Botswana

Brand Management & Creative

Thinking
Situation Analysis

Botswana is a landlocked country located in Africa with 70% of its territory in the

Kalahari Desert. It has a current population of 2,209,208 million and the capital is

Gaborone (CIA.gov, 2016). Botswana has two official languages: English and Setswana.

It has had the highest economic growth rate since its independence in 1966 and its GDP

is $16,400 as of 2015 (CIA.gov, 2016). Its main source of revenue and expansion is in

diamond mining and it relies heavily on this luxury export (CIA.gov, 2016). However,

due to the economic downturn the diamond exporting has dropped. The second form of

revenue is tourism, which is a growing industry in Botswana. The country also faces

issues. Listed as the third highest in the world, Botswana has a prevalence of HIV/AIDS,

which has hindered their economic gain (heritage.org, 2016). It also has a high

unemployment rate, however, it has been increasing steadily due to tourism. Tourism

generated 32,000 jobs in 2014 and in different sections such as hotels, travel agents,

airlines, and other passenger transportation services, and is expect to rise in the current

years. (World Travel and Tourism, n.d.). They also face major environmental problems,

such as drought and desertification (heritage.org, 2016).

Additionally, the surface water is scarce in Botswana with less than five percent

of the agriculture in the country is sustainable by rainfall (CIA.gov, 2016). There are

many opportunities for businesses in Botswana. It has a high quality, low volume tourist

market, is rated Africas least corrupt country, and has one of the worlds best performing

economies (CIA.gov, 2016). However, Botswana lacks identity in the tourism industry as

it failed to communicate its unique attractions to potential travellers (Euromonitor, 2013).

Advertising was successful yet not nationalized enough to attract more people

(Euromonitor, 2013). Europeans are a fast-growing group of tourists, as many travellers

visit several of Botswanas neighboring countries, such as Angola and South Africa

(Euromonitor, 2013). The country has an Open Skies Policy, which is encouraging more

airlines to Botswana (gov.bw, 2016). With the plan to boost their economy through

projects, including tourism development, allows the opportunity for new developments in

this industry.

In Botswana there are a variety of attractions and activities that are offered to

tourists. Tourists can find information about travel on their main tourism website

Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO). However, there is not enough information on

booking tours and travel options. This issue is the reason that focusing on the tourism

industry will be useful in not only sustaining their economy but also be a potential

replacement for their declining diamond exporting. While also helping raise the

employment rate by creating jobs for Botswana citizens.

WanaTravel is a travel agency that is located in the heart of Botswana. Travel

agencies are known to provide an all-inclusive package that consist of flights, hotels and

vacation packages for travellers. WanaTravel will assist travellers to book their dream

vacation in Botswana. by offering a range of packaged tours that will cater towards a

large international demographic. The company employees are knowledgeable and well

travelled and have had prior experience in management, sales and marketing. WanaTravel

will also have a website that delivers detailed information about flights, hotels and

packaged tours. WanaTravel will offer travellers an easy and stress free way of planning

their trip to Botswana. Offering a variety of pre-planned trips will make bookings easier
on the traveller. Customers can be confident that when they book with WanaTravel they

are getting an authentic experience, as the employees are all local citizens and have

immense knowledge about the country. The slogan WanaVenture? WanaStay?

WanaDo? depicts the companys key responsibilities in making the customers feel

confident and satisfied with their purchase and provide an entertaining and enjoyable

travel experience.

WanaTravel caters to travelers who are looking for an authentic experience and

have an itch for travel and adventure. WanaTravel caters to all demographics from young

to old, working professionals to students. Families, group travellers, couples or

individuals are all welcome. WanaTravel wants to provide a travel experience, not just

another vacation. Whether you want to see breathtaking landscapes or go on a wild safari

tour, we can offer something for everyone to enjoy.

The immediate competitor is a travel website, AfricaTravel, that offers tour

options in different countries in Africa. AfricaTravel provides package tours that cover

long stay travel options, up to 12 days, and provides hotel stay and tour options in their

package. However, WanaTravel will offer travellers not only package tours but also flight

and hotel stay to provide a holistic travel opportunity. Botswana has a main tourism

organization website that offers information on where to go and what to do in Botswana,

yet they do not help the viewer in booking trips or hotel stays. WanaTravel offers a

service to travellers and handles all the main bookings to relieve the customers of the

stress. It also offers live chats with customers to help understand what they are looking

for to provide the best possible package and deals to satisfy their needs.
 As a travel agency, WanaTravel will be partnering up with several airline

companies like British Airways, American Airlines, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Singapore

Airlines, Ana Airlines, Jet Airways and Quantas Airlines. The reason being, WanaTravel

will initially be targeting travellers who live in places like New York, Los Angeles, Hong

Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Delhi, Sydney and Japan. These were selectively chosen as they

are prime locations that surround Africa and offer flights to South Africa. From there we

will be partnering up with Air Botswana to fly travellers to Botswana. In terms of hotels,

we will partner up with hotels in several tourist areas around Botswana, for example,

Cresta Lodge Gaborone, Serowe Country Inn, Cresta Rileys in Maun and Haina Kalahari

Lodge in Central Kalahari. These hotels were chosen as they are some of the main areas

in Botswana and are also offered as part of the package tours. In terms of packages

offered, there are a few safari options offered and we will also partner with Kalahari

Game Reserve, Odirile Safaris, Helicopter Horizons, Mosu Safari Tours and Khama

Rhino Sanctuary and offer travellers a tour guide for each tour. Finally, Avis car rentals

will provide travellers with transportation around Botswana if needed.

Botswana has a stable political system, low taxes, and an educated workforce

(heritage.org, 2016). They have very low corruption compared to other African countries

(heritage.org, 2016). WanaTravel will have to work closely with the government if

awarded funding. The economy in Botswana is one of the best in Africa and has one of

the highest economic growth rates in the world yet has a high unemployment rate

(cia.gov, 2016). The population growth rate is 1.19% as of 2015 and life expectancy is

quite low, around 54.5 years old (cia.gov, 2016). Botswanas government spends 5.4% of

their GDP on healthcare however, the country has seen had some health related setbacks,
particularly with HIV/AIDS. There have been 3,200 HIV/AIDS related deaths in 2015

(cia.gov, 2016). They are currently working on their telecommunications systems by

expanding their systems throughout cities (cia.gov, 2016).

Target Audiences

Due to the lack of travel and tourism information provided in Botswana,

WanaTravel is there to serve a wide range demographic and customer base for all types of

tourists, such as families, individuals, groups and couples among all different age groups.

Thinking as a whole, there are many types of tourists who all have various types of needs

when it comes to traveling, for example, some look for relaxation while others look for

adventure. We offer value tours for our customers. Which could assist family travelers

with children who may need to cut-back on activities and instead spend more time with

family. WanaTravel offers one, two, or three day tours for them to choose enjoy.

Individual travelers or young couples who may seek low cost yet active experiences tour

will also find what they are looking for. They can experience safaris, helicopter rides, or

the lion park. All while getting up close and personal with Botswana to snag breathtaking

photographs. WanaTravel also offers travelers who may want to get started exploring

before or after their tour their has ended a great deal on rental cars.

Differentiation & Positioning

So far there is no travel service company that offers people with all-inclusive

travel from information to actually booking. According to the World Bank Report (World

Bank Report, 2010), over two million people visited Botswana, twenty times as much as

in 2000, and the number is growing. Though there are websites that offer information
about Botswana and international websites that offer tours to the country, there are no

comprehensive websites inside Botswana that offer both information and ways of

booking a vacation to the country. We offer an authentic experience that only a company

based in Botswana can offer.

WanaTravel is a one-stop travel service company that integrates trip information

such as famous photography spots, popular activities, hotel bookings, car service and

flights. Our travel packages are cost effective and still offer all the unique experiences the

country has to offer. If our customers want to customize their pre or post tour days, we

will offer all the resources our travel partners have to assist you and save you even more

money.

Marketing Plan

Customer Needs

WanaTravel is a service brand and therefore understanding customer needs are

very important. Since the company is based in Botswana and is aiming to attract

international travellers, providing additional help or benefits is key to attracting

customers. For example, the WanaTravel website will offer a live chat option for visitors

to talk with local employees. This will help build a relationship between the employee

and customer. It will allow the customer to feel relaxed and gain trust. In turn, it will

allow the employees to understand what each customer is looking for and provide them

with the best possible deals to fit their schedule, budget and needs. Advertising is another

key factor to attracting customers. To start, WanaTravel will advertise through Google

ads. For example, when consumers search for trips to Africa we will be appear on the side
banners on Google and social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. Once

WanaTravel becomes more known, advertising through Google and social media will

continue but in addition will be that when people search Botswana or Travel to Africa

or other such combinations, our site will be one of the top sites to appear on Google

search. Other types of advertising would be through websites like TripAdvisor or Yelp.

This will be for future purposes, as these sites are based on reviews. Once people book

through our site, they can provide feedback and link our website in their comments for

other travellers to find.

The first steps for the company is to get our website featured on Botswana

Tourism Organization (BTO) and partner with AAA. BTO plans and develops marketing

promotions for tourism, expands local and international travel, creates awareness on

tourism both inside and outside the country and markets and promotes tourism business

ventures between Botswana and foreign investors (botswanatourismorg, 2016). When

searching Botswana Travel on Google, BTO is one of the first websites to appear on

screen. This shows that the website has had several visits. Featuring our website on BTO

will allow our company to expand customer awareness on who we are and what we offer.

In this case, customers will be dealing directly with us and we will help build their travel

experience. AAA is a non-profit business that provides a variety of services from

insurance to travel, and have over 56 million members (aaa.com, 2016). By partnering

with AAA and featuring our packages on their website will open doors to the U.S.

customer base. In this scenario, we promote our various deals on the AAA website and

allow them to manage the bookings. For this, we must take into account that a certain

percentage of our profit will go to AAA every time a customer books through them.
Message Development

In terms of customers, WanaTravel wants to appeal to different types of

demographics. The type of advertising we do takes into account the wide demographic.

For example, advertising through websites and social media can attract all types of

travellers. Yet, partnering with AAA might only attract people from the New England

area in the U.S. as it is more known in that region. The reason why partnering with us or

featuring us on their websites is appealing is because of the personal service we provide.

It is also offering their customer an almost exclusive trip right now. Botswana is seen as

an untapped travel market. While tourism is up and coming it is far less experienced

compared to South Africa. Our partners can offer something to their customers that is

new and fresh, which is something travelers are always looking for. They can make this

the next hot place to go or the next trend.

WanaTravel goes that extra step by handpicking tours and use our knowledge and

experience of the country to provide the best possible experience for our travellers. We

also have good connections with hotels and airlines to get our customers good deals. The

airlines, hotels and tour packages have a good selection in terms of price and will appeal

to all types of budgets. Furthermore, the growth of our business will also build the

countrys economic growth. When tourists visit Botswana, they bring in revenue for the

country by using the countrys services and products and in turn increase the tourist

demand.

Distribution Plans
 WanaTravel is a service brand; therefore distribution plans are not needed. The

main function of a travel agency is to sell travel products and services on behalf of

suppliers. Thus, we will not need to have a distribution center.BTL & Internet Strategies

to Enhance Brand Positioning

As mentioned before, the target customers are people from around the world who

are interested in travelling to Africa. In order to spread brand awareness, both Above the

line (ATL) and Below the line (BTL) advertising will be implemented. Starting with ATL,

one way will be to partner with a well-known agency. We chose to partner with AAA

agency to promote our brand. They have a big presence in the U.S., specifically the

northeast region. AAA offers a lot of travel options for its members and by partnering

with them we would be exposed to a huge amount of potential customers. To make travel

time as painless as possible we have also partnered with world-class airlines for flights to

Botswana. Those airlines are British Airways, American Airlines, Emirates, Cathay

Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Ana Airlines, Jet Airways and Quantas Airlines. This helps

provide easy access for international travel to Botswana from some of the biggest cities in

the world.

