The measurement of brand orientation, its performance impact, and the role of leadership in the context of destination branding: An exploratory study

Abstract

As a result of the increasingly competitive global marketplace, many tourism destinations have turned to branding to improve their performance. However, although marketing scholars have begun to examine the transferability and contribution of marketing tools to destination marketing, relatively little attention has been given to the concept of brand orientation. Drawing on previous empirical work, this study uses path modelling to develop a reliable and valid multidimensional measure of brand orientation in the context of destination branding and examines its relationship to brand performance and brand leadership by senior management. The findings from a sample of CEOs and directors in 90 destination marketing organisations suggest that destination brand orientation consists of five dimensions – brand culture, departmental coordination, brand communication, stakeholder partnership, and brand reality – and has a strong, positive impact on brand performance. The findings also suggest that leadership by senior management is an important determinant of destination brand orientation.

Keywords:

• brand orientation
• destination brands
• brand performance
• brand leadership
• partial least squares

Acknowledgement

The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of professor Stavros Kalafatis of Kingston University, who provided invaluable support as regards the data analysis for this research.