Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
Brand Ireland: A Practical Benchmarking Tool for Regional
Tourism Destinations
Sharon Kiely
Destination branding is one of the most complex branding processes
(Khanna, 2011; Kwortnik and Hawkes, 2011 and Morgan, Pritchard
and Pride, 2011) thus meaning a rigid process must be in place.
Pike (2004) notes that tourists are faced with a growing selection of
products and/or services yet only possess a nominal time for
decision-making. For this reason, it has become imperative for
regions to invest in communication mediums (Anholt, 2007;
Bierzynski, 2011; Sustainable Tourism Online, 2010) to aid the
visitor experience. This research study outlines a benchmarking tool
for destination branding campaigns, which can be utilised by a
Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) to determine if their
promotional campaigns are having a positive impact. For this study,
the benchmarking tool is based on regional brands within an Irish
context. Ireland is a small but gorgeous and distinctive island with a
rich cultural heritage, amalgamated with kind and friendly people
(Advantageico, 2006). Putting this in context, four Irish County
destination brands will be examined; Counties Carlow, Kerry,
Kilkenny and Roscommon. In conclusion, this research will aid
DMO’s both in Ireland and abroad when building a destination brand
campaign, thus providing destinations with a practical tool, which
marketers can use to develop a strong promotional campaign.
(Aaker, 2002; Balakrishnan, 2009; Buncle, 2010 and Morgan,
Pritchard and Pride, 2003) have acknowledged this as they state
that it is imperative to create and follow a destination brand building
process.
Keywords: Regional tourism destinations, brand, Ireland, benchmarking tool
_____________________________________
Sharon Kiely, Postgraduate Researcher, Department of Finance and Professional Studies, School of
Business and Humanities, Limerick Institute of Technology, Ireland, Phone: (061) 490170,
Email: Sharon.Kiely@lit.ie
Proceedings of 21st International Business Research Conference
10 - 11 June, 2013, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, ISBN: 978-1-922069-25-2
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