Missouri Division of Tourism

Missouri Division of Tourism
Branding Research 2011 Missouri Division of Tourism Presented by Denise Miller Strategic Marketing & Research, Inc.

Background & Objectives
The Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) is charged with marketing the state to attract additional visitors and to encourage longer stays for all visitors. Having a strong brand is a key ingredient of a successful marketing program. But developing a brand can be challenging for states. The diversity of the product offering, as well as the similarities among states, makes the process of creating a meaningful point of differentiation more difficult. MDT has conducted branding and awareness research in the past that focused on the product attributes and comparisons with key states. The results highlighted the challenge, as Missouri was viewed in a fairly positive manner, but also was considered similar to many of the surrounding states. Therefore, MDT leadership decided to conduct additional research relating to its brand. This research focuses on the perceived personality of the states, and the aim is to identify options for creating a “personality” that will differentiate Missouri and serve as a branding platform. The goal of this research was to evaluate perceptions of Missouri that exist currently and how the state compares to key competitors and nationally, and to provide insight into options for developing a strongly defined and differentiated brand.

Methodology Online survey using national panel provider.
Completed 1,020 surveys across 11 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas Survey also gathered information about the same 11 states. States were chosen as a mix of nearby competitors and states in other parts of the country to provide stronger differentiation and a better understanding for developing a national brand. Data collection was conducted in December 2011 and January 2012. The questionnaire was designed to explore emotional reactions and define the personality of not only Missouri, but also various states both close and farther away. This branding research was designed to augment past branding awareness research conducted by MDT.

Personification (adding human qualities to the state)
One exercise that was used to provide insight into how consumers view the state asked people to “personify,” or add human qualities to the states using a number of categories: Gender, age, occupation, type of home, music, restaurant, vehicle, movie, etc. The goal was to have a richer understanding of the emotional connection that people have with states. In each case consumers were given four choices to use to personify the states and forced to choose one option for each state. Unfortunately, in part due to the fact that many of the states are Midwestern and are states without strong images, the research points out many similarities with these characterizations. In many categories, the majority of the states were characterized in the same way. A review highlights that some states do stand out, but that consumers tend to perceive these states – especially Missouri and its close competitors – in a very similar manner.

Personification A review of the categories and findings will highlight the similarities found and some of the states that are differentiated. All of the states, including Missouri, were characterized as male except Georgia, which was viewed as female. All of the states, including Missouri, were characterized as middle-aged except for Colorado, which was viewed as young adult. The majority, including Missouri, were classified as mechanics and pickup trucks. Colorado and Minnesota are viewed as artists, while Illinois is an accountant. Ohio is a minivan, while Colorado, Minnesota and Illinois are SUVs. There was some variation in terms of the type of home that states represented. The majority, including Missouri, were classified as farms. Illinois is an urban condo. Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota and Ohio represent single family homes.

Personification Mansion Young Adult Middle Aged Urban Condo
What age category? Young Adult CO Child Senior Citizen Middle Aged AR, IL, GA, IA, KS, MN, MO, TN, TX What type of home? Mansion Urban Condo IL Single Family Home CO, GA, MN, OH Farm AR, IA, MO, TN, TX What profession? Accountant IL Artist CO, MN School Teacher Mechanic AR, GA, IA, KS, MO, OH TN, TX What type of vehicle? Sports Car SUV CO, IL, MN Minivan OH Pickup Truck AR, GA, KS, IA, MO, TN, TX

Personification When restaurants are considered, most of the states, including Missouri, are viewed as a classic diner, with only Texas and Kansas viewed as a buffet. None of the states are fast food or a gourmet restaurant. Every state (including Missouri) except for Illinois is viewed as outlet shops, with Illinois viewed as the mall. In terms of music, Missouri and the majority are seen as country music, although Colorado, Illinois and Ohio are classified as rock & roll. None of the states are seen as classical or jazz and blues. One of the few categories where all four options were used is beverages. Several states, including Missouri, were classified as spring water. Consumers connect Illinois and Texas with alcohol. Kansas is personified as milk. Soda pop is used to classify Georgia, Iowa and Ohio.

