ANALYSIS OF TOURISM ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN:

WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO INCREDIBLE INDIA

r Umesh Kumar

Abstract The tourism industry must use advertising as the primary tool for its professional gain.
The successful promotion of tourism in each country is based on cultural values, and the
professionals understanding of advertising and its values. Professional advertising can
be seen as a winning tool for the economic development both inside and outside of the
given country. Objective of this study is to evaluate the tourism advertising campaign of
Incredible India and find out the tourism advertising campaigns organized worldwide.
This research is based on descriptive research design. For the research, universe of the
study was worldwide tourism advertising campaign organized by various countries time
to time. A sample of seven campaigns has been selected on the basis of simple random
sample. For simple random sample, first of all a list of tourism advertising campaign
prepared and after that random number was generated by computer. Researcher find
out that investment in tourism advertising campaign give good return in employability
and Gross National product.

Keywords: Advertising Campaign, Tourism, Incredible India.

Introduction: Inappropriate, insufficient, inadequate

There are various ways to increase the advertising can be waste of money and
market in the tourism industry. The use of a energy. The advertiser is required to identify
brand name in getting the public attention the target audience and tourism which will
works well or method of regional cooperation increase tourism, investments and other
in tourism, however, the use of advertising as positive behaviour dependent on the volume
the primary means of success requires a of the advertising aimed to attract the tourists.
careful analysis of the tools in the fields of In print, television and radio stations, each
scientific, social and economic behaviour. stage has a specific affect on tourism industry.
Advertising is defined as the activity or Each country's tourism industry can generally
profession of producing advertisements for be measured by its ability and plan and after
commercial products or services. The tourism reviewing the country's interest and need for
industry must use advertising as the primary the industry; then strategies can be planned
tool for its professional gain. The successful and improve the development of the industry.
promotion of tourism in each country is based India is famous for its culture,
on cultural values, and the professionals tradition and rituals. The country where
understanding of advertising and its values. “atithi Devo Bhava” (Guest is God) has
Professional advertising can be seen as a remain a tradition for millions of years, where
winning tool for the economic development guest is treated as god. The tagline of
both inside and outside of the given country. incredible India advertising campaign was

r Assistant Professor, Bhaskar Institute of Mass Communication & Journalism, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi
(UP), Email: [email protected]

®…“€b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……
July - September 2017
33
also Atithi Devo Bhava. India has a history of conducted to measure push and pull factors
numerous foreign travellers and writers who and to develop the advertisements. The main
visited the country and loved it. Their study was a single factor design and by means
accounts and memoirs are filled with lively of a questionnaire showing two types of
and beautiful description of its people and advertisements it measured the effect of
land. From Megesthenes to Fa–Hien and tourist motivation (push vs. pull) on
Hiun-Tsang, from Ibne Batuta to Vasco de advertising involvement, intention to visit the
Gama and Thomas Roe the list is long, India website and intention to visit Canada, when
welcomed all. controlling for culture. Results showed that
Objectives of the Study no effects for tourist motivation but did reveal
1. To study the tourism advertising the importance of culture in determining
campaign of Incredible India. differences.
2. To find out the tourism advertising For the intention to visit Canada, there
campaigns organized worldwide. was a significant effect for culture, with
3. To analyse the aim of tourism Germans having a higher intention to visit
advertising campaign and their Canada than Australians. Hassan salehi and
effects. Morteza Farahbakhsh conducted a research
Hypothesis of the Study on tourism advertising in 2014 entitled
1. Investment on tourism advertising TO U R I S M A D V E RT I S E M E N T
campaign is lower than other MANAGEMENT AND EFFECTIVE
campaign. TOOLS IN TOURISM INDUSTRY. The
2. Tourism advertising campaign plays a finding of this research was the method and
favourable result in tourism industry. language of the advertisement is one of the
Significance of the Study most basic decisions. In addition, should
In present era advertising is an logically be printed and or spoken the native
effective tool for the promotion of nay language of that country. Additionally, an
business. Tourism services can be promoted advantage which could be of importance, is to
by the advertisements. Analysing the consider the use of the internationally
selected advertisement “Incredible India” for accepted language (i.e. English) when
the tourism promotion, present study advertising as this may increase the number
signifies that, how the advertising campaign of interested customers.
for tourism promotion may helpful and the Research Methodology
study will, reveal that what measures should This research is based on descriptive
be taken to promote the tourism services in research design. For the research, universe of
future. the study was worldwide tourism advertising
Literature Review campaign organized by time to time. A
G.H.F. Horenberg conducted a study sample of seven campaigns has been selected
on tourism advertising campaign entitled on the basis of simple random sample. For
TOURISM ADVERTISING COMPARING simple random sample, first of all a list of
THE EFFECTS OF PUSH & PULL tourism advertising campaign prepared and
FACTORS IN ADVERTISING: A CROSS- after that random number was generated by
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE. For this computer. In this research only secondary
research two preliminary studies were data has been used. Data is collected from

®…“€b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……
July - September 2017
34
37
various reports and tourism ministry aged 25 to 34.” The 2003-04 campaign went
websites. on to win many prestigious awards, including
Data Analysis Gold at PATAand the BombayAd Club.
Analysis of Incredible India Tourism In March 2007, the global brand
Advertising Campaign campaign, an evolution of the 'Incredible'
The first marketing initiative of its theme, which was unprecedented in terms of
kind, Incredible India was conceptualized in quality and scale was extended to the
2002 by Creative Director, O&M Delhi V. Internationale Tourismus Bourse (ITB)
Sunil and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Berlin – the world's largest travel and tourism
Tourism Amitabh Kant. The primary show – where India was participating as the
objective of this branding exercise was to Partner Country. The entire project was
create a distinctive identity for the country. directed by V. Sunil and Amitabh Kant, with
This resulted in the iconic ”Incredible !ndia” support from tourism ministries across the
logo, where the exclamation mark that world.
formed the “I” of India was used to great The campaign used the entire city as a
effect across all communications. The canvas- covering it with large billboards,
campaign successfully established India as a branding on taxis and buses, vibrant graphic
high-end tourist destination, generating a art and 3D installations. Signalling a new
16% increase in tourist traffic in the first year. level of sophistication in India's branding
In the second year, the Incredible India strategy, the ITB campaign overwhelmed the
campaign focused on spiritual tourism, international media and trade. India Now was
resulting in a 28.8% increase in tourist traffic a three-month long campaign designed to
and a number one ranking in the Travel and showcase India's accelerating economy and
Leisure readers' survey. In 2003, Condé Nast ever-evolving culture. It was organized from
Traveller selected India as one of the top ten July to September 2007 in London and
preferred destinations for the discerning featured events, activities and festivals across
traveller. “India's results are very exciting and the capital dedicated to Indian art, film, food,
show the country's increasing popularity theatre, music and fashion. As part of the
amongst sophisticated travellers. It also campaign, buses and taxis plying along the
reflects very positively on the individuals main routes in London wore vibrant
involved in promoting India as a premium Incredible India colours and messages.
tourist destination. In January 2004, Lonely Outdoor panels in 150 bus shelters featured
Planet conducted a survey in 134 countries to images of India that corresponded to the
select the world's favourite destination for names of famous London Underground
individual travellers. India was ranked stations, creating a dramatic and amusing
among the top five favourite international contrast. An estimated one million Londoners
destinations in the global survey (the other and visitors to London participated in these
four were Thailand, Italy, Australia and New events. There was also a 16% jump in
Zealand). According to Lonely Planet, “the inbound tourism from the UK.
respondent for the survey was today's This special campaign was designed
independent traveller, professional, with a to attract a global film crowd at the
degree or post-graduate qualification who is International Film Festival at Cannes. Large

®…“€b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……
July - September 2017
35
outdoor posters showed off India's diverse set up home, take roots in India. These are the
and picturesque locales - from the golden people who've truly embraced the culture and
beaches of Kerala to the Tiger reserves of assimilated it into their being. As opposed to
Madhya Pradesh - with cinematographic- those who've simply being 'bitten by the India
themed headlines such as 'Location for Hire' bug'. Staying back is prompted by a decision
in French. The year 2007 not only marked the that will change their lives forever. It is not a
60th year of independence for India but also mere whim or adventure. It is the
celebrated the arrival of India on the global commitment of a lifetime. There are several
platform. The Incredible India@60 campaign people like this in India and we went through
was launched in New York from 23rd-26th a careful process to select the ones who we
September 2007 to coincide with the UN felt could be ambassadors to our culture. The
General Assembly session. The combination creative idea employed a simple device that
of the four-day event and the General stated their country of birth, followed by text
Assembly created the perfect opportunity to that said 'Motherland India'.
showcase the best of India to world leaders, Impact of Incredible Tourism
top international business moguls and the Advertising Campaign
public. Incredible India@60 took India's According to spending data released
extraordinary energy and cultural diversity to by Visa Asia Pacific on 4th March 2006, India
the watching world. Billboards at Times has emerged as the fastest-growing market in
Square, taxis, buses, bus shelters, TV and the Asia-Pacific in terms of international
radio announced the arrival of a brand new tourist spending. The data revealed that
India. With eight ministries, eight overseas international tourists spent US$372 million in
partners and 41 events – including four gala India in the fourth quarter
dinners, 13 conferences and panel (October–December) of 2005, 25% more
discussions, nine cultural shows, seven than in the fourth quarter of 2004. China,
receptions and eight ongoing events – it was a which came second in the region, was
grand show that maximized India's presence successful in making international tourists
and visibility to the world. fork out US$784 million in Q4 2005, a
In 2008, The Colours of India growth of 23% over its Q4 2004 figures. The
campaign emphasized India's diverse cultural tourist spending figures for India would have
spectrum. Featuring breathtaking images and pleased the Indian tourism ministry, which
colour-based headlines such as Coffee Brown had been targeting the high-end market
and Red Hot, the campaign was launched through its long-running 'Incredible India'
globally in 71 leading newspapers and communication campaign.
magazines. Using traditional and interactive
media - print, outdoor and the internet - India
I n c r e d i b l e I n d i a To u r i s m
was positioned as a unique and vibrant Advertising Campaign 2.0
destination for tourists. The India Tourism The Tourism department of India
2008 campaign was based on the experiences would launch Incredible India 2.0 Campaign
of those who came to visit India as tourists across the world, besides setting up five
and stayed back to make India their home. It special tourism zones in the country.
takes a special bond with the country and its "Tourism is a big employment generator and
people to give up everything you know and has a multiplier impact on the economy. Five
special tourism zones anchored on SPV
®…“€b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……
July - September 2017
36
37
 Tourism Ireland organized a tourism
advertisement campaign with the tagline
'Escape the Madness.' Advertising budget of
this advertising campaign was €500,000.
The scheme publicises Ireland as the place to
get away from it all with more than 200 large
advertisements shown at different Tube
stations, targeting commuters during rush
hour and highlighting Ireland's open spaces
and lack of congestion. Further campaign
support comes from Tourism Ireland's social
media channels. The latest phase has seen
Tourism Ireland create a short film featuring
a cameo appearance and voice-over by Chris
(special purpose vehicle) will be set up in O'Dowd, star of The IT Crowd and
partnership with the states," Incredible India Bridesmaids, encouraging visitors to Ireland.
is a flagship programme of the Tourism The target audience of this tourism
Ministry aimed at boosting tourism in the advertising campaign was primarily those
country. Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) living in London, but also appeals to those
during December 2016 were 10.37 lakh as visiting London for the games.
compared to 9.13 lakh during December VISIT FRANCE - France, come and play
2015. The US accounted for the highest share To u r i s m F r a n c e o rg a n i z e d a
of tourists arrivals, followed by Bangladesh advertising campaign named France, come
and the UK the last month. The growth in and play. Budget for this advertising
overseas tourist arrivals in 2016 stood at 10.7 campaign was £600,000, part of a larger 10
per cent with a total of 88.90 lakh as year budget. The “France, come and play”
compared to 80.27 lakh in 2015. campaign is encouraging those living and
visiting London for the Olympics to cross the
Analysis of world tourism channel to France. It comes as part of the ten-
advertising campaign year multi-million euro “Destination France”
TOURISM IRELAND - Escape the campaign, celebrating France as a top travel
Madness destination. The “France, come and play”
campaign has been promoted through all
social media channels and has been given its
own website, www.gotofrancenow.com. The
project also employs 23 different campaign
images, each of which is paired with an
Olympics-themed slogan. These ads have
been placed in key hot spots across the city as
well as on the tube, trains and buses –
appealing to the commuter who might want to
escape busy London. However, the campaign

®…“€b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……
July - September 2017
37
came under criticism lately after it was found presence through country's specific
that images used in the promotional shots Facebook and Twitter pages showcasing
were of non-French beaches, including ones targeted promotions. There is also a newly re-
in South Africa and Florida. Target Audience launched website DiscoverAmerica.com
of this tourism advertising campaign was acting as visitors' information portal for trip
International tourists travelling to England planning. Target Audience for this
for the Olympics and Londoners wishing to advertising campaign was Global. Following
escape the congestion and stress of Olympic a three tier model the first wave of foreign
London. advertising launched on 1 May in the United
Brand USA - Discover America 'Land of Kingdom, Japan and Canada with a budget of
Dreams' $12.3 million. A second wave will follow in
Brazil and South Korea and the third in
China, Mexico and the remaining EU states.
Over the long term US Travel Association
expects to achieve a 20:1 return in visitor
spending for every dollar spent on
advertising.
CANADIAN TOURISM COMMISSION:
Canada Keep on Exploring
Canadian tourism commission started
a tourism advertising campaign 'Canada
Keep on Exploring' with aim to explore the
tourism sector in Canada. For this campaign,
The Canadian Tourism Commission was
United State of America organized a entrusted with a $48million investment from
tourism advertising campaign named Canada's Economic Action Plan organisation
'Discover America Land of Dreams' in 2012. to spend over three years of campaign
The first ever fully integrated global BRAND activity. The aim of this tourism advertising
USA Budget was $200 million marketing campaign was to engage in an advertising
campaign for the USA with the purpose of programme within Canada and undertake
encouraging travellers from all over the new activities in the priority international
world to visit. The aim of Brand USA markets of the US, China, India and Brazil.
advertising campaign was to create millions The 2009-10 'Locals Know' campaign urged
in spending and tens of thousands of new jobs Canadians to travel within Canada and
for Americans in the tourism sector. The “explore the Canada they didn't know”. There
campaign was created in partnership with were also a series of US summer campaigns,
JWT communications agency. This marketing in American's key cities such as
advertising campaign was Launched in New York and Chicago. The 'Say Hello to
March 2012 and promoted using a mix of 60, Canada' campaign was launched at the
20 and 15 second worldwide television official opening of the Canadian Tourism
adverts which feature Rosanne Cash, Commission's marketing centre in the heart
daughter of Johnny Cash. The campaign also of Beijing, running in leading newspapers
includes digital, mobile, billboard and print and travel and lifestyle magazines such as
advertising along with a strong online Shanghai Weekly. A £3 million branch of the
®…“€b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……
July - September 2017
38
37
campaign also ran in the UK. Additionally, focus on both the domestic and international
the campaign ran on social media and video- traveller, and convey the message that
sharing sites, search engines and micro blogs Australia is a must-see destination with some
as well as travel, lifestyle, news and culinary of the best tourism experiences. The 'There's
websites. The “Laying the Foundations” nothing like Australia' campaign launched
campaign ran in Brazil and India, laying the with a $4 million commercial featured in
grounds for tourist growth and securing broadcast, cinema and digital. The creative
partnerships to advance Canada's brand employs a unique soundtrack which was
awareness. Target Audience for this tested both pre and post-exposure to ensure it
campaign was also Global community. was a good fit for the 16 experiences shown in
Majority of investment was spent in the the TVC. A new interactive tablet app was
Locals Know campaign, generating over released as well as new print and digital
$150 million in federal tax revenue. The US executions, including interactive and rich
campaigns generated nearly $82 million. It is media digital advertising banners. Multi-
expected that by 2013 China will be Canada's platform social media campaigns, including
third-largest overseas market for travellers, online video content and short films, were
generating an additional $300 million a year used to reach wider audiences and new
in tourism revenues by 2015. destination content for australia.com, the
TOURISM AUSTRALIA - 'There's website at the heart of the campaign, was
Nothing LikeAustralia' revealed. Tourism Australia also partnered
'There is Nothing Like Australia' with luxury hotels website Mr&Mrs Smith
tourism advertising campaign was executed and TripAdvisor to help tourists plan trips.
by tourism department of Australia. The Since its May 2012 launch the campaign has
Budget for this campaign was AUS$250 appeared in 25 countries and has been
million. A campaign designed to be long- translated into 17 languages. Target Audience
lasting and flexible, and one that could evolve for this campaign was Global tourist. The
to stay relevant for target consumers in a campaign was designed for a broad target
highly competitive and fast-changing global audience focusing predominantly on leisure
tourism environment. The objective was to travellers who are highly predisposed to visit
Australia.
Findings & Conclusion
1. In tourism advertising campaign, Planner
use multimedia means to communicate
the targeted audience.
2. Most of the tourism advertising
campaigns are global.
3. In tourism advertising campaign, not only
government but also hotels and other
tourism participating agencies gives
support.
4. Tourism advertising campaign make
good return in employability and GDP.

®…“€b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……
July - September 2017
39
REFERENCE:
· http://incredibleindiacampaign.com/campaign2009.html
· Webdeveloper (2003-10-16). "The 'Incredible India' Campaign: Marketing India to the
World | Marketing Case Studies | Business Marketing Management Cases | Case Study".
www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Marketing/MKTG122.htm
· Rong, W. and Z. Mu, 2013. Reasearch on the tourism effect and marketing sterategy of
convention and exposition industry, a case study of Shenzhen city of China. Journal of
Service Science and Management 6: 151-159.
· Moradkhani, M., 2014. Trend of tourism in Iran with emphesise of Zorastian places.
Dissertation. Tehran: IslamicAzad University , Science and Research Branch
· http://eprints.qut.edu.au/82032/1/IJGG-2014-3(10)-124-134.pdf
· http://eprints.qut.edu.au/82032/1/IJGG-2014-3(10)-124-134.pdf
· http://www.archwoodside.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Woodside-tourism-
advertising-metrics-ACTHR-4.pdf
· http://industry.visitcalifornia.com/media/uploads/files/editor/Research/CTTC_Canada
Spring2007_AdEffect.pdf
· http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/753845/1/destination%20advertising%20impact%20-
%20final.pdf

qqqqq

®…“€b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……
July - September 2017
40
37