I was once involved in promoting a product that started life with a completely fictitious identity: it was launched as an ancient, secret formula from some exotic land that kept skin eternally youthful. An early TV ad (nothing to do with me, I swear) even showed a beautiful woman whispering “I…am…a thousand…years …old…”.
Actually, the product was relatively new. But the legend obviously worked: in consumer research, quite a few women said they remembered their grandmother using it…which was impossible, since at the time it had only been on the market for about eight years.
Was all this deceptive? The product was a good one, women loved it, and it was phenomenally — and deservedly — successful. If it had been lousy, nobody would have bought it more than once. But they did, and the fantasy was definitely part of its magic.
Over the next couple of years, we redesigned the packaging a couple of times, being extremely careful to make the changes so subtle that no one noticed anything different. And sure enough, further research found that women believed the packaging had never changed since they’d first seen it many, many (way too many) years ago.
If you’re in the travel business, the lesson still applies. Change is good — but only if it’s needed. Not because a few years have gone by, or because you’re bored, or because your competition has something new and shiny and you want it too. We’ve seen it happen far too often.
Every traveller wants decent plumbing and reliable electricity and fluffier towels and faster wifi. Those are just improvements. But if your heritage is traditional, approach the drastic “upgrade” with great caution.
Take the open-air villa with its soaring thatched roof and beautiful garden — will guests still love it when it’s glassed-in and air-conditioned?
Or the traditional Ayurvedic spa with dark wooden massage tables, home-grown herbs, planters’ chairs and motherly therapists. Will fluffy robes, glossy fittings and New Age music make it more appealing? Actually, no.
There are plenty of restaurants, particularly in Europe and Latin America, that understand this perfectly. Foams and fads, Kiwi fruit and coulis may come and go, but their menus remain unchanged for years, sometimes even centuries. It’s not uncommon to see three generations of one family dining together, and Grandpa probably first came here with his grandfather…because they like the cochinillo, or the cassoulet, the way it’s always been done. If they want something groovy they’ll go somewhere else — but they always come back.
So — is heritage an essential part of what you’re offering? You need to give it some serious thought. If so, a newer, more modern identity may (or may not) attract some new business — but it will almost certainly annoy the hell out of your loyal customers, who love you just the way you are.
Otherwise, that splash you hear may be the baby being thrown out with the bath water.