Changing misconceptions

BRANSON, Mo. – Tourism officials in Branson are focusing on a new group of potential visitors known as “resisters” – people who shun vacationing here because of perceptions about what it has to offer.

The new strategy aimed at converting this group includes ads for television, cable, radio, newspapers, travel guides and the Internet, along with improvements to the www.explorebranson.com Web site.

The tiny town is one of the top 20 overnight family vacation destinations in the country. But of the estimated 7 million people who go to Branson each year, 80 percent are repeat visitors.

“Our loyal visitors have a good sense of what Branson is, and they have a blast when they come here,” said Dan Lennon, vice president of marketing for Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau.

But only 20 percent of visitors are first-timers, and that is “too low for a thriving tourists’ destination,” Lennon said. “Our goal is to raise that to 30 percent in three years while continuing to grow overall visitation.”

There are two types of resisters, according to a study by Sterling Group, a national brand consulting firm.

One group is made up of empty-nesters or new retirees over age 45, who perceive Branson as offering little more than second-rate country music shows, the study shows.

The second group of resisters are 25- to 45-year-old parents who return to the same vacation destinations each year because they know their kids will be happy there.

Sterling Group invited some of these resisters to take a Branson vacation in July 2004, Lennon said. The 29 people who participated in the offer were given no guidance or restrictions on what to do there, but they were reimbursed for their expenses.

“Not only were they pleasantly surprised by their experience, but they became self-professed ambassadors for Branson,” he said.

Converts include Dan Reardon, a St. Louis-area engineer, married with four children. He admits to liking “the finer things in life,” and says that past family vacations had “leaned toward the higher-end type of places.”

His impression of Branson before visiting? “A two-lane road with T-shirt shops and busloads of wonderful nice older ladies going to see these country shows,” he said. “I’d drive 12 hours to Florida before I’d drive three hours to Branson.”

But Reardon changed his opinion after taking one of the free vacations offered to “resisters.”

“We had the best time,” he said. “It was just a really fun environment.”

Reardon and his family saw shows, went to restaurants and even loved the “Dixie Stampede,” a comical show with farm animals.

He also appreciated how family-friendly the service was. For example, food was brought to their seats while they watched the show, and it was served quickly – making it easy to dine with impatient little ones.

Reardon says they’ll be going back for more; he’s even done a radio spot promoting Branson.

Lennon traces some of Branson’s image problem to a 1991 CBS “60 Minutes” segment that is credited with starting Branson’s boom, but that also cemented its image as a destination for retirees with retro tastes in music.

Overcoming that perception is the town’s challenge.

“It’s not enough to tell them about Branson, we have to show them,” said Linda A. Antus, of Antus Marketing, in nearby Hollister.

Tourism officials settled on two main concepts to express what’s unique about Branson.

One, Branson is “up close and personal,” a reference to a customer-service approach in which entertainers and staff interact with guests, sign autographs, recognize birthdays and the like. And two, Branson offers a broad mix of activities – not just the shows, but also golf, fishing, water sports and shopping.

The new ads depict a game of charades being played in a suburban living room. One person imagines and then tries to act out fishing, golf, musical instruments, dancing and other activities. The word he’s trying to get the other players to guess is Branson.

“There’s a gap between the reality of what Branson is and what some think it is,” said Lennon. “Our goal through branding is to close that gap.”