Destination Advertising Research Articles

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology in destination advertising: The impact of video-based destination anthropomorphism on destination image

Drawing upon existing anthropomorphism literature, this research employed two experiments to investigate the relationships among video-based destination anthropomorphism, AI mind perception, and destination image, while examining the moderating influence of AI anxiety. Study 1 confirmed that video-based destination anthropomorphism and AI mind perception positively impact destination image. It also demonstrated that video-based destination anthropomorphism positively affects AI mind perception and established the mediating role of AI mind perception. Study 2 verified that AI anxiety moderates the impact of video-based destination anthropomorphism on AI mind perception. These research outcomes contribute to the body of knowledge in destination marketing literature by constructing an integrated model. Furthermore, the findings offer valuable insights for destination marketers and advertisers in enhancing destination image through anthropomorphic strategies.

Host language, guest language or hybrid? Language strategy in destination advertising

ABSTRACT Language constitutes an integral part of destination culture and tourists’ experiences. Although the importance of using host language in destination marketing has been highlighted, the effectiveness of the language strategy in forming potential tourists’ visit intention remains unrevealed. Built on optimal arousal theory, this research examines whether and how the hybrid of host and guest languages (called hybrid language display hereafter) in destination advertising is more useful in attracting tourists. Two experiments were conducted using Xizang and Macau as contexts. Results reveal that the ad featuring hybrid language display works better than monolingual ads (either host or guest language only) in attracting potential tourists. Specifically, hybrid language display in a destination ad increases potential tourists’ visit intention because of higher perceived uniqueness of the destination and then curiosity about it. This language strategy in destination advertising is effective regardless of potential tourists’ self-efficacy though especially useful for increasing visit intention of those who are low in self-efficacy. Accordingly, theoretical and practical implications are offered.

The effect of human versus virtual influencers: The roles of destination types and self-referencing processes

Social media influencers are increasingly recognized for their ability to influence tourists’ decision-making processes. The emergent phenomenon of virtual influencers presents an unprecedented challenge to their human counterparts, reshaping the dynamics of the tourism industry. It remains a challenge to integrate various forms of destination advertising and harmonize the approaches of both human and virtual influencers to effectively attract tourists. This study addresses this gap by investigating the effectiveness of human and virtual influencers in endorsing natural versus cultural destinations. Adopting source credibility theory, we conduct five empirical studies. Our findings reveal that virtual influencers boost visit intentions for cultural destinations, while human influencers do so for natural destinations. Credibility and self-referencing play a serially mediating role in this process. Furthermore, this study explores the moderating role of tourists’ preference for uniqueness. This research offers valuable insights for tourism industry managers aiming to harness the power of virtual influencers effectively.

Impact of destination advertising on tourists’ visit intention: The influence of self-congruence, self-confidence, and destination reputation

This study aimed to develop and validate a theoretical model for examining how different types of destination advertising (abstract vs. concrete) affect tourists’ visit intention. The hypotheses developed in this study were validated through four scenario experiments. The results showed that abstract destination advertising increased visit intention more than concrete destination advertising. Further, this study demonstrated that self-congruence is a mediator between destination advertising and visit intention. Destination reputation (good vs. average) moderates the effect of destination advertising on visit intention. When a destination has a good reputation, abstract destination advertising will lead to higher visit intention than concrete advertising. The relationships between the type of destination advertising and self-congruence and visit intention depended on tourists’ self-confidence. When tourist self-confidence is high, abstract destination advertising (vs. concrete) will lead to higher visit intention. The study findings have managerial and theoretical implications for destination advertising and precision marketing.

Tourism destination advertising: effect of storytelling and sensory stimuli on arousal and memorability

PurposeTourism destination marketers use videos that incorporate storytelling and visual and audio components to evoke emotional arousal and memorability. This study aims to examine the increase in participants’ level of arousal and the degree of memorability after watching two different videos.Design/methodology/approachA quasi-experimental study was conducted with 45 participants who watched two destination promotional videos. One video used storytelling whereas the other used scenic images and music. The level of arousal was measured using both tonic and phasic electrodermal activity levels. The memorability of each video was measured after seven days by testing the recall accuracy.FindingsScenic imagery and music videos were associated with higher-than-average arousal levels, while storytelling videos generated larger-amplitude arousal peaks and a greater number of arousal-evoking events. After a week, the respondents recalled more events from the storytelling video than from the scenery and musical advertisements. This finding reveals that the treatment, storytelling and sensory stimuli in advertising moderate the impact of arousal peaks and memorability.Originality/valueThese results indicate that nonnarrative videos using only sceneries and music evoked a higher average level of arousal. However, memorability was associated with higher peak levels of arousal only in narrative storytelling. This is the first tourism study to report the effects of large arousal peaks on improved memorability in advertising.

