The
‘H o l i d a y s
i n A u s t r i a’
brand
Arrive
and Revive
Every guest who recorded an entry in this Guest Book experienced Holidays in
Austria in an utterly individual way. On one occasion, it was an early morning
stroll at 2,300 meters altitude which revealed not only the Alps but also the life
of the walker in a whole new light. Another time, it was a family vacation on a
farm where the holidaymakers got to know a completely different way of life,
and also felt profound joy from the experience. And yet another time, it was an
encounter with wildly diverse art and cultural offerings in Vienna’s inner city,
in the course of which the viewers also discovered new facets of themselves.
As varied as the holidays of these guests were in principle, there was one
component which bonded them together, namely, the elemental impact of
a vacation in Austria. The reason is crystal clear: much more than pleasant
holiday memories are retained. This is a place where unusual occurrences
are transformed into deeply enriching moments which profoundly affect one’s
life and oneself. Experiences which actually change you, even if only a little,
and thereby echo with long resonance well after the holidays themselves
have come to an end.
That, precisely, is what defines and distinguishes Holidays in Austria.
That’s what we mean by ‘arrive and revive’.
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The meaning
of the ‘Holidays
in Austria’ brand
People planning a vacation nowadays are confronted with a dizzying variety
and a hardly manageable mass of information. Thus, the task of the Austrian
National Tourist Office is to communicate clearly and simply to all potential
visitors just what ‘Holidays in Austria’ stands for; and thereby to aid their
search and clinch their decision.
The brand fulfils very concrete requirements. First, it addresses human reason,
providing indispensable orientation. Simultaneously it creates a certain image
and increases confidence in choosing. In other words, it makes life easier for
potential visitors by giving an invaluable sense of security to their bookings.
The ‘Holidays in Austria’ brand transmits a clear message which separates
this country from all its most immediate competitors, e.g. Bavaria, Switzerland
and South Tirol.
It utilises and builds on Austria’s authentic and relevant strengths as
a holiday country.
It focuses on the characteristics which make Austria different, which
distinguish it significantly from its competitors.
It addresses a clearly defined target group. It broadcasts its message
directly to that group’s specific needs.
It provides a clear and firm promise: these holidays will inspire you,
body and soul; you will come alive again.
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The Architecture
of the ‘Holidays
in Austria’ brand
The expectations of people we address in our brand messages extend
far beyond those of pure holiday relaxation and re-charging one’s
batteries. What these people expect is much more, namely, awarely
experienced moments of happiness; inspiring, enriching adventures
which are cherished for a long time - ideally, forever – in a treasure of
memories.
Thus, the question is: How should we approach such high
expectations?
With clearly defined, highly unusual modules which are placed on
top of one another and which together add up to a unique promise:
Inspiration to unfold.
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The modules of
the ‘Holidays
in Austria’ brand
The reality: what we’ve got.
Nature realities, people realities.
The new-experience zones: what we can do (for visitors).
Five zones of unique new experiences revolving around Holidays in Austria.
The impact: what visitors feel, what it unleashes.
Inspiration to unfold.
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The reality:
What we’ve got
to offer
Nature realities
The stage setting of Austria as a holiday land couldn’t be better: from the Alps to
the Danube all the way to the Pannonian plain, Austria unites many outdoor sites
and regions, offers healthy and intact nature, mountains, forests, lakes and lovely
countryside. Nestled across the land are fascinating cultivated landscapes such as
the Wachau, the Dachstein and Lake Neusiedl regions.
Yet what makes Austria excel is intimately linked to the people who live here. Those
typical human traits, people realities, are the deepest part of our brand message.
People realities
A land unveiled as the cultural heartbeat of central Europe.
In ways no other country in Europe can claim, Austria bonds historic
tradition and pulsating modernity. Once upon a time the imperial
epicentre of the Habsburg monarchy, for many centuries Austria was
exposed to vibrant influences from eastern and southeastern Europe,
from Italy and from southern Germany. Out of this fertile soil grew
Vienna’s incomparable classic music (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven);
the waltzes and operettas of Johann Strauss and Franz Lehár; as well
as renowned modern cultural movements (Art Deco, psychoanalysis,
twelve-tone scale, etc.). Austria’s art and culture scene today expands
on the traditions of Europe’s cultural soul. It exudes to this day a
unique aura and radiates like the solar centric of European culture it is.
