more information. It should be noted that this ad was in a popular pedestrian street in Vienna and both ads were placed together.

Why I selected it:

Two years ago, I visited Greece for an extended two-week tour. I visited several important cities and landmarks in the country as well as a cruise of the infamous Greek islands. What initially drew us to visit Greece was its storied history and ancient ruins. In the United States, tourists who visit Greece do so to celebrate Greek history and gastronomy. However, in the Vienna ads they are promoting something different. They are marketing Greece as a summer destination for water activities and fun. This promotion strategy is different and unique. Our tour guide said that most Austrians go to Greece or Croatia for vacations and they enjoy going to the beach as Austria has none. These advertisements were paid for by the government of Greece and its tourism board to promote travel in the area.

Analysis:

According to the Visit Greece website, “The wealth and diversity of the Greek seas, the endless kilometers of the Greek coasts and the thousands of Greek islands, the protected sea areas covering thousands of square kilometers, the mild climate, the high percentage of sunshine and its interesting and varying landscape make Greece the ideal destination for the development of sea tourism activities. In Greece sea tourism started in the ‘60s and since then has been developing at a fast pace, especially in recent years.” This approach is similar to that of Miami as they have also changed their advertising strategy. Turkel Advertising (www.turkel.info) has been the agency of choice for the Miami GMCVB and has been in charge of the branding strategy for Miami. In previous years, Miami marketed itself as a sexy, beach destination while promoting South Beach and more. However, they recently changed their campaign to Express Yourself, where the ads depict the cultural diversity and art scene of the city.

Key Points:

• The ads shown here depict an advertising campaign for tourism in Greece
• They are marketing Greece as a summer destination for water activities and fun
• This approach is similar to that of Miami as they have also changed their advertising strategy in an opposite way