NEW LOOK: BVI BRANDING REVAMPED

Government has revamped the branding used to sell the Territory’s tourism product and in the process has opened a completely new window for tourists to see the BVI through. At the launch on  29 November, Zimmerman, the BVI’s marketing agency,    unveiled the new branding, website and a new 15 minutes commercial that will be used to draw more visitors to the BVI shores this coming year.

Members of the business community were invited to the launch and encouraged to give their input on added approaches that can be taken to lure even more visitors to the islands.

Recently the decision was taken to refresh the Territory’s brand for its tourism product. In order to find a marketing agency suitable for the task, an interview was done  and the Zimmerman Agency was selected.

The recently retired Director of the Tourist Board, Mr. Kedrick Malone had met with the group and told them what the BVI was expecting. The Zimmerman group was then asked to work hard and to take every dollar and make it three. Chairman of the Tourist Board, Mr. Russell Harrigan announced at the launching that in order to get the new branding the Board had to work hard to have it completed before the year end. One of the difficulties they faced was carrying out a photo shoot in the rain and getting the task completed despite the threat of a hurricane. 

Mr. Harrigan said that since the launch of the new branding in New York three weeks ago many articles have been written on the Territory, and other islands such as Puerto Rico has since embarked on doing the same for their tourism product.

The Chairman of the Tourist Board explained that the Territory continues to operate in a very competitive market. He said that the BVI has to operate on several parallel levels at the same time.  Mr. Harrigan went on to say that tourism is a very competitive sector and the BVI cannot afford to lose its edge.

Curtis Zimmerman of the Zimmerman Agency said that they are very excited to be able to represent the BVI. He explained that his business's primary focus is travel and hospitality. He pointed out that the BVI is a brand that is fighting to get people’s attention every day.

Mr. Zimmerman mentioned that his agency tried to make the new brand special, and to ensure that it truly represents the Territory. He explained that on his visit here he noticed many burgees decorating the island and so the burgee was chosen as the brand. Soon there will be a burgee representing every island, and Mr. Zimmerman hopes that it will be an icon that every tourist will try to take back after their vacation. Instead of describing the accommodations in the Territory as “intimate hideaways” the agency is suggesting that the term be changed to “jewels of the BVI”. Mr. Zimmerman disclosed that the new BVI website was launched a couple of weeks ago in New York. He stressed that the new website looks a lot like the old one with added features. Throughout the rest of the presentation the group provided results of a survey that was taken to find out what people know about the BVI, and what people are looking for. In the end the agency displayed a solid and impressive proposal on how they plan to increase the number of visitors to the BVI.

The new commercial that will be used to promote the BVI was introduced by the Acting Director of the Tourist Board, Mrs. Janis Braithwaite-Edwards. The advertisement is laid against a background of soothing fungi music, that accompanies a picturesque vision of all that there is to see and do in the BVI. With a blend of invigorating colors and a hint of the BVI culture the advertisement provides a calm welcoming feeling that seemed to change the mood of the viewer.

Chief Minister, Dr. the Hon. D. Orlando Smith praised the ad, saying that “the ad depicts the intimate bond forged between us and our visitors that we treasure.” Dr. Smith said that the new brand is just one of strides that are being taken to improve the tourism product.