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Lifestyle cool, people warm. How do they do it?
Austria’s dazzling history, its pleasant climate, its fertile countryside all played a role in giving birth to a lifestyle which is infinitely
relaxed. Distinguished by profound warm-heartedness, genuine
love of enjoyment and the much-quoted ‘gemütlichkeit’ way of
easy living. The hard edges of life are put into perspective, the
enjoyable sides are savoured to the full, right here and now.
That’s how a lifestyle evolved which visitors adore and can take
part in. It impresses them. It enriches them.
Hosts dedicated to making you happy.
Longstanding traditions of hospitality make Austrians highly professional,
personally engaged hosts. They see ahead to wishes or needs of their
guests and sensitively reach out to fulfil them. They create conditions and
infrastructure for creative, attractive packages; they motivate their guests
to try out new experiences, allowing fullest leeway to the tempo and timing
their guests prefer. Thus, Austrian hosts make possible a truly personal
path to new enjoyments in life and the personal unfolding of their guests.
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The new-experience
zones: What we
can do (for visitors)
Austria’s nature realities and people realities provide solid foundations for unparalleled
holidays. And precisely atop those foundations lie a bevy of special possibilities
for visitors to discover their own, custom tailored, personal holiday happiness – the
so-called new-experience zones.
New-experience zone Nature
Austria unites a wide array of European continental landscapes. Some of them are
protected, e.g. national parks and nature reserves. Thus, there is lots of nature to
uncover gently, enjoy robustly or conquer sportively. National Park rangers, biologists,
hiking guides and other experts offer competent enhancements, making it possible for
visitors to discover and experience brand new things. Additional aids are provided by
highly modern technology, e.g. cablecars and lifts which winter and summer permit
high alpine perspectives of the highest imaginable category, increasing the intensity of
the new experience still further.
“Strengthening your strengths”
When you go hiking, the goal is to enjoy nature to the full. Austria
wins the acclaim of its visitors by devising routes with special
features, either densely concentrated natural arenas or breathtaking
panoramas. Thus, nature can be ‘arranged’ or staged for maximum
impact. Instruction theme paths, highly varied long-distance or
roundabout routes as well as old pilgrimage paths and ancient
trading routes link you to aspects of historic culture at the same
time as you are enjoying the landscape.
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New-experience zone Culture
Austria’s historic heritage, linked to a cornucopia of contemporary art and
culture, is on offer not only in the cities, but also in the heart of nature,
providing brand new encounters with culture: the overflowing exuberance of
the lakeside stage at the Bregenz Festival, great museums of modern art,
imposing installations out in the open air. Some of it appears downright
contradictory, i.e. the refined elegance of the Opera Ball or the Salzburg
Festival faced with the wild candour of the ‘Life Ball’. Or ‘Jazz on the high
alpine pastures’ meets classic open-air concerts at Grafenegg Castle.
Yet it is just this bristling contrast of what can work shoulder-to-shoulder,
this juxtaposition of classical highbrow and sizzling avant-garde culture
which comes so naturally to Austria. It multiplies exponentially the
possibilities for emotional, sensuous, scintillating cultural experiences.
“Strengthening your strengths”
Austria fascinates its visitors with sensuous, pulsating encounters
with art and culture. The new experiences of art and culture here
were brought about through a seemingly self-contradictory
juxtaposition of opposites, taboos, exotic combinations, seemingly
nonsensical links, alien associations, the symbolic and the
inexplicable. Austria’s history and its reascended ‘throne’ over
cultural encounters and meetings of east and west has undreamed
potential for designing new and inspiring art-and-culture experiences.
