I think Mad Men is one of those series I’ll have to rent on DVD – I’ve heard some excellent things about it!

It shouldn’t surprise me after all these years but the degree to which many decisions are made emotionally still gives me pause for thought and, in research terms, why I think linguistic analysis and focus groups unquestionably have their place in the pantheon of research methodologies, despite the scepticism in which they are held in some quarters.

Although I’ve only very much scratched the surface of George Lakoff’s works, I think it’s interesting to speculate to what degree ‘metaphor’ (as he uses it) plays in a decision such as the choice of travel destination.

As all in the advertising/media buying field know, differentiation better helped by appeals to emotion (i.e. true “benefit” as you say), as opposed to rationality (i.e. facility or destination specifics).

Nowhere is this more important than in the case of destination marketing, where every pinpoint on the map is armed and ready with its own CVB, DMO, and corresponding positioning strategy.

Plus, to empathise with our DMO clients, it feels better to be in the business of happiness than heads and beds these days!

Cheers,

Graham Molyneux, Criterion Global