Destination Advertising on YouTube: Effects of Native Advertising and Comment Management on Tourist Perception

This research aims to understand the unique aspects of social media that should be considered by a destination marketing organization (DMO) to create advertisements that attract the interests of tourists on YouTube. It examines the effectiveness of two YouTube-specific practices—native advertising and comment management. Two studies with a multi-method approach examined the effects of such practices on tourists’ perceptions regarding DMOs’ YouTube advertisements and destinations. The results showed that tourists positively perceived the advertisements and the destinations when DMOs’ YouTube advertisements were recognized as non-advertising content, and when native advertising was emphasized in the comment section of the YouTube advertisements. By delving into the necessary adaptations within the current video marketing communication framework for social media platforms, this study contributes to the field of destination advertising. Moreover, it provides practical insights into effective video advertising strategies for social media platforms that DMOs can implement.

Spillover effects in destination advertising: An electroencephalography study

As more destination advertisements are uploaded on short video-sharing platforms, investigating the effects of in-stream advertising on destination advertising is important. This study examines the spillover effects of residual arousal produced by a prior advertisement on subsequent destination video advertising. It develops and tests new hypotheses by connecting outside appearance (emotion and behavioural intention) and inside neural mechanism (brain activity) using electroencephalography. This study contributes to the theoretical advancement of increasing the explanation power of excitation transfer theory applied to destination advertising. Results confirm the spillover effect. Residual excitation was found to energise female (rather than male) arousal significantly. The participants exposed to the prior advertisement are more likely to visit the advertised travel destinations than those who were not.

Tourism promotion through vlog advertising and customer engagement behaviours of generation Z

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effectiveness of Vlogs as an advertising tool to promote the tourism sector in Pakistan using Ducoffe’s Advertising Value Model and stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, and its subsequent effect on customer engagement behaviours (CEBs). Data were collected from generation Z through both the online and offline medium, 230 students were approached; 206 questionnaires were usable for analysis. Partial least squares–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for model assessment. The results indicated that all the relationships are supported: informativeness, entertainment, credibility and irritation significantly influence advertising value; adverting value influences attitude towards Vlog; and finally, attitude towards Vlog significantly influences electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), positive word-of-mouth (PWOM), customer referral, and destination visit intention. This study is the first in this domain that measures the importance of Vlog advertising value in shaping the attitude of generation Z toward Vlog destination advertising, especially in the context of Pakistan, a developing economy. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings, limitations of the study and suggestions for future research directions are also discussed.

“A very special song from Queen to you!” The role of music in destination promotional videos

PurposeThis study aims to contribute to the discussion on the interplay between music and destination advertising by exploring the roles of music in destination promotional videos (DPVs).Design/methodology/approachEight focus group discussions on DPVs about Budapest (Hungary) were assessed through thematic analysis. Individuals’ interactions with and perceptions of advertising can be explored in depth through the former, whereas the latter allowed to identify the roles of music in DPVs.FindingsResults show that music plays a very important role in DPVs in which it acts as a conveyor. Viewers associate a DPV’s musical elements and genre with a destination’s character. Here, the use and remix of traditional music was felt to be controversial because of its ability to communicate cultural identity. The music caught the audience’s attention, elicited emotions in them and made them think about the destination in question. An original music track can make a video memorable.Research limitations/implicationsA convenience sample was used with international and Hungarian university students for the focus groups.Practical implicationsMusic is a powerful conveyor of the particular characteristics of a destination and if the structural elements of music, such as tempo, rhythm and dynamics, are chosen appropriately, tourism marketers can create compelling promotional videos. By recognising that different audiences are attracted by different genres of music, marketers can target specific tourist segments. Furthermore, tourism marketers are advised to ask locals’ opinions about which music best represents their city’s cultural identity.Originality/valueThrough an understanding of the important role of music in DPVs, this study provides a novel insight into assessing young people’s cognitive and affective responses to music in promotional videos.

Virtual Tours Encourage Intentions to Travel and Willingness to Pay via Spatial Presence, Enjoyment, and Destination Image

Virtual reality (VR) tourism provides individuals with a brief, but realistic, preview of travel destinations. Despite the increasing popularity of VR tourism in destination advertising, outcomes and underlying mechanisms of virtual tours remain underexplored. Guided by the theoretical framework of spatial presence, this experiment (N = 118) investigated how VR tourism affected behavioral intention to travel to a physical destination depicted in the virtual world and people’s willingness to pay for travel in the context of destination advertising. Results revealed that VR tourism led to greater spatial presence, enjoyment, destination image, intentions to travel, and willingness to pay compared to reading an e-brochure. Spatial presence, enjoyment, and destination image mediated the impact of virtual tours on intentions to travel and willingness to pay, shedding light on the psychological mechanisms of virtual tours. Theoretical and managerial implications of VR tourism are discussed.

The Importance and Influence of Destination Advertising

The tourism industry has become a kingpin industry worldwide. The high proportion of individual travel demonstrates the need for effective advertising. In particular, there is a need to focus not so much on what motivates people to travel, but rather to influence their choice of destination. Tourism advertising, especially destination advertising, an under-investigated field of research, seems to play a significant role in influencing consumers such as future tourists. This paper explores the question of whether Hungarian university students are influenced by destination advertising when choosing their destinations. Using a questionnaire (N=125), this study examines the question of which advertising elements have the most significant impact on the students. Furthermore, the paper aims to find answers to these questions: How influential are media channels within the context of destination choice? Is it the language or the image which plays a crucial role in the transmission of the advertisement’s message? What might be the essential elements in the actual language used in destination advertising? The research will shed light on which particular linguistic devices increase the impact of the advertisements and which of these devices can be adapted to the Hungarian context.

The neural basis of the unattended processing of destination-slogan consistency

Destination-slogan consistency plays a key role in destination advertising. However, consumers' implicit processing of consistency under unattended conditions is still not well understood. It is difficult or even impossible for traditional methods, such as questionnaires and self-reports, to assess unconscious cognitive processes, that generate fewer unfavorable cognitive responses than attended and conscious processes. This study mainly focused on using neurophysiology tools to investigate consumers' unattended processing of destination-slogan consistency and to measure slogan consistency via consumers' neural response. Based on the dual-process model, an event-related potential (ERP) experiment was designed in which destinations' picture-slogan pairs were chosen as experimental materials to study the consistency effect. Consumers’ implicit cognitive processing of slogan consistency under unattended conditions was revealed, and a two-phase neural cognition model was proposed. Then, the effectiveness of slogan design under unattended conditions was measured, and neurophysiological indicators were presented for destination management organizations (DMOs) to investigate slogan consistency. • Reveals consumers' implicit cognitive processing of slogan consistency under unattended condition. • Proposes a two-phase neural cognition model. • Presents physiological indicators to investigate slogan consistency. • Combines unattended task-irrelevant process with Go/No-Go paradigm. • Evaluates the effectiveness of slogan from the perspective of consumers.

항공사 취항지 광고캠페인의 소비자 내적반응이 관광지 태도, 방문의도 및 항공사 이용의도에 미치는 영향

항공사 취항지 광고캠페인의 소비자 내적반응이 관광지 태도, 방문의도 및 항공사 이용의도에 미치는 영향

Evaluating the effectiveness of tourist advertising to improve the competitiveness of destinations

This study focuses on the evaluation of the tourist destination advertising effectiveness. The destination advertising response DAR model was used to analyze data on the effectiveness of destination promotional campaigns on visitor expenditure, in six trip facets: destination, accommodations, attractions, restaurants, events, and shopping. Independent sample t-tests were conducted to identify any differences in total destination spending among the groups of those visitors influenced for each trip facet. A multiple regression analysis was performed to discriminate the performance of the travel facets expenditures in the estimation of total expenditures. Significant results indicate that the “destination,” “accommodations,” and “restaurants” facets directly influence the total expenditures. Self-planners had the highest variance, explaining in total visitor expenditure compared to the regression analysis results of the other two groups (i.e. travel agencies and online travel agencies). The study also explores how destinations can improve their competitiveness on tourist advertising by using technologies.

Different levels of destination expectation: The effects of online advertising and electronic word-of-mouth

Consumers may develop different levels of expectation about a destination, depending on the source of online information that they encounter. We explored the effects of information from online advertising and electronic word-of-mouth on destination expectations and the resulting satisfaction and revisit intentions. Data from 354 first-time visitors to Japan were analyzed in a two-step approach using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling. Four indirect effects were examined and compared using the bootstrap method. We found that information about destinations from online advertising was negatively associated with positive disconfirmations. However, destination information acquired from electronic word-of-mouth led to an increase in the likelihood of a positive disconfirmation, and it significantly increased travel satisfaction and revisit intentions. In addition, four indirect paths through a positive disconfirmation were confirmed. However, there was no moderating effect of search effort. Based on our findings, marketers should be aware that elaborate online advertising may have factors that undermine future business. To avoid the negative disconfirmation, marketers can remind customers that the photos and videos in advertisements were taken at specific times, places, seasons, or under other conditions. Moreover, marketers should encourage their consumers to share their previous travel experiences online to offset the negative disconfirmation from destination advertising and websites.