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New-experience zone Culinary Joys
A land that knows how to live knows, before all else, how to enjoy. Moreover,
it makes ongoing efforts to refine its worlds of enjoyment and make them
accessible to visitors. Award-winning restaurants, star-studded wines and
gourmet regions are but the external stamp of culinary creativity and the
enjoyment-oriented lifestyle of Austria. Besides that, Austria is world
champion in organic foods; many of its restaurants have committed themselves both to seasonal and to regional dishes; unusual specialties, intimately
linked to the region they hail from, enchant connoisseurs all over the world.
Behind it stand passionate and pioneering producers and hosts who love
nothing more than to take their guests on culinary journeys to the high points
of their universe.
“Strengthening your strengths”
Through its vast array of dining forms - from coffee houses, to
bistros to gourmet temples - Austria makes it easy for visitors to get
to know local delicacies, wine cellars and cooking along with the
land and its people.
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New-experience zone Regeneration
Austria’s traditions of spa-sojourns and ‘summer renewal’ extend far back in history.
Countless springs bubble forth from the mountain terrain; the air itself is of gourmet
grade and enhances good health just by taking it in; salt galleries and fens unveil
surprising restorative effects. These beneficial resources have been developed to better
serve users, sometimes forming the focal point of a region, e.g. traditional Styrian
medicinal aids or lifestyle medicine. The repertoire is balsam to any and all seeking to
restore their health or hasten personal recovery from the stress and strain of everyday
life. Its objective is the same throughout the land: to create effects which will endure
long after your holidays have ended.
Strengthening your strengths”
Austria makes visitors crave to become healthier and restore their
inherent strengths, in harmony with nature and under professional
guidance. Visitors are stimulated to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Most
of them become relaxation and health-enhancement connoisseurs
themselves after their holidays in Austria.
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New-experience zone Encounters
In their natural, open-hearted way, Austrians reach out towards all who
head out on journeys to encounter a new people, discover a new culture.
Getting to know the land and its inhabitants, who draw you deeper into
both, whether ways of life, specialties or day-to-day customs, is made easy
for visitors. Intrinsically friendly, warm-hearted, contact-loving, yet discreet
interest in the contentment and well-being of their guests make every
encounter with Austrian hosts a heartwarming experience. Visitors feel
accepted, integrated and touched by a lightness of being so typical of
this country that it envelops them in happiness.
“Strengthening your strengths”
Austrian hosts offer their guests a breed of scintillating atmosphere
that encourages them to try out new vacation experiences in perfect
holiday surroundings. They infuse their guests with a determination
to venture out towards their own horizons and collect brand new
experiences along the way.
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The impact:
What visitors feel
Regardless whether on vacation in the mountains, at a lake, in winter or in summer, in the
city or in the countryside, in culture or in nature, what matters to us is to awaken in our
target group an urge, a craving, an anticipation of joy for holidays in Austria, together with
the certainty that it will be far more than just a pleasant, relaxing sojourn.
The brand ‘Holidays in Austria’ places the needs and wishes of visitors at center stage;
simultaneously, it links up their desires to the promised, lasting impact of a holiday in
Austria. Instead of superficial splash-events, it pursues the sometimes veiled yearnings
of the target group for exciting, enriching experiences, as well as for deeply felt moments
of happiness. The name of the game is: Inspiration to unfold. It ensures that these
holiday experiences will have an abiding impact.
The grandiose realities of Austria, which have been transformed by talented, competent
Austrian hosts to easily accessed new-experience zones, provide that possibility.
arrive - that means:
immediately feeling utterly accepted
finding back to oneself
rediscovering the lightness of being
recharging on undreamed of new powers
and
revive - to unfold, body and soul:
being infused with new ideas and courage towards self-realization, and turning it to reality
feeling joy and strength in the experience, in harmony with oneself and the world
taking home new perspectives, perhaps a new orientation for the future
Austria. Arrive and revive.
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The target group
of the ‘Holidays
in Austria’ brand
In order to better understand our target group and their needs, we
work with lifestyle segmenting methods, so-called sinus-milieus®.
This is a matter of pinpointing social groups with similar approaches to
life. Values and orientations flow into this segmenting, as do attitudes
towards job, family, leisure, money and consumer habits.
