How to Develop a Destination Brand Logo: A Qualitative and Quantitative Approach

Abstract

This paper presents a framework that can assist destination marketers in developing destination logos. The main goal of a logo is to enhance awareness about the destination and to build a beneficial destination image. Input from three parties should be considered in the process of developing destination logos. These are (i) the logo owner, (ii) the logo developer, and (iii) the logo recipients. A normative model for testing of logos used in destination marketing is delineated, based on input from these contributors. To illustrate practical usage of the model a logo development process is presented, which is conducted by the Fjord Norway destination marketing board. This case study illustrates how the normative model can aid marketers in assessing the potential of tourism logos. Results from three empirical studies show that the destination logo in some sense should match the destinations they represent. Moreover, the results show that the design of the logo is crucial.