by Marlon Madden
Barbados is set to become a major force to be reckoned with in tourism. Officials are seeking to make it the number one destination of choice for holidaymakers as countries emerge from the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and people begin to travel again.
With a rebranding and marketing strategy, officials are positive that the island will increase its presence globally and better rival any other major destination.
Under a new ultra marine accentuated slogan – Little Island, Big Barbados – the Barbados Marketing Inc. (BTMI) has introduced a refreshed marketing campaign aimed at informing the world of the many offerings the 166 square mile Eastern Caribbean island has to offer.
It posits areas that the island is “big on”, including love, adventure, flavour, vibes, peace, personality and legacy. The new campaign is accompanied by a new website – www.littleislandbigbarbdos.com, and has a special focus on developing and capitalising on several niche areas in the tourism market.
During the recent rebranding ceremony, marketing manager at the BTMI Tenisha Holder said a part of the idea was to let potential and repeat visitors know
that the island has a lot more to offer than immediately meet the eyes.
She said the Little Island, Big Barbados campaign had three core elements. “The first is our brand personality, which much like our people is proud. We take pride in our history and heritage . . . The second element is our tone.
It captures our local spirit as we invite visitors into our conversations with the local dialect and jargons sprinkled throughout our art work, videos and our communications, “We are a colourful people and our brand design reflects just that.
The Barbados brand is a bright, bold pot of colour . . . which takes me to the third core element of our design, the pattern mosaic, which has been created to accompany the brand components, reflecting the fundamentals of Barbadian life that are interconnected and core to who we are,” explained Holder.
In addition to pictures and words, the new campaign will share various stories of the island and individuals through video presentations, with the hope of depicting tiny details about the island and leaving a big impression.
“In addition to specific categories of heritage, wellness and others, there will be a series of general ads and messaging about safety and positioning Barbados as being that home away from home that we have come to love,” said Holder.
In coming months the BTMI will be embarking on several promotions beginning with the Little Island, Big Treasure Hunt in July.
Communications and PR manager at the BTMI Aprille Thomas said with the absence of the annual Crop Over festival, this will be followed by the Little Island Big Vibes, which will include a virtual media briefing and minister’s welcome reception and a “Barbados in a box workshop”.
She added that during the Little Island, Big Vibes promotion individuals will have the opportunity to meet stalwart costume designers and learn how to create a costume.
The BTMI will also seek to have hotels join the campaign to offer guests virtual parties. “September and October are traditionally the softer months, and so we want to focus on Little Island, Big Adventure, inviting people to come to Barbados and experiencing all that the destination has to offer. And we are putting our people at the forefront.
“Our proposal here is for a national mural event issuing an open call to 11 Bajan artists to paint their representation of a sustainable Barbados at 11 iconic locations, (one) in each parish,”
said Thomas.
She said for the month of November, the promotion celebration will be Little Island, Big Home, where in the absence of the Food and Rum Festival there will be a focus on a series of online rum-based events.
During the month of December the spotlight will be on Little Island, Big Escape, when visitors will be encouraged to take advantage of the island’s luxury offerings while hearing stories of Barbadians in various fields.
Officials opted not to reveal the level of investment in the new branding and promotion exercise, However, Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Lisa Cummins acknowledged that it came at a time when Government was battling “plummeting” revenues and “soaring” welfare spending.
However, she said Barbados will “continue to punch above its weight” when it comes to delivering solutions for its population and driving more tourism business to the island.
“We are little in size population and some may say geopolitical significance and available resources, but we are big on ambition, big on resilience, big on facing
and fixing problems, we are big on developing new business opportunities that allow our people to secure employment and create livelihoods, we are big on supporting businesses.
“We are big on travel and tourism. We are big on the people who constitute the travel and tourism industry. We are big on destination Barbados,” said Cummins.
Pointing out that the strategy would only be as good as the BTMI’s ability to monitor outcomes, Cummins challenged the agency to “ensure the impact of the new rebranding and integrated approach to tourism is not just about marketing”.
“It will be about people, it will be about partnerships, and one of the questions you will have to answer with clarity and purpose when the time comes for review is ‘what is the return on investment for our branding and national marketing’,” she said.
She also insisted that heavy emphasis must be placed on local tourism, ensuring that residents learn more and take part in what is on offer here.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb
