Case Competition
How to create a strong international branding of Denmark's Outdoor Capital
How to develop an international marketing strategy which can establish a strong branding of Silkeborg, Denmark's Outdoor Capital. This was the starting point for the 'Case Competition'. An assignment given by the Outdoor Institute to a group of students at the Department of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University.
Five creative, inspiring and thought-provoking proposals for marketing strategies were presented to Outdoor Institute staff - who have subsequently been handed presentations and reports.
The premise for the case was Silkeborg Municipality's decision in 2017 to brand itself as 'Denmark's Outdoor Capital'. One of the aims is to attract more tourists to the city. The title as Denmark's Outdoor Capital has since grown and is quite strong in the minds of the people of Silkeborg.
The big question, however, is whether the brand can also be used on an international level. Especially in view of the fact that many tourists - also from abroad - travel more and more for nature and outdoor experiences.
Recommendations for marketing
The students came up with a number of recommendations for marketing Denmark's Outdoor Capital.
- Prioritise the development of a single entry point/website for Denmark's Outdoor Capital that can act as a portal to offers under the brand.
- Websites should be 'geolocal' with automatic identification of languages of users.
- Create international social media campaigns and use the tag #outdoorcapital or equivalent.
- Market to the 'Dual Income, no Kids' segment - and the 30 to 50 year old segment.
- Consider marketing to the Asian market, where there is currently a strong focus on the Nordic approach to outdoor.
Case description
The students worked with the following questions:
- Which countries/target groups should the marketing focus on? In regards to strengthening the sustainable development of Silkeborg as Denmark's Outdoor Capital?
- Which media and media marketing strategies are relevant for this target group?
- What could the communication/marketing of Denmark's Outdoor Capital include?
