Cultural Branding and Storytelling: In the context of the skiing industry.

Abstract

In this dissertation the concept explored was the use of cultural branding in conjunction with storytelling in the marketing of destinations, with ski destination acting as the main context for discussion. This dissertation also examines how storytelling is used in the marketing within the ski industry. This paper explored which storytelling practices and brand theories could be best suited to the field of tourism marketing, with a focus on ski destinations. It is identified within this paper how storytelling can be used in the marketing of destinations, and how it can be used to connect brands to a wider audience. The process data of collecting data for this paper was through a series of open-ended interviews with experts with professional backgrounds from branding, national tourism, storytelling, and the ski industry. The results indicate that there are doubts over whether the principals of cultural branding are best suited to the marketing of destinations, although there is a scope for more research to be conducted. This research also found that storytelling is an effective tool for the marketing of destinations and for brands to communicate and emotionally connect with mass markets by triggering subconscious motivations through the use of storytelling. Marketers working within the ski industry are recommended to identify their strongest brand assets in order to understand the motivations on their customers and to encourage their customers to create their own user generated content in order to promote their brand story.