CREATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE “ADRIATIC” BRAND: A COMMON OPPORTUNITY?

The document has been organised first and foremost with the aim of examining best practices with regard to branding, and secondly with a view to using the knowledge thus acquired to consider the possible creation of a tourist location, territorial and geographical brand for the Adriatic Area. The research and application of the results have been carried out in the PADMA–LAB (Pan Adriatic Destination Management Laboratory) Project, under the EU framework Interreg III A Programme. The paper is a contribution to the development, through a process of capacity and institution building, of an InterAdriatic “Territorial Brand” shared strategy, encouraging evolution of interregional and local organisational models. Our contribution intends to provide the basis for joint discussion on these topics, to establish a common language, the essential prerequisite for application of the concepts to the real-life case of the Adriatic Area developing in Adriatic brand. The methods of research, analysis, exchanging of experiences with the aim to involve institutions are based on the action learning process, applying the learning international laboratories. A brand capability for providing unified representation of the components of a geographical area’s supply package will therefore depend not only on the appropriate choice of the elements which make up the brand, but also on thechoice of the appropriate means of conveying the brand to its target and ensuring its appropriate reception by them. From the point of view of the design and creation of the geographical area brand, the distinction must first be made between fake and genuine brands. In the case of fake brands, they are not actually created and managed, but for intentional brands this does occur, and there are various activities involved. All geographical areas have “historic brands” of varying degrees of strength, created by the events and history of the area itself. One further comment must be made on the properties of a geographical brand. Unlike corporate and network brands, which are privately owned and can be managed by private players, geographical brands are “public assets” and so they must be managed by the relevant institutions in the area of reference. In our Project several opportunities and options have been evaluated and for each one the feasibility is defined of repositioning the Adriatic from a mass market seaside holiday destination to a destination for “authentic tourism”. This work and research are still in progress, but it is possible to anticipate some results. One of the common, historical and original assets which identify Adriatic brand is: the use of organic and natural products coming from the country and from the sea and how these products could be prepared (oenology and gastronomy).