The document outlines the city marketing strategy for Groningen, emphasizing the collaboration between local and regional governments, stakeholders, and tourism offices to boost visitation and spending. It identifies key attractions like the Groninger Museum and focuses on creating a distinct cultural identity aimed at a niche audience rather than mass tourism. The strategy includes brand positioning, marketing campaigns, and an emphasis on cultural offerings to establish Groningen as a cultural capital of the North.

1. Marketing Groningen Dirk Nijdam

2. The mar keting of Groningen , who are involved? Gemeente & Provincie (local & regional government) GPO - Groninger promotie overleg Counsel of stakeholders Groninger Congres Bureau Groningen City Club VVV’s (tourist offices) Marketing Groningen

3. The essence of citymarketing: No mental brandownership Conflicting interests Sufficient support Synergy of communication power Clear policy suggests mental ownership

4. Marketing Groningen Start: 2003 Focus: tourism Main objective: More people, To visit Groningen more often, Stay longer and Spend more.

5. MG- Organization Groninger Uitburo VVV Stad Groningen- Martinitower Touristic marketing city and province Economic marketing – city of talent 17 fte - 37 empl. 5 fte marketing Event-policy for city of Groningen Region marketing

6. Financial sources Structural grant: Gemeente (City) Long term projects: Provincie (County) European funds Private enterprises & “Ambassadors” Profits VVV-store Joint Ventures Private funding

7. Start Research 2003: the tourist 1,9 million a year Top 5 or 6 in the Netherlands Relatively high social classes (A & B1) High frequency of visits Average: 2.7 times a year Average staying period is short “ you’ve seen it all in one day” Main motivators 1) shopping 2) Groninger museum

8. Research: the city Product 1 main attraction: Groninger Museum Rich cultural and various shopping supply Good infrastructure (hotels, restaurants, etc), but targeted at middle segment Image Few spontaneous associations Cultural character Visitors have significant more positive attitude compared to non-visitors

9. Conclusions in 2003 Too little distinctive power Image < identity Regional profile visitors Ambiguous communication Growth of City-breaks In short: invest in branding Groningen

10. Strategy: First: clear brand positioning Top-of-mind (awareness) Identity  image Increase brand loyalty Easy & quality CRM, accessibility information Brand contact Brand identity (house style ‘ Groningen’) Circle of contact: consistent & coherent

11. Positioning: target group Groningen is not aiming at the mass No ‘focus’ at 16 million Dutch people Not for everyone, but for connoisseurs (fijnproevers) You’ve got to learn to know it, to appreciate it Rich, vital seniors? Seems attractive, but: There is a risk that they dominate the image Everybody is targeting at this group

12. Target group ‘geïnteresseerd NL’ Ambitions: Work important and private life important Self-realization, independency New experiences Life-style Balance: enjoy but not exuberance Modest hedonist Calculating & comfortable Design in the living room, upstairs IKEA

13. ‘ postmodern individualist’

14. Positioning: core proposition Functional benefit: The reason to visit Groningen: rich cultural supply Emotional benefit: Groningen is for people who appreciate quality: no mass destination

15. In short: Groningen: cultural capital (of the north) Focus on cultural supply: museums, festivals, modern architecture Groningen, for connoisseurs Focus on ‘geïnteresseerd NL’

16. Towards a stronger brand Focus: “geïnteresseerd Nederland” Spearhead: culture Consistent: long term strategy Recognizable: museum, events, architecture (and identifiers, house style) Distinctive: culture, location and surrounding Relevance: supply meets demands targetgroup

17. How ? 1 House style/ Identifiers Image language Logo Toolkit/brand manual

18. 2 National campaign TV-Commercials (city & provincie) magazines, flyers, event-calendars Inserts Public relations

19. 3 Action programms for PMC’s Shopping Citybreak Congres Germany Belgium Groups And…. Groningers

22. Regiomarketing Oost Groningen

23. Sector marketing City of Talent

25. Bezoekintentie In 2005 hebben personen die de commercial niet herkennen een bezoekintentie van 10%. Van de personen die de commercial wel herkennen geeft 11% aan van plan te zijn de Provincie Groningen te bezoeken. Voor 2006 ligt de bezoekintentie van de personen die de commercial herkennen op een hoger niveau, namelijk op 21%. Het effect dat we hier vinden wordt binnen de flights steeds sterker.

29. Commercial results Maastricht: 2004- 3,9 miljoen dagrecreanten 2005- 3,7 2006- 3,1 Groningen: 2004- 4,7 2005- 5,0 2006- 5,5

30. Trends Internet 2.0 User generated content Global market More short breaks Authenticity Strong competition