Cases studies

Repositioning Tenerife: how to rebrand Tenerife and attract new market segments. France – from August 2008

• Agencies : Interface Tourism France
• Services : Consumer Promotion - Market Intelligence - Public Relations - Representation - Trade Development

Brief

In the French market Tenerife suffers from its “old-fashioned” image and from cheap, mass tourism interested only in the classic “sol y playa”.

In reality, Tenerife is indeed a “sol y playa” destination, but it is much more than that. Tenerife is an island of contrasts, from the greenery found inland to the blue sea, from the highest peak in all Spain, the Teide, to the seemingly endless beaches of volcanic or golden sand…

The concept: modernise the image of the destination, creating visibility amongst new market segments which would never otherwise have thought about Tenerife for their holidays on account of the island's quite restrictive image.

Tactics

From August 2008

The basic concept was to encourage new kinds of clients to visit Tenerife, from AB++ tourists who could enjoy Premium tourism and top golf courses in 5 stars hotels, to young executives looking for adventure and exciting activities before heading out to enjoy Tenerife's nightlife…

To help people discover this “unknown” Tenerife, the PR campaign focused on activities to reposition and to make the destination much more dynamic:

• A vast consumer press campaign designed to widen people's image of Tenerife:

• In the Nature / Culture segments: press trips, advertising campaigns and the organisation of "win-a-trip" contest in Ushuaia Magazine, Ulysse Magazine, Grands Reportages, trekmag.com (in collaboration with Allibert, a TO specialised in Trekking) etc....

• In the Premium segments: press trip and advertising campaigns with L’Officiel Voyage, Désirs de Voyage, Golf Magazine, Maison Côté Sud etc.

• To e-clients: organisation of an important visibility campaign and a "win-a-trip" contest with Mon Nuage and advertising campaigns in Expedia.fr, Opodo.fr, Liligo.fr, Govoyages.com, Lastminute.com, Aéroports de Paris (with Carlson Wagonlit Travel), Linternaute.com etc.

• To clients in Paris and the provinces: an advertising campaign and press trips with BFM Radio, Radio Latina, 20 Minutes Paris, Biba, Elle, La Croix, La Marseillaire, La Montagne, La Voix du Nord, Le Républicain Lorrain etc.

• Launch of an e-newsletter programme focused on new segments only: “An Island to Rediscover”, Historical and Cultural Patrimony”, “Natural Heritage”, “Adventure Island”, “A Premium but Rural Destination”, “An Island of History and Legends” etc.

• Total rewriting of the press kit, focusing on the interests of French tourists.

• Participation in themed consumer fairs (Destinations Nature for nature/activities, Salon du Golf for golf, ILTM for Premium, MAP…)

Result

• Tenerife is back in the consumer press! Especially with articles on the islands Nature and Culture
• Almost none of the articles about Tenerife published last year mentioned mass tourism, big hotels or “sol y playa” tourism; they all focused on the diversity of Tenerife and the activities that can be enjoyed there!
• The North of Tenerife is now widely mentioned in press articles – not only the purpose-built holiday resorts to the South of the island! Pictures used to illustrate articles on Tenerife no longer only show sea and beaches, they now show the island's volcanoes or its other natural attractions!
• Greater travel trade interest: tour operators specialising in trekking or activity holidays are selling more and more trips to Tenerife and the specialised trade press is once more writing about Tenerife and its tourist policy etc. And last but not least, regular airlines now operate direct flights between France and Tenerife!