What type of restaurant
Personification What type of restaurant Gourmet Restaurant Buffet KS, TX Fast Food Classic Diner AR, CO, GA, IA, MN, MO, OH, TN What type of drink? Milk KS Alcohol IL, TX Soda Pop GA, IA, OH Spring Water AR, CO, MN, MO, TN What type of music? Classical Jazz & Blues Rock & Roll CO, IL, OH Country AR, GA, IA, MN, MO, TN, TX What type of store? Boutique Antique Shop Mall IL Outlet Shop AR, CO, GA, , IA, KS, MN, MO, OH, TN, TX

Personification Another group of categories included types of movies and television shows, as well as male and female celebrities. Missouri and the majority of states were personified as reality shows, with Illinois and Iowa seen as news shows. Sports shows were connected with Colorado, Minnesota and Texas. With movie categories, Colorado and Illinois are personified as an action movie, Georgia, Minnesota and Ohio are romantic comedies, and the remainder of the states, including Missouri, are viewed as Westerns. Missouri and almost all of the states are identified with Meg Ryan, although Iowa and Texas are personified as Meryl Streep. In terms of actors, all the states are identified with either Clint Eastwood (Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Tennessee and Texas) or Tom Hanks (Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio).

Personification Thriller Action movie Romantic Comedy Western
What type of movie? Thriller Action movie CO, IL Romantic Comedy GA, MN, OH Western AR, IA, KS, MO, TN, TX What type of TV show? News Show IL, IA Comedy Sports Show CO, MN, TX Reality Show AR, GA, KS, MO, TN, OH Which actor? Jim Carrey Jack Nicholson Clint Eastwood AR, CO, KS, TN, TX Tom Hanks GA, IA, IL, KS, MO, OH Which actress? Tina Fey Angelina Jolie Meryl Streep IA, TX Meg Ryan AR, CO, GA, , IL, KS, MN, MO, OH, TN

Personification All of the states, including Missouri, were characterized as jeans and a T-shirt, although for Illinois a business suit was a close second. Missouri and almost all of the other states were characterized as work boots. Only one state – Illinois – was personified as high heels. In terms of dogs, there was also a great deal of agreement, with the majority of states, including Missouri, connected to a golden retriever. There were three states (Texas, Colorado and Illinois) that were more connected to a German shepherd.

Personification Business suit Party dress Khakis & Sweater
What type of clothing? Business suit Party dress Khakis & Sweater Jeans & T-shirt AR, CO, GA, IA, IL, KS, MN, MO, OH TN, TX What type of shoe? Sandals Tennis Shoes High Heels IL Work Boots AR, CO, GA, , IA, KS, MN, MO, OH, TN, TX What type of dog? Poodle German Shepherd CO, IL, TX Bulldog Golden Retriever AR, GA, KS, IA, MN, MO, TN

Personification While the personification effort highlighted the similar image that many of the states present, there were some interesting differences to note: Illinois has the image that is most different from the other states tested. Its image is more urban and business-like, and is probably driven by perceptions of Chicago. The other states that tend to have different personalities are the states that were included as outside Missouri’s key competitors – Colorado, Minnesota, Texas and Ohio. Missouri’s perceived personality is very similar to the surrounding states. There are no obvious points of differentiation. Given that there is so much similarity in the perceptions of the states, it is helpful to consider variations within this group and nuances of personality that might be utilized to create a point of differentiation. For example, while none of the states were characterized as jazz and blues, Missouri indexes high on this characterization. In addition to the personification efforts, the survey also asked consumers to characterize the states in terms of personality descriptors. A review of those descriptors will further explore the image of each of the states.

Personality Descriptors
Respondents also evaluated the states using personality descriptions. The Midwest states tend to be rated as boring or relaxed. While Missouri is only mildly characterized by these attributes, it is also not strongly seen as lively or exciting. Illinois is lively, while Colorado is exciting. Texas is both lively and exciting. Kansas and Iowa are rated the most boring states.

On a positive note, Missouri is seen as both welcoming and charming – although other states excel in these categories. Iowa is the most welcoming state, followed by Kansas and Arkansas. Illinois is the most non-welcoming. Colorado is viewed as charming, as is Minnesota, while Texas and Illinois are both opinionated. Again, the challenge for Missouri is that its personality is similar to states that surround it, and not strongly on the positive side of the descriptors.

The differentiation for Illinois is clear in terms of it being viewed as much more sophisticated than any of the other states, and generally more exotic. Iowa is viewed as quite homey. To a lesser degree, so are most of the other nearby states, including Missouri. Arkansas, Iowa and Tennessee are viewed as rustic, while Ohio and Georgia are more sophisticated. Missouri is both homey and rustic, although not as strongly as other states.

There is some strong differentiation between states that are characterized as more intelligent versus more fun. Tennessee and Colorado are the most “fun,” while Kansas and Iowa are the most intelligent – although this may just be a perception that they are not fun. Missouri is somewhat fun, but again not as strongly as several other states. Missouri is also a bit more cozy than adventurous. Colorado and Texas are seen as adventurous, while Iowa and Kansas are cozy.

Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota are viewed as free-spirited and innovative. Iowa and Kansas are the most traditional and conservative. Tennessee is viewed as traditional but not conservative. Missouri is characterized as both traditional and conservative, but neither of these characterizations differentiates Missouri from the competitive states.

State Imagery While looking at the various ratings as a whole provides an overview of the landscape, it is also important to look at each of the states and explore how all the ratings come together to describe it. As part of this analysis, it is helpful to review information on levels of familiarity and visitation for the states rated, as well as their image as a destination. This information is similar to past research, and does not require specific analysis. It was gathered in this study as a point of reference, to relate how the image for each state relates to these measures, and to be able to evaluate whether specific image perceptions are linked to a favorable image. The overview of past visitation and image is presented prior to a more detailed review of the image of each state.

State Ratings

State Imagery The next step is a detailed review of each state and how it was characterized. The individual strengths or positions of a state center upon those things that it is most associated with or are more associated with than other states. In the following profiles, the positioning strengths are presented in two ways: First, the attributes where a state received its strongest ratings in terms of the most people using that personification or personality descriptor for the state Second, the areas where the state had the strongest index. An index compares the rating of the state to the average of all other states and creates a score. With an index, a score of 100 indicates a rating similar to the other states, where a higher score shows potential points of differentiation – areas where a state is viewed as different from the others considered. These personality profiles are not meant to be either good or bad. A unique personality represents a strong image. A highly similar or undifferentiated image suggests need for differentiation.

Texas In terms of level of visitation, familiarity and likelihood, Texas out-performs all other states tested. Interestingly, while the rating as a destination is high, it is not the highest. Texas had one of the most well-defined images among those states tested. The state was characterized as a rough, drinking, country working man – a Clint Eastwood type – but at the same time marked by the arrogance of success and its trappings. ASSOCIATIONS Jeans & a T-shirt 87% Male 84% Country Adventurous 82% A pickup truck INDEX (100=average) Alcohol 264 Clint Eastwood 218 A mansion 185 A pickup truck 180 Angelina Jolie

Illinois Illinois is among the top states in terms of familiarity, visitation and likelihood. In contrast, its rating as a destination is slightly below average. The challenge for this state is that it is almost wholly defined by its dominant city – Chicago. This makes for high familiarity and visitation levels. However, in a comparison among states as a destination for a leisure trip, this limits its appeal. The extent to which its imagery is driven by this urban center can be seen in the image associations and indexes, which clearly position the state as a sophisticated urban environment. ASSOCIATIONS Male 73% Lively 71% Opinionated Fun 70% Intelligent 69% INDEX (100=average) A business suit 470 A sports car 379 High heels 372 An urban condo 338 An accountant 297

Colorado As a leisure trip destination, Colorado has, perhaps, the most singular image/position. The state gets the highest rating as a destination and is among the top states in terms of visitation and familiarity. In addition, the strength of its image associations give it an adventuresome, exciting, outdoor and trendy feel. When people think about Colorado, it’s all about it being hip. This can be most clearly seen in the image indexes – artistic, gourmet, spring water and boutiques are reflections of this “cool” image perception and help focus the overall appeal of the state. ASSOCIATIONS Adventurous 91% Fun 88% Exciting 86% Free-spirited 85% Welcoming 83% INDEX (100=average) An artist 273 Gourmet restaurant 253 Spring water 241 A boutique 237 A sports show 226

Tennessee Tennessee illustrates that a state need not be perceived as urban or hip to be appealing. While it has somewhat lower familiarity and visitation than the prior states, it still has an above average rating and likelihood. The imagery of the state is comfortable country. While not as cohesive an image as Colorado, consumers feel welcomed and relaxed by the destination. In some ways, the traditional southern feel and heritage coupled with the music heritage of its key urban areas drive the appeal. ASSOCIATIONS Welcoming 83% Jeans & a T-shirt Traditional 80% Relaxed Rustic 79% INDEX (100=average) An antique shop 169 Country 164 A pickup truck 153 A western 148 Clint Eastwood 137

Georgia When participants in this study think “southern,” Georgia most typifies this image among all the states included in this research. However, the image of this state suffers some of the dichotomy of its rurality, coupled with the urbanity of Atlanta. Atlanta is a dominant force in its imagery, as illustrated in the strong index skews to upscale sophistication. Yet, its associations are warm and welcoming. These factors combined to make the state above average in terms of visitation, familiarity and image rating. ASSOCIATIONS Welcoming 79% Traditional 77% Homey 76% Relaxed 75% Fun 74% INDEX (100=average) A mansion 305 Jazz & blues 189 A party dress or tuxedo 177 Female 171 High heels 166

Ohio In contrast to the states reviewed thus far, Ohio falls into somewhat of a second tier. Consumers have lower levels of familiarity and visitation and rate the state below the average of other states rated in terms of its appeal. The image perceptions of this state have the feel of “white bread” Midwest values. The state is conservative, traditional and welcoming – a place that can feel “homey.” And its image skews or indexes are almost all preppy khakis and minivans. The rock and roll skew is clearly driven by one of the most notable attractions in Ohio, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. ASSOCIATIONS Traditional 77% Welcoming 74% Homey 73% Conservative 72% Relaxed 71% INDEX (100=average) Rock & roll 212 Khakis & a sweater 182 Classical 176 A minivan 166 A romantic comedy

Minnesota In most regards, there are few differences between the image and appeal of the states of Ohio and Minnesota. Both states have a similar level of familiarity and visitation – although the overall rating of Minnesota is somewhat higher than Ohio’s. Minnesota shares the same welcoming Midwest preppy feel as Ohio, with perhaps a slight additional dose of trendiness. ASSOCIATIONS Welcoming 84% Fun 80% Relaxed Homey Adventurous 79% INDEX (100=average) An SUV 156 A romantic comedy 155 Khakis & a sweater 149 Spring water 148 Tom Hanks

Arkansas The remaining states – Arkansas, Kansas and Iowa – represent the lowest tier of those tested in terms of familiarity, visitation and rating as a leisure trip destination. In a number of ways, they are among the least differentiated from one another in terms of image as well. Arkansas is associated with a relaxed rustic feel perhaps best characterized as “jeans and a T-shirt.” However, the weakness or confusion of its image can be seen in its positive image skews, which have no real cohesiveness. Arkansas is better understood as what it is not – not urban, trendy or preppy. ASSOCIATIONS Jeans & a T-shirt 82% Relaxed 81% Welcoming 79% Rustic Traditional 78% INDEX (100=average) An artist 49 A sports car 42 Khakis & a sweater 39 High heels 33 A business suit 17

Kansas Kansas shares a weak level of familiarity, visitation and appeal. Associations with Kansas are similarly traditional and conservative. However, the image skews help to solidify the essentially nondescript perceptions of the state, with “milk” and “seniors” being the strongest indexes. As with Arkansas, this state is also somewhat defined by what it is not – it is not sophisticated. ASSOCIATIONS Jeans & a T-shirt 80% Traditional 78% Conservative 77% Rustic 74% Homey INDEX (100=average) Milk 223 A senior citizen 169 A western 161 A news show Fast food 159

Iowa Of the three states with the weakest overall appeal, Iowa has the strongest image perception of wholesome Midwest values. This can be seen not only in its traditional and conservative image association but also in its high index as a “school teacher” and “minivan,” in addition to a “senior” and “milk.” While these do represent fairly strong image skews, they certainly are not ones that are drivers of leisure travel. These are the image perceptions sometimes sought to raise a family but not as a place for a leisure trip. ASSOCIATIONS Traditional 82% Relaxed 80% Jeans & a T-shirt 79% Conservative Welcoming 78% INDEX (100=average) A senior citizen 231 Milk 215 A news show 211 A school teacher 187 A minivan 181

Missouri Missouri represents a middle ground among the other states tested in terms of its appeal while having fairly strong familiarity and visitation. The findings are not surprising in light of past research and Missouri’s core associations and indexes illustrated below. ASSOCIATIONS Welcoming 79% Traditional 78% Relaxed Homey 76% Jeans & a T-shirt Rustic 74% Cozy Fun 73% Conservative Charming 71% INDEX (100=average) Golden retriever 145 Spring water 127 An outlet center 126 Middle-aged 125 An antique shop 120 Classic diner 118 Female Jazz & blues 116 A farm A western 115

Missouri Not only does the state represent a middle ground in terms of familiarity, visitation and appeal, the image of the state shares some of the characteristics of its neighbors. In terms of association, Missouri has its strongest characterization in the welcoming, traditional and relaxed appeals. The state is somewhat cozy and comfortable. As shown earlier, in terms of the personification exercise, Missouri’s classification was the same as the majority of states in every case. In fact, the personification exercise illustrates the challenge for Missouri – it is currently largely undifferentiated from surrounding states.

