Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
#1
I see the Chamber of Commerce are advocating dropping the name "white cliffs country" as a tourist marketing symbol/destination. The story is on page 9 of this weeks Mercury. The suggestion was made by Ray Haines of the Chamber of Commerce in a local speech.The feeling is that further afield very few people actually know where this 'white cliffs country' is and I myself have long since thought that way.
If you are born and bred here in Dover, and many in the tourist business are, you have perhaps little idea what way the outside world is thinking. I myself as a one time tourist to Dover, would not have related Dover to the term White Cliffs Country. I had never heard of the term.
I had heard about Dover of course, I had heard about the White Cliffs of...but the short or maybe large leap to White Cliffs Country didnt register with me as to where it was. So much of the marketing will be lost, falling on deaf ears, because in this fast paced media world nobody lingers long enough on anything to take the trouble to find out.
Dover Country could be good, as one has to embrace Deal and Sandwich. But for gawdsake dont use the term DISTRICT in the promotional idea..its a killer. The Chamber are suggesting Dover District Tourism. Did you ever hear anything so unromantic, so untouristy, as the word 'District'.
Guest 648- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 258
#2
I see no sense in changing the brand name ,White Cliffs Country is a very good brand ,We called the business park White Cliffs The DDC logo reflects this.For goodness sake dont let us change it again .
#3
I was born in London, have lived all over this country and in other countries, only moved to Kent a few years ago and have always been familiar with Dover as the White Cliffs region...White Cliffs of Dover, duh!!! And I am Irish..........
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
#4
The only global brand name around here is...
The White Cliffs of Dover.
Its a huge name. People everywhere have heard of it but its not made use of commercially at all. Stick that label on a bottle of spring water for example and everybody from Tennessee to Timbucktu would buy it or consider buying it.
We dont make use of the brand name.
sigh!
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,321
#5
Much as I like Ray....
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
#6
Here in south west france everybody has heard of the white cliffs of Dover. which enables me to tell them the joke about the white cliffs of France; If we can see them it is going to rain,
if we can't see them it is already raining.
#7
White Cliffs of Dover - yes, of course it's a total no-brainer that this global (excuse the following dread-word) 'brand' should be used by the town, and used prominently.
But does Dover really need an expensive rebranding exercise, and all the attendant self-justifying marketing guff and wasteful consultation/design process which that entails, before the town starts to get on its feet again? Nope, I think not.
All fur coat and no knickers, as usual.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#8
This suggestion is essentally Ray's not the Chamber as such.
I was Vice-Chairman of Tourism (as we had back then...) when the White Cliffs Country brand was adopted which was well argued at the time. The man who suggested it was the man responsible for the 'English Riviera' brand for Cornwall, he worked for us for a while.
I have mixed feelings. Dover is the worldwide name but it does not take a leap of the imagination to link White Cliffs Country to Dover. I do wonder whether time has moved on now though, interested to see what others say.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#9
It's not so much rebranding as (re)emphasising what we have:
Dover, Deal and Sandwich
"White Cliffs Country"
I can't change the the font size or colour here, but incorporating the main Towns and the White Cliffs is a must in any promotional material and I believe it is.
Roger