The Lithuanian tourist board offers a welcome dose of humour to their marketing in defiance of all the usual Eastern European stereotypes. They won ‘Best Communications Strategy” at “City, Nation, Place Awards 2020” for their tourism campaign earlier in the year which riffed on the fact that few people know where the city is.
“Vilnius: Amazing Wherever You Think It Is”
It’s now launched a Xmas sequel which reassures tourists that the city will be eagerly waiting for them when travel bans are lifted:
“Christmas in Vilnius: Amazing Whenever You’ll Be Able to Come.”
Key lesson: Are you just following the crowd when it comes to your marketing messaging? If so, what can you do to stand out?
Not even the official residence of Santa Claus is safe from the impact of Covid, despite the best efforts of its elves to create a vaccine from hyper-concentrated sugar. Lapland would usually be host to hordes of families seeking out the real McCoy amongst the pretenders to his sleigh.
But not this year.
Indeed, between March 2020 and March 2021, the tourism sector is expected to lose around €700 million. Still, the snow must go on and so they’ve invited people to send in personal messages for Santa to read out as a video greeting.
And according to The Telegraph, Santa is offering Zoom calls for £71 a pop.
Elsewhere, Visit Finland offer prominently displayed the latest Covid guidance and updates which is surprisingly not always prominently displayed on other tourist board Xmas landing pages.
Marketing lesson: When consumers still want a service you can no longer provide, can you offer it in a different way?
Visit Belfast have been busy adapting messaging to the changing rules and regulations laid down by government. Back in October they kickstarted efforts with a sparkly ‘Shop safe, shop early’ (though presumably not all at the same time) message.
It’s a tricky balance to get right: encouraging people to shop locally without crowding the high streets and town centres.
The shopping experience has been placed at the forefront of Belfast’s Christmas campaign: big brands and family stores both form part of the call to action. But their website also places a big emphasis on its online services and entertainment: You can virtually dress a Christmas tree, watch a live orchestra from your sofa, or buy from local businesses via a virtual Christmas market.
The hashtag #BelfastBelieves is once again the focal point of its social media campaign.
During a difficult time, the marketing team and decision-makers at Visit Belfast have pulled out all the stops to sprinkle a bit of Christmas magic in a responsible way.
Visit Belfast’s official Christmas video is retained from 2018:
Marketing lesson: Can you provide helpful marketing during a difficult time for consumers?
There’s no holding back from Madeira’s marketing team as they boldly proclaim to be Europe’s ‘Safest Xmas Destination 2020’. This is based on a vote by a website called europeanbestdestinations.com which refers to the low number of Covid cases in the area, but also the rigorous hygiene standards.
But it’s not just about safety and hygiene. Food, drink and fireworks seem to be at the forefront of Madeira’s tourism promotion. As the below video demonstrates:
Marketing lesson: If you’ve received good news from an outside source, don’t be afraid to use it to your advantage.
Since the most recent Borat movie was released, Kazakhstan have decided to embrace its marketing potential (where once they were ashamed with the way Sasha Baron Cohen’s comic creation represented Kazakhstan on the international stage).
It’s a shrewd move which demonstrates a self-effacing sense of humour. But this video works because it’s more than a crude attempt to get in on a joke. It shows people enjoying different aspects of Kazakh culture and declaring it: “Very nice”.
Okay, it’s not strictly a Christmas promo. But at a time when a lot of tourist boards have been keeping quiet, the team at the Kazakhstan tourist board realised the opportunity to gain media coverage and showcase the country in a positive light – all on the back of a character that does the opposite.
While the Kazakh’s aren’t big on Xmas (though they do mark it on January 7th), they do celebrate the New Year with great zeal.
Marketing lesson: If you’re brand is being talked about for the wrong reasons, can you turn the attention into a positive?
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
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