Maldives's Communication Strategy (Essay Sample)

Communication strategy
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Introduction
Successful advertising involves a sequence of events and tactical steps that are combined to effectively communicate a message. The planners must choose a suitable media to ensure the advertisement reaches the targeted audience. Through a sequence of advertisements a communication model has to ensure that a link is created between the communication effect and the brand being advertised so that consumer brand purchasing can be achieved. There are four main steps a communication model has to take into consideration. The first one is the buyer which consists of the audience targeted as well as the action objectives. The second is the brand and it is in this step that the communication objectives are outlined. The third is the advertisement which involves the processing objectives and the final step involves media. Media is the type of medium to be used to expose the advertisement and this comprises of radio broadcasting, television, print media as well as digital media.
There are various theoretical frameworks used during the development of an advertisement in a particular advertising campaign. The famously used frameworks include the means-ends theory, visual as well as verbal frameworks and hierarchy of effects. By utilizing the model hierarchy of effects, the advertising campaign’s core objectives are effectively clarified and so are the objectives of that particular advertisement. The concept stipulates that there are six steps a consumer navigates through before making the final purchase decision. These steps include the awareness step, the knowledge step, the liking step, the preference step, the conviction step and finally actual purchase (Clow & Baack, 2004). The concept principally assists the creative in interpreting the advertisement’s impact on viewers. It basically acts as a guide towards the accomplishments an advertisement or various marketing communications must achieve. With regards to means-end theory, the concept talks about the means that leads to a customer’s desired final or end state.
Consumer’s end states are diverse values depicted in customers and the values are always personal to a specific consumer. Means-end theory borrows its concept from the MECCAS model, a strategy used to utilize several factors in developing advertisements. These factors are the attributes of the product or service, leverage points, consumer benefits, personal values and finally an executing framework. Verbal as well as visual images are advertisement elements that are used to make a message more understanding as well as easy to remember. A perfect blend between the visual images and verbal is necessary for an advertisement to deliver its message and for a long time remain in the consumer’s memory.
Other aspects that the creative has to consider when using a communication model, is the advertisement appeals. There are several advertisement appeals including; fear, sex, rationality, humour, music, scarcity and emotions. These appeals are selected depending on the communication method to be used and the advertisement’s objectives as per the analysis in the creative brief. The fear approach is based on the theoretical framework known as behavioural response model. Fear stimulates the interest of a viewer and also increases the level of persuasiveness of an advertisement. Humour is used in an advertisement to ensure the viewer’s attention is caught. It is also used so that the viewer’s attention can be sustained for longer periods. Sex appeals are when sex or nudity is used to stimulate a viewer’s attention. Musical appeals are used as an accompaniment of the visual information. They are used for purposes of retention because when consumers recall a song, it is assumed that they will also recall the advertisement associated with it. Scarcity appeals are used to portray a brand as limited. Time limitations or availability are used to stimulate a consumer’s interest. Emotional appeals are used when an advertisement seeks to create an attachment connecting a consumer to the brand. Finally rational appeals work based on hierarchy of effects concept since they exploit the ability of consumer information processing.
Maldives’s marketing strategy
The Maldives marketing department as well as the PR employs a range of advertisement strategies using different frameworks to convey a message about Maldives as the best tourist destination. By using various media to expose the message, the global audience is able to discover what kind of experiences they offer through various advertisements. Among the major media used to advertise by the Maldives is TV commercials, radio broadcasting print media and digital media.
Print and digital media
Print and digital media is used by the Maldives to offer customers brand knowledge. Using a website, interested customers all over the world visit the site and acquire more information that influences their purchase decision. The site has photos and videos with appealing visuals that depict Maldives as the best destination for honeymoons, diving expeditions and a place with interesting culture and traditions hence a strategy to utilize emotional appeals. Customers are also offered the opportunity to download brochures and visitor guides which can provide in-depth information about the destination. The Maldives also uses social media platforms through digital media to attract the attention of global customers. An example is an advertising campaign using twitter to promote the slogan "Maldives the sunny side of life." Other avenues include face book, where a page is filled with helpful information that can easily be accessed by online customers.
Maldives marketing as well as PR corporation has recently also released an array of mock-up billboards which exhibit a new branding of the Maldives dabbed "always natural." Through the usage of superior graphics to produce visual images accompanied with clear messages, the Maldives marketing have been able to utilize the executing framework according to the means-end theory to expose their message to the audience. The marketing department has also through MECCAS methodology used specific messages on the bill boards to describe the destination’s attributes, what tourist benefit from visiting and creating leverage point by using the new slogan "always natural" and an attractive logo exposing the destination’s rare natural characteristics.
Radio advertising
An example is the case where the Maldives used RNE radio to promote the destination in Spain. By targeting the Spanish audience radio worked as a medium to expose a visual image of the destination to the Spanish people. As a result, more visitors from Spain were reported to have visited the Maldives. In this case, the use of a framework that utilizes verbal as well as visual imagery was used. Visual imagery is a core factor for consideration when an advertisement is targeting an international scene (Okazaki, 2011). Visual Esperanto is used to create a universal language used to break the barriers that can affect a brand’s advertisement globally due to cultural and other forms of diversity (Messaris, 2002).
TV commercials
A while back, the Maldives partnered with BBC to assist in accessing an upmarket audience across the globe. By staging TV commercials advertisements that stimulated appeals such as emotional as well scarcity, the advertisements showcased the Maldives as a destination with white sands, attractive weather and beautiful turquoise lagoons. The commercial managed to invoke emotions as well as present Maldives as a destination that offers quality in comparison to other global destination. As a result global customers who interpreted the quality presented through the advertisement were influenced and hence an increase in the numbers of tourist from abroad. Currently the Maldives’s TV commercial that airs on CNN with the slogan "the sunny side of life" used a dual-coded message by using visuals and music to invoke appeals in the audience. The advertisement shows people enjoying the coast and sea life and also displays a couple enjoying a honeymoon. The advertisement not only stimulates emotional and music appeals but also creates leverage points by using the people in the advertisements to exhibit experiences the audience can relate to. The advertisement is able to expose the five elements suggested in the MECCAS model by showcasing the destination’s attributes such as amazing sandy beaches, turquoise waters and green forests among others. These attributes are used to make a viewer recall the Maldives whenever a tourist destination comes in mind. By exposing the qualities and the unique characteristics of the Maldives, the advertising frame assists consumers to comprehend what personal value the advertising message communicates.
Analysis
Radio broadcasting as a medium for advertising can be effective when trying to create a visual image in international advertising. Another appeal that can be incorporated in the creating of visual image using radio broadcasting as medium is music. Music not only creates a visual image but also enhances the emotional aspects involved in an advertisement. By using this approach, the advertisement will have an increased persuasiveness and will have a long-term effect on the consumer since musical...