Building a stronger Mauritius global brand

The second mission, following an MTPA tender, was for the provision of consultancy services for the setting up a fully functional Marketing Services Department. The services of Brand In One was retained to do the following: a comprehensive Marketing Services Audit, recommend an organisation set-up to support this, develop job descriptions of key positions and assist the MTPA’s HR committee in the recruitment process. The project’s kick off meeting took place on 25 January 2017.

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The excellent progression noticed in 2016 when Mauritius welcomed more than 1 million tourists was an indication that the strategy chosen by the new Management team at the helm of the MTPA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Authority, was starting to deliver positive results. In addition to recommend a new structure for the Marketing Services Department, Brand In One discovered that a number of parameters would need to be reinforced to ensure that the Mauritius brand evolves fully in the right direction and thus assist in further strengthening Tourism growth: consistency in communication strategy, clear definition of brand positioning and constant brand identity management, constant research and innovation, Integrated Marketing Communication across the globe and the need for allocation of appropriate resources.

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But more than mere setting up of a new Marketing Services Department which would look after the logo, brand promise or advertising campaign..., this initiative would mean to be an Integrated Communications and PR exercise laying building blocks, year after year, for a stronger Mauritius global brand with worldwide recognition and strong brand equity, especially in the trade and amongst the target audiences. The challenge for the MTPA lied in maintaining the momentum of growth. This was (still is) dependent on various critical factors: air access, infrastructure improvement, capacity building of service providers, convergence of tourism with other sectors of the Mauritian economy and communication strategy (constant innovation).

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As pointed out by Creenagh Lodge, nation branding expert, “For countries as for commercial organizations, the final element in a successful brand is its ability to inspire. That inspiration is the first step for growing self-esteem. And the confidence thereby produced is the power which drives the brand’s success”. For the inspiration to succeed over a long period, countries require brand managers with the vision and ability to execute it efficiently. The Mauritian Tourism Promotion Authority next steps were therefore to identity future brand champions and give them the tools to generate fresh ideas, innovate, develop courage to implement their ideas and partner with the most competent and creative people. The objective being keeping Mauritius as one of the most favourite island destination for international travellers.

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