The world had never seen a hurricane like Katrina. The massive storm overwhelmed Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, swamping New Orleans and causing jaw dropping levels of devastation throughout the region. In the storm’s aftermath, many wondered if the area’s economy, heavily dependent upon tourism, would ever recover. Who would come to the Big Easy when the Big Easy was gone?
Bringing the tourists back was a challenge worthy of the most skilled Brand Managers. No one envied the task given the region’s leadership. There was a very real fear that the images of Katrina’s aftermath would be forever linked in the public’s mind with the region. Could they be convinced to come back to a city struggling to get back on its feet, where picturesque beauty had been replaced by heaps of storm debris and the once friendly, welcoming populace had been displaced to higher ground—perhaps permanently?
No one had done this before. Leading a region’s transformation from a natural disaster strike zone back to a vacation paradise has been a slow and laborious process. We’ve seen amazing partnerships develop between the people who live in the affected area and the people who love visiting there. There have been setbacks, but progress is happening. After an unimaginable catastrophe, Big Easy and the Gulf region are seeing the tourists come back.
Brand Modeling & The Big Easy: What We Can Learn
There are several lessons we can learn from the region’s recovery. After the storm had passed, New Orleans and the surrounding area wasted no time in reaching out to their customers. Simply connecting was a very big deal in many cases, especially when news was still at a premium.
When one person heard that a beloved business has survived, whether it was a legendary hotel or favorite restaurant, they’d joyously pass the news. Communities came together to celebrate, or when the news wasn’t so good, to mourn. These connections happened online and in person. They gave area leaders a place to turn with their messaging: We’re still here. We need you. Come on down!
The response was tremendous. One of the tenets of Brand Modeling tells us that it is our best, most loyal and enthusiastic customers that determine the strength of our organization. When we have significant numbers of customers who love our brand, we can achieve a dominant position in the marketplace. At that point, there’s really no viable competition. There’s only one Rolex, for example, and only one Ikea. And of course, there’s only one New Orleans.
Many people were eager to help but not sure at all what they could do to help the community they’d cherished for so long recover. Having messaging that reached them explicitly and specifically was the most effective and efficient tool that the people marketing tourism in the region had at their disposal.
Understanding what the tourists valued most about their time in the area made it easier to connect. Showing images of couples dining in Creole restaurants, the requisite colorful Mardi Gras parades, and slow sunsets over the bayou reminded tourists of their experiences and made the promise: All of this will be again. It’ll get here faster if you help us. Come on down.
Leaders could draw on marketing approaches that worked well in less dramatic times, coupling them with an understanding of the emotional experiences their best customers were feeling right now. It was a powerhouse combination, generating a tremendous initial response. There are still signs of the storm if you know where to look for them, but there’s just as many signs of recovery.