Destination marketing usually treats emotion and risk separately, even though they are closely connected. A destination becomes interesting when it stops trying to look perfect and starts showing something human. Showing something human requires courage. That’s why I encourage destinations to stop selling the idea of perfect destinations.
What do we want people to feel about our destination?
A destination can tell me it has spectacular scenery, excellent hotels, exciting activities, and friendly people. But none of those statements necessarily gives me a reason to care.
Compare, for instance, “Come to Norway and experience our magnificent fjords” with “Stand at the edge of the fjord and suddenly realize that the world is much bigger—and much quieter—than you remembered.”
The second one isn’t really selling a fjord. It is selling a feeling.
Destination marketing has conflated information with experience. The traveler doesn’t merely want information about the destination. She wants to imagine herself in the story.
Emotion is not decoration. It is the mechanism.
“Being true to yourself means showing and sharing emotion. The spirit that motivates most great storytellers is ‘I want you to feel what I feel,’ and an effective narrative is designed to make that happen. That’s how information becomes bound to the experience and unforgettable,” said Peter Gruber.
Great destination stories don’t simply say: “Look at this.” They say: “This is what it feels like.” And that requires human beings. Like the fisherman who has gone out every morning for 40 years, the hotel owner who inherited the little hotel from her parents, or the chef who refuses to change a recipe because it belonged to his grandmother.
Suddenly, the destination has a pulse. Telling the story of the guide who knows exactly where the first light hits the mountain, or the couple who moved to a remote village because they fell in love with the place, are two other great examples.
People don’t fall in love with destinations. They fall in love with how destinations make them feel.
You can read more about Brand Narratives in an article published by Grant Thornton.
Being human is risky
Corporations and destinations tend to protect themselves. They want approved language, approved photographs, approved messages, approved adjectives, blah, blah, blah. Destination marketing often suffers from institutional cowardice.
Everyone wants to be beautiful, authentic, sustainable, welcoming, unique, spectacular, and unforgettable.
But when everybody uses the same vocabulary, nobody is memorable.
Creativity begins where safety ends
A destination willing to take a creative risk might say: “Yes, it rains here,” “You may get lost,” or “This isn’t the most beautiful village in Norway, but something happened here that changed Norwegian history.”
Now we have personality. The destination has stopped acting like an advertising brochure and started acting like a human being. That’s enormously important for storytelling.
The paradox is that the more a destination tries to eliminate risk from its communication, the less human—and less interesting—it becomes.
“Don’t come here for the nightlife. Come here if you want to hear yourself think.”
Talk about vulnerability
We often think brands need to appear strong. But humans connect with vulnerability. A destination might reveal a difficult chapter in its history, an unpopular local figure, or a failed project. That doesn’t necessarily weaken the brand. It can make the brand more credible. There is a fascinating distinction between “We have nothing to hide” and “We have nothing imperfect to show.” The first communicates confidence. The second communicates fear.
What about the abandoned building, the environmental dilemma, the disappearing tradition, the community struggling with overtourism, or the local who doesn’t agree with the official destination narrative?
The traveler should become part of the story
A destination should not always be the hero. The traveler should be the hero. The destination is where something happens to the traveler. Instead of: “Our region offers 365 days of outdoor adventure,” try: “You arrive exhausted. Three hours later, you’re sitting beside a fire with a stranger who tells you where to find the northern lights.”
The first is destination marketing. The second is a possible memory. And travelers buy memories.
Take risks with the stories you choose—not just the language
Creative risk isn’t necessarily about writing provocative headlines. It can mean looking where nobody else is looking. Instead of telling the obvious story about a magnificent cathedral, find out why the architect put the door right there. Instead of the historic hotel, find out why the owner refused to modernize room 17.
The safest story is usually the one everybody already knows. The risky story is the one nobody has thought worth telling. And that is often where the gold is.
The “Human Story Test”
The following eight questions are ones that destination marketers should ask themselves if they dare to make their narratives human.
1. Is there a person in the story?
If not, can there be?
- Is there emotion?
What does somebody feel? - Is there conflict?
What problem, dilemma, or tension exists? - Is there something unexpected?
What would make the reader stop? - Is there vulnerability?
Are we showing something real rather than merely something attractive? - Is there a risk?
What are we saying that a conventional destination marketer might be afraid to say? - Is the traveler in the story?
Can they imagine themselves experiencing it? - Will they remember the story—or merely the information?
The future of travel storytelling
The future of travel storytelling may not belong to the destinations with the most spectacular scenery. It may belong to the destinations with the courage to tell the most compelling stories.
Emotion makes a story human. Risk makes it memorable. And courage makes it different. Perhaps the greatest question in travel storytelling isn’t “What can we show the world?” but “Are we brave enough to tell it?”
Finding a story isn’t enough. A destination must also have the courage to tell it.
Stop Selling Perfect Destinations, written by Tor Kjolberg.
Feature image (top) © Noldus
Take-away
If you learned something from this article, I believe you’ll also enjoy my recent book, “How I’ve Survived as a Storyteller for Over 50 Years: 12 Survival Techniques.” Get your FREE e-book copy by sending me your name and e-mail address, and including “Storytelling” in the subject line. Thank you for reading!
More articles on Storytelling by Tor Kjolberg you may like:
Travel Stories Designed for the Adult Part of Our Population
Seven Strategies for Increasing Customer Participation in Brand Stories
Stop Selling Postcards
The DMC 7 Steps Untold Story Finder
Brand Storytelling for Nonbelievers