Based on this segmenting, the target group of the brand ‘Holidays
in Austria’ was defined as Established Post-Materialists. Or, to put it
more simply, the modern, upper middle class and elite.
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Established
Post-Materialists
in detail
Established Post-Materialists are a group possessing much travel experience
and high purchasing power, who exercise a great deal of influence on other
people.
Values of target group
self-assured, seeking self-realization
critical
highly interested in art, culture, aesthetics
connoisseurs of dining and drinking
lead active social and cultural lives
distinct from average taste, average consumer habits
Social situation of target group
aged 35– 65
usually married, with children or empty nesters
above average education
high income
Travel habits of target group
frequent travellers
often two vacations annually
getaways and city trips
Vacation needs of target group
relaxation joined with activity (skiing, hiking, golf, etc.)
enjoying nature
high comfort standards, good service, excellent dining
finding back to themselves, feeling free, recharging batteries
discovering unknowns off the beaten path
getting to know the land and its people
feeling an authentic ambience, touching local identity
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Positioning and
Differentiation
Holidays in Austria are currently viewed as idyllic, tranquil and somewhat culture-heavy. However, all
that is associated with ‘idyllically alpine’ and classic culture or folk customs which are diametrically
opposed to exciting, stimulating and dynamic.
Thus, the strategic thrust is clear: the ‘Holidays in Austria’ brand must be presented to the main
audience as vastly more exciting and dynamic if we wish to separate it, distinguish it, from its
most immediate competitors, Bavaria and South Tirol. In order to re-position itself, the picture of
Austria needs to ratchet up its dynamics and action, add more primordial, creative wildness and
excitement.
Effective differentiation must satisfy the needs, wishes and urges of this social group. Due to
the segmenting strategy which is hoped to lead to the desired main audience, as well as to the
international requirements and the central strengths of Austria in cultural areas, a strategy of
differentiation must take full advantage of Austria’s historic and modern character as a cultural capital.
Austria is the emblem of a historically creative cultural conglomerate which produced world-class
achievements in the past and is still doing so today. It is symbolic of an unusual way of life. And it
has an array of unique touristic offerings linked to those two worlds which have the power to reach
and draw holidaymakers from all over the globe.
Differentiation patterns: ‘Holidays in Austria’ compared to alpine destinations
Switzerland
Bavaria
Austria
The high-alpine
patriot
The self-assured
traditionalist
The inspiration
to unfold
international
high-quality
orderly, well-run
expensive
good hospitality
exclusive,
mondaine
buttoned-down
folkloristic
religious
robust
connected
to roots
candid
original, creative
open-hearted
atmosphere
cultural diversity
worldly wise
sensuous links
to nature, culture,
dining
France
South Tirol
Alpine savoir-vivre
The high-contrast
Alps/Mediterranean
symbiosis
international
high-quality
great dining
modern
expensive
established &
exclusive
picture-perfect
Italy
sunny alpine
south
orderly, well-run
great dining
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The strategic
thrust
exciting, wild, dynamic
Alaska
New York
Madrid
Switzerland
nature
culture
Established
Post-Materialists
Berlin
‘H
ic
teg the tria’
a
r
St st of Aus
u
thr ys in nd
a a
olid br
South
Tirol
Austrian
Alps
Vienna
Bavaria
Salzburg
Middle Class
dull, homey, pretty
© Sinus Sociovision
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Arrive and revive
with all
five senses
A vacation on which a guest feels utterly accepted, from which stress and hurry are absent,
and where the guest transcends accustomed borders and self-restrictions, is more than just
a vacation.
That’s when it becomes a voyage of discovery: to new horizons, to new fascinations and most
of all, to oneself.
And because such a voyage is experienced with all five senses, the ‘Holidays in Austria’ brand
even has its own exciting scent which it is hoped will imbue the wearer with a longlasting aura
called ‘inspiration to unfold’.
Printing information:
responsible for contents Austrian National Tourist Office, Brand Management, Margaretenstrasse 1, 1040 Vienna. Cutoff date: April 2012. Project director: Michael Scheuch / Petra
Ehweiner. Concept and design: Publicis Grtoup Austria. Illustrations: Sinus Sociovision.
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