The following presentation is a communication strategy for Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India made by students of Advertising and Public Relations at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi

1. SHIMLA
By Group 1

2. Brand definition
Shimla is like the hibiscus flower: fragile, polite, gentle , charming,
royal, has fame, is hospitable, an all consuming love with its pristine
pines and the succinct air, it is also an old man trying to regain its
glory but has lost out in the world of the Goas and Manalis and the
plastique realm

3. Marketing Aim
The concept of a crowded, unregulated, undervalued place with
nothing to offer but the movie scenes which Bollywood sold to us.
Rekindle the stagnant growth of Shimla by attracting the lapsed as
well as new tourists who spend a significant amount of their holiday
budget in shimla thereby ameliorating the over all quality of tourism.

4. • According to the graph given, Shimla had the highest of visitors in the year
2004-2013
• However alarmingly the CAGR remains the lowest
• 2.36 Lakh Residents live within the city’s municipal limits
• More than 35 Lakh tourists visit Shimla annually
• The city’s hotels and tourist lodges can currently house 9,378 visitors(not
counting homestays)
• Shimla offers a wide range of offers. So it has not been able to develop
intelligently
• Source: Shimla Municipal Corporation in collaboration with UNDP, 2013

5. 7
5
4
13
3
19
4
8
20
6
5
6
10 11
68
10
69
7
45
26
7
13
18
36
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0
5
10
15
20
25
Bilaspur Chamba Hamirpur Kangra Kinnaur Kullu Spiti Mandi Shimla Sirmour Solan Una
Citywise tourist share and growth rates
Share CAGR
Source: Himachal Tourism, Tourist arrival statistics, 2004-2013
%SHARE
%CAGR

6. Contd.
Marketing objective:
• To be included in the top 10 tourist destinations for all seasons in
India
• To increase the duration of stay from 2.3 days to 4.5 days
• To increase the brand share of Shimla

7. Role of advertising
Change the positioning and image of Shimla by highlighting the major
cultural elements, focusing on explorer quotient, sustenance and
making it a more experience based tourism.
Postioning: A tourist destination for the cultural explorer, who sees
Shimla as a rejuvenating destination, defying all the notions for the
‘normal’ image of Shimla being a viewpoint of the Himalayas, and
nothing more.

8. Competition
• SHIMLA POSITION:
Cheap, Accessible getaway with great historical significance but highly
disorganized and over-crowded
• KULLU POSITION:
Spiritual place which offers an array of adventure sports, Biological Hot
Spot , Rohtang pass
• MANALI POSITION:
So-Lang Valley, land of romance
• DHARAMSHALA POSITION:
Upcoming place, exotic culture, spiritual place

9. Himachal Pradesh Tourism Video

10. Kerala Tourism Video

11. Madhya Pradesh Video

12. Competition on the basis of seasons(MICRO)
Summers:
Destination USP BRAND IMAGERY
Ladakh(J&K) Inhospitable terrains, Pristine natural
beauty
Free Spirited Travel Junkie’s Paradise
Shillong(Meghalaya) The rock culture, The Sacred Groves Scotland of the East
Kodaikanal(Tamil Nadu) Coakers‘ Walk, Ecotourism Princess of Hill Stations
Panchmarhi(Madhya Pradesh) Pandav Caves, Satpura ki Rani
Tawang(Arunachal Pradesh) The enchanting scenery, Sela Pass,
Tawang Monastery
Undiscovered and Brilliant Scenery

13. Winters(MICRO)
Destination USP BRAND IMAGERY
Jammu & Kashmir Dal Lake, Religious pilgrimage Heaven on Earth
Goa Beach side Parties, Sunburn Festival Hippie culture
Kerala Ethnic Culture highlighted, Backwaters,
hospitable people,
God’s own country
Andaman & Nicobar Coral Reefs, scarcely habited islands,
Pristine beaches
Island State of India
Rajasthan Rich Culture, Palaces, Pilgrimage, Indus
Valley Civilization Ruins
The Royal State
Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand India’s Oldest National Park, Royal
Bengal Tiger, Ecotourism
The Premium National Park of India
Madhya Pradesh Variety of food, Historical Temples, Hindustan ka Dil

14. MACRO COMPETITION
• Pubs/Lounge/Clubs
• Exquisite cuisine
• Entertainment substitutes (Movies/Theme Parks)
• Spa
• Consumer durables
• Savings and Investments
• Holidaying Clubs, Resorts
• Luxury Products/

15. The target audience is a confident adult of age
30, with an active lifestyle of Tier I and Tier II,
who is proud of his/her culture and values other’s
culture and puts them in the same light, his/her
deep fascination for nature’s thoughtful creation
which is often well documented by a contraption
perpetually hanging by his neck.
He is rebuffed by the conventional approach to
life, biased to his beliefs. Before planning on a
vacation, he will think innumerable times as to
the purpose of his visit
WHO ARE WE TALKING TO?

16. Where are we from the consumers POV?
Visitors have not had a unique experience as a tourist, Shimla has
‘lost its innocence’, it is a hibiscus flower but kept in a vase
without water, it is shrivelling up, it is withering it is blackening.
The culture seems to be lost in translation, with Shimla
desperately trying to find its identity amongst the Ethnic Kerala,
the Flamboyant Goa and the Dainty Madhya Pradesh.
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu Kashmir are under
the same banner of a ‘destination for the pilgrims and cheap
getaway goers’

17. Where are we going?
The potential tourist should get a familiar feeling of belongingness of
a hill station, a warmth in the chilly air of Shimla, be enchanted by the
Pahari culture and the stories of its lineage, be mystified by its mist,
as it seeps into the summit of the seven hills; take all this into account
and always look forward to hear the familiar chugs of the Kalka-
Shimla Toy Train again.

18. The Button
Shimla: the cultural capital of Himachal Pradesh, which is a pioneer in
sustainable tourism

19. Supports
• Shimla has rich Colonial History which can be supported in harmony
by the ethnic culture
• Also eco tourism or sustainable tourism is generating buzz by
attracting conscious tourists who come to Shimla to enjoy its
untouched environs especially the foreign tourists.
• The ethnic Pahari Culture of story telling and the world famous
Pashmina Shawl has lost its grandeur in the eyes of the tourists today.
• Examples can be sought from the Hornbill festival, Kerala Snake boat
race festival, Sunburn Festival etc.

20. Contd.
By adopting the same measures that was taken for Kerala’s Gods Own Country Campaign’s “the 6 S’s”
S Description
SWAGAT Hospitality :
• Facilitation on arrival
• Memorable Experience
SOOCHNA Information:
• Marketing & Promotion
• Information dissemination
SUVIDHA Facilitation:
• Accommodation & Stay
• Amenities & Convenience
SURAKSHA Security/Protection:
• Tourist safety
• Environment management
SAHYYOG Cooperation:
• Coordination
• Quality Control & Assurance
SANRACHNA Infrastructure:
• Tourism Product Development
• Core & Linkage Infrastructure

21. Musts
• The advertisement should also have the same Template as the
‘Incredible India’ campaign and shine a new light.