We are also looking to get featured on the Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO)

website. This is Botswanas official website for information on the country and travel

throughout. We feel that this is a good place for us to be because people will search for

information on the country but do not have any way of booking trips off the actual site.

This will ensure an easy transition from information to potential booking with our

company. We also want to advertise through google ads, as well as be featured on top

searches for google. This will help us spread awareness for our brand when people are
looking for an Africa vacation. In terms of BTL advertising, word of mouth is important

for WanaTravel to gain awareness. This is done by encouraging travelers to give feedback

on the WanaTravel website or on TripAdvisor post their travels. WanaTravel values open

communication to ensure customers their comments are important to them. The

comments are highly valued as it will help WanaTravel understand what customers are

looking for and what areas to improve on.

In terms of Internet strategies, SEO will be our main priority. We will do

sponsored search advertising to increase exposure to keyword-search terms and expand

the brand awareness. We will specify keywords we want to target, for example,

Botswana, Safari, Africa tours or Botswana tours so that the search engine can

easily interpret the keywords and as a result provide them with our website. Another

important way for brands to promote themselves is via Social Media. Apart from the

website, WanaTravel also has selected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as our main

social media platform.

Brand Extensions

Due to the fact that WanaTravel is a new brand, we do not have any extension

plans. However, in the long term, we will further develop our brand. Based on the

geographic location of Botswana, we plan to expand the brand to Zimbabwe. Since South

Africa is a saturated market we have no immediate plans to enter that market. Compared

with South Africa, there is more opportunity in Zimbabwe.

Like Botswana, Zimbabwe is also a rich country in game and wildlife. There are

over 60 different species of mammal and more than 500 different species of birds, and
well over 130 different types of fish. Zimbabwe has several top tourists destinations such

as Victoria Falls, Mana Pools National Park, and Matobo National Park (Africa Travel,

n.d.). Therefore Zimbabwe would be a good place to extend our service.

However, Zimbabwe is not a niche market. There are already several established

competitors, such as visitzimbabwe.com and nyati-travel.com. These websites provide

travel information on tours and general tips on Zimbabwe. However, all they provide is

information. Travelers still need to book flights and hotels by themselves, and also find

local transportation. Thus, differentiating WanaTravel from its competitors. Our business

will cover everything for the trip: flight, hotel, package, and transportation.

Managing Brands Over Time

In order to keep our consumers satisfied, interested and loyal to our brand, we will

provide comment cards at the end of the trip for their feedback. Customer feedback will

not go unnoticed, our employees will take concerns into consideration as well as

acknowledge positive remarks.

We also encourage our visitors to write down their personal experiences and

recommendations on our website, Yelp or TripAdvisor. Since Yelp and TripAdvisor are

heavily used by travelers, this is a good way to advertise our business as online customer

interaction can motivate future travelers to visit Botswana. In terms of social media, we

encourage consumers to upload their travel photos on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

and use the hashtag #WanaTravel. Best photos will be entered for a chance to win a brand

new underwater camera compliments of WanaTravel, which will be perfect for your next
adventure!

Managing Geographic Expansion

WanaTravel will be offered as service brand accessible for all of Botswana upon

release, not just specific regions or cities. Our brand cannot be initially tested in certain

cities because it promotes tourism in the entire country of Botswana. WanaTravel must

anticipate changes in the market as it grows to continue to be a top travel provider. One

type of market change we must anticipate is demographic changes, meaning that as time

goes on travelers may become interested in other destinations. Africa has always been a

hot tourist destination, but we must always anticipate that changing. We must always be

aware