"To compare or not to compare?": Comparative appeals in destination advertising of ski resorts

This study examined the effectiveness of comparative appeals in destination advertising through an experiment with a randomized paired comparison design. Both cognitive and affective responses were measured toward comparative versus non-comparative advertising of a ski resort. The findings demonstrate that respondents viewed comparative advertising to be more persuasive than non-comparative advertising. However, their attitudes were less favorable toward comparative advertising for destinations. More specifically, comparative advertising was found to be more persuasive in the advertising of famous destinations rather than unknown destinations. Further, comparative advertising was more effective for those who were aware of the advertised destination than those who were not.

A comparative study of perceptions of destination advertising according to message appeal and endorsement type

ABSTRACTAs today’s world is flattening, the landscape of tourist destinations is becoming similar. In turn, an increasing number of destinations are seeking to effectively promote themselves. For these reasons, this study investigated the differences in the advertising effectiveness of destination promotions by message appeal and endorsement type. The main objective of the study was to compare the effectiveness of destination advertising by message appeal types and endorsement types respectively in order to determine the most effective type of advertising for promoting a destination. A questionnaire with hypothetical website advertising designs was used in a survey of inbound tourists to Korea of three different nationalities. To examine differences between the two advertising appeal types according to the type of offer, a series of t-tests were performed, whereas general linear model tests with repeated measures were carried out to detect the differences among the three endorsement types. The results revealed destination advertising effectiveness vary by both advertising appeal type and endorsement type. Such effectiveness was also found to vary by the message recipient’s cultural background. For destination marketers, these findings shed light on the importance of a well-curated message design by message appeal type and endorsement type.

Typography in destination advertising: An exploratory study and research perspectives

In a tourism context, visual copy is an important element of print advertisements. More specifically, pictures have a significant influence on the destination attraction value and visit intentions. Curiously, typography has never been investigated academically as an execution element, despite suggestions from researchers that typography could influence the evaluation of advertisements. This experiment examines the impact of typography on advertisement evaluation in a tourism context and the impact of attitude toward the advertisement on attitude toward the destination. The impact of advertisement evaluation on destination evaluation is also tested, and results show that typography does influence advertising responses. This study highlights the important role of typography in print media destination advertising and enriches this field with a new variable: attitude toward the typography.

Las imágenes en la promoción de los destinos de turismo religioso: el caso de Montserrat

In religious tourism, the quality of the visitor experience depends on several factors. The nature of the visitor’s experience at the holy site is very complex because it is intangible and includes elements such as atmosphere and the spiritual merit of the visit, among others. As several authors have argued, visitor experience and satisfaction are directly related to the images visitors are exposed to prior to the visit. The image visitors have of a destination will condition not only their expectations but also their behaviour at the site. This image is configured via very different sources, including universal images, destination advertising, literature, television and film, magazines, blogs and websites, social networks, word of mouth and many more. Although sources are not always controllable, as we can see from the above list, it is important to know what image (visual or otherwise) is being conveyed of the destination we are managing so as to be able to influence it (if we wish to modify or reinforce it) and to know visitors’ expectations. In this study, we aim to analyse the image of Montserrat, the most important religious tourist destination in Catalonia, in order to ascertain whether emitted images match received images in the case of religious tourism or whether there is a discordance that may lead to disappointing visitor experiences due to the destination not living up to expectations

Measuring Destination Marketing

Conversion studies are a standard technique by which marketers evaluate advertisement effectiveness. A review of the tourism literature finds that advertising conversion studies use a number of metrics that have evolved to include most aspects of visitor decisions; however, this literature also indicates that there are few comparative studies focusing on the variability of response. The overall goal of this study is to identify and compare estimates of impact on visitor expenditures using four different approaches ranging from traditional advertising models (i.e., gross conversion rate and net conversion rate) to a more comprehensive facets-based destination advertisement response (DAR) model. The various models result in a huge range of impact estimates and it is concluded that the DAR model offers, both theoretically and practically, a powerful framework for evaluating advertising response in that it incorporates the possibility that destination advertising affects decisions related to a range of trip-related activities.