Missouri Given the fact that many of the characterizations are similar, the next step is to begin to identify where there are differences in terms of the personalization and attribute ratings. For example, while Missouri was characterized as “country music” overall compared to the other states, it was considered more strongly “jazz and blues.” However, in terms of its image differences that are not very strong (as represented by the index scores on page 32), they skew to some appeals of character. Spring water, antiques, diners and blues are a far cry from senior citizens and milk that characterize the lowest tier of states tested. These skews are areas that can be viewed as an opportunity to develop and differentiate. They result in part from the state’s diversity and urban and rural mix that few others share.

Missouri The strongest open-ended comments regarding what makes Missouri unique reference some of the variety and character: Combination of outdoor activities, urban destinations, and historic sites A combination of a Midwest and Southern feel A good mixture of rural and urban with a lot of history BBQ, wines and jazz It has an urban town rich in tradition and lots of farm land It has the Branson resort areas, wineries and Kansas City Rural and mix of urban culture You have very large urban cities on both ends and some great off the road country living in the middle

Perceptual Mapping While each state can be reviewed relative to individual attribute skews, the reality is that all this imagery and these perceptions interrelate. In order to consider all the attributes and states simultaneously, one statistical approach is multi-dimensional scaling, sometimes known as perceptual mapping. The idea of this approach is to provide another lens to view image perception and differentiation in a single mapping of the competitive landscape. The first step is to utilize the attributes to define the space. In the map that follows, we have “Urban Sophisticated” on the right, “Middle America” values at the bottom, rustic “Down on the Farm” imagery to the left, and adventuresome, free-spirited “Character/Exciting” toward the top of the map. The map on the following page shows where the descriptors fall on the map, and defines the landscape of comparison. After the space is defined, the next map shows where each of the states is currently positioned.

Perceptual Mapping Character/Exciting Down on the farm Sophisticated
Middle America/Boring Sophisticated Urban

Image of States Character/Exciting
Missouri’s current image is more “down on the farm” and tends toward “middle America.” Its image is similar to many of the surrounding states. Down on the farm Sophisticated Urban Middle America/Boring

Recommended Positioning
The challenge for Missouri is that the state’s personality is not very strongly developed – and not that different from nearby states. The key for Missouri is to build on elements of its existing image, but create a stronger point of differentiation. Current areas where Missouri indexes high against the other states and that provide potential points of differentiation include: antique shop, classic diner and jazz & blues. Most of the nearby states are welcoming, homey, traditional, country & pickup truck. To break out of this sea of sameness, Missouri needs to develop a position that is more exciting, lively and charming. One option that seems worth pursuing is to build on the current base of welcoming and traditional – but to elevate the concept to a more exciting level. For example, move from classic diner to upscale/gourmet comfort food, focus the traditional aspects toward history, move away from an image linked to pickup trucks and toward classic cars. One word that comes to mind is “vintage” – building on the positive aspects of traditional and welcoming, but meld a level of sophistication and liveliness. This will create differentiation between Missouri and the other nearby states. Specifically, positioning Missouri as more exciting, lively and charming will improve its overall image and create more interest in visiting the state.

Current Move to Male Female Point of differentiation Farm Historic home Point of differentiation supports vintage position, but feel has to be lively, not boring. Outlet shop Antique Already indexes higher for this. Builds on vintage position, and creates differentiation. Feel needs to be welcoming, not too sophisticated. Mechanic Artist Already indexes high, and this supports more lively, fun image. Feel should be more craft than fine art. Pickup truck Classic car Truck image reinforces the rustic image of the state. Classic car will promote the vintage feel and provide differentiation.

Current Move to Relaxed Lively Point of differentiation and more appealing. Welcoming Charming Welcoming is nice, but not as motivational – build on the feeling to make it stronger and more of an appeal Traditional/Homey Exciting The states with more appeal present an image that is more exciting – this translates into more to do and a stronger appeal. The following map shows how Missouri’s position – and thus its image – would change by changing its image in the areas that have been identified. The existing position is marked in black, and the potential new position is shown as “future MO” in red.

Future Image of Missouri
Character/Exciting Down on the farm Sophisticated Urban Middle America/boring

The result is to produce an image of Missouri that creates differentiation and is appealing to consumers. The key attributes that the brand should convey are: Charming Exciting Lively The key personality/personifications to use for developing the brand are: Female Historic house Antique shop Artist Classic car

Research Prepared and Presented by Denise Miller

Missouri Division of Tourism

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