Postcards from the Edge, TravelMole guest comment by Ian Bates creative director of direct marketing agency Entire

Shocking weather. Terrorist campaigns. The high pound. A plethora of cheap and accessible competitors.

These days, it would seem there are many tough challenges facing UK tourism.

But the fact of the matter is that events are out of our hands. Moaning about the amount of competition is not an option in a market economy. So what do we do in the face of a seemingly insatiable desire for our compatriots to travel abroad?

Well, here are two ideas that could help.

First, cast aside the cliches – dig deep to find truly compelling stories and entertain and engage your public.

Secondly, come out fighting!

You see, I think the problem is not too much competition; it’s that too many places claim the same things. It’s a product of marketing inertia – think of it as destination homogenisation.

Every country will have great things to say about itself. Some may even turn out to be USPs. Remember those?

But, how many times can you read spectacular scenery, think ‘sounds interesting’ and feel compelled to read on?

From a creative’s point of view, travel is one of the most exciting, dynamic sectors to work in. The rich cultural and historic diversity of every destination should be fertile territory for any agency – if they’re prepared to put some serious work into understanding it. Like any challenge, it has to be approached with enthusiasm and openness.

Same goes for the client. If the client team don’t share the same passion for the challenge, they shouldn’t expect miracles from their agency. Frankly, if your heart’s not in it, get out of it.

The key is to find the truth of the brand before committing to targeting, timing and creative execution. This should be a journey the client and agency take together as either party could have preconceived ideas about ‘what works’ before finding out ‘what’s good’. Find that truth and then create interesting ways to communicate it.

In reality the audience, particularly families, will also need to understand what they can actually do in a destination, so you’ll probably need to educate them, too. The script is written for the Mediterranean package tours, customers can picture exactly what they’ll be doing. But visitors to Britain and Ireland need more information, either to jerk them out of complacency or because they simply haven’t got a clue what to expect. But this again should be done creatively to bring out the identity, the compelling truth of the destination.

Our pals in the advertising industry have the luxury of big screen, moving image and sound. This will always feel like a more complete experience, the fullest way to deliver a sense of the place. But direct marketers don’t have to concede this territory. Every location should be able to develop a distinct tone of voice, a way of communicating that delivers the brand, before you even start looking at images. That’s all part of finding the truth. The skill is to harness this to create distinct communications without falling into parody.

Bring all these elements together and you’re almost certainly onto a winner – a campaignable idea that can be broadcast and targeted to specific sectors and at different points in the purchase funnel.

Also, bear in mind, that consumers operate outside traditional booking periods. So you’ll almost certainly have to commit to a range of segmented communications throughout the year. Front of mind is vital.

We base much of our work with Tourism Ireland on these principles.

For instance we’re currently introducing selected sections of the British public to Napoleon’s Nose, The Festival of Molluscs and Pooka and the Merrow – you want to know more now, don’t you? – through mail, email and inserts; and plans for storytellers to give impromptu performances at airports, railway stations and on buses.

With the recent short break/big story campaign, we recognised that people always come back from Ireland with a story, a unique experience that could only happen on the Emerald Isle. These stories often became pivotal moments, leaving a deep impression on the visitor – forever.

This automatically differentiated the destination and delivered the uniqueness of the brand. The stories were taken into direct mail, email and web, with the ‘educational’ aspect delivered to a warm segmented audience in e-zines and magazines through tailored content. Press and online activity developed the theme to broaden the campaign reach allowing consumers to feel part of a narrative.

So avoid the cliches, find your stories and tell them creatively and powerfully. Client and agency go on a journey together. And, don’t forget, come out fighting.