The presentation explains the destination brand molecule concept

1. Destination brand molecule
Stanislav Ivanov, PhD
International University College, Bulgaria
Email: stanislav.ivanov@vumk.eu
Steven F. Illum, PhD and Yating Liang, PhD
Missouri State University, USA

2. Destination brand molecule
Destination brand and brand image
Brand molecule
Destination brand molecule
Brand concept map
Destination brand molecule methodology
Application of the destination brand molecule concept
References

3. Destination brand and brand image
A brand is defined as “identifiable product, service, person or place, augmented in such a way that the buyer or user perceives relevant, unique added values which match their needs most closely” (de Chernatony and McDonald, 2003: 25)
Within the core of branding lies the creating of brand image
Destination brand image generally refers to a compilation of beliefs and impressions based on information processing from various sources over time (Crompton, 1979)

4. Destination brand and brand image
Marketers are interested not in the individual’s perceptions of a destination but the predominant perceptions actual and potential tourists hold about a destination and the links between these perceptions (the organisation of brand perceptions in tourists’ minds) – “Perception is reality”!
Current destination image measurement methodologies – 5- and 7-point Likert scales, semantic differentials, predetermined forced scales and destination attributes

5. Brand molecule Lederer and Hill (2001)

6. Destination brand molecule Silver and Hill (2002)

7. Brand concept map John et al (2006)

8. Destination brand molecule methodology
Stages:
Elicitation
Mapping
Aggregation
Consensus molecule
Validation

9. Application of the destination brand molecule concept
Methodology was tested with 2 groups of students in International University College, Bulgaria and Missouri State University, USA in 2009
Destination brand “Las Vegas”

10. Application of the destination brand molecule concept - Elicitation

11. Application of the destination brand molecule concept - Elicitation

12. Application of the destination brand molecule concept - Elicitation

13. Application of the destination brand molecule concept - Mapping
Respondents were presented the Aaker (1996) brand map of McDonald’s Restaurants for an example, and were asked to prepare similar individual maps for Las Vegas. We asked them to apply the following mapping rules:
use only but not all the associations from the aggregated lists
use 1, 2 or 3 lines between associations to denote a weak, medium or strong connection between the associations, respectively.
use +, – or 0 to denote a positive, negative or neutral influence of a particular association to the overall image of the destination – a so called “valence” of an association.
The 43 Bulgarian respondents generated useful 41 molecules while the 50 US respondents created 47 useful ones.

14. Application of the destination brand molecule concept - Mapping

15. Application of the destination brand molecule concept - Aggregation
Summarising the associations, the links between them, the strength of the links and the association valences
Separately for Bulgarian and US respondents

17. Application of the destination brand molecule concept – Consensus molecule

18. Application of the destination brand molecule concept - Validation

19. Application of the destination brand molecule concept - Assessment
The concept is applicable to every type of destination or large attraction
It shows how tourists perceive the destination
Tourists and potential tourists have limited time and the probability that they would like to participate in both stages of the research is not very high
The destination brand molecule is not a panacea for struggling destinations that have serious problems – it is a fine-tuning tool

20. References
de Chernatony, L., M. McDonald (2003) Creating powerful brands. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann
Crompton, J. L. (1979) An assessment of the image of Mexico as a vacation destination and the influence of geographical location upon that image. Journal of Travel Research 17(4), 18-24
Ivanov, S., S. Illum, Y. Liang (2010) Application of destination brand molecule on destination image and brand perception: An exploratory study. Tourism 58(4), 339-360
John, D. R., B. Loken, K. Kim, A. B. Monga (2006) Brand concept maps: A methodology for identifying brand association networks. Journal of Marketing Research 43(4), 549-563
Lederer, C., S. Hill (2001) See your brands through your customers’ eyes. Harvard Business Review 79(6), 125-133
Silver, S., S. Hill (2002) Selling brand America. Journal of Business Strategy 23(4), 10-15