Canada’s success at marketing the 2010 winter Olympics came from considering the event as a platform from which to market the whole of Canada.

According to Michele McKenzie, CEO at the Canadian Tourism Commission, it had a four-year tourism strategy which is only now entering its final phase. In her words, “First, paint enticing pictures to get three billion viewers daydreaming about extraordinary travel experiences in Canada. Then, zero in to propel travellers along the path to purchase-converting fantasies into firm bookings. The Olympic podium was just the platform to advance the destination strategy”. It did not adopt a narrow view of promoting the event in isolation, instead it wrapped the country around it and projected positive images of Canada around the world.

This is a great marketing strategy from a number of perspectives, in my opinion:

• Position special events within the context of the organization’s brand and don’t promote them in isolation from the brand. (In the case of the Olympics, promote the country’s brand)
• Host events that support the “organization’s” brand (what better way to showcase Canada’s great outdoors than the winter Olympics?) Unless you’re New Zealand and you luck out with Lord of the Rings, of course.
• Don’t limit the timing of your marketing to the dates of event – take that long-term view to look at how you can get value from the event long before it happens and long after it’s ended
• Work with partners wherever possible to give them what they need to be successful (in the case of the Olympics it’s about working with destination partners and with international media partners)
• Use the new partner relationships to promote other events (in the case of Canada, it reached the Toronto International Film Festival and Montréal’s Formula 1 race)

Just a thought.
Tim

Related post on “How much is tourism worth?”

Photo taken and licensed by Robert Scoble.

Tagged as: awesome marketing, brand awareness, Canadian Tourism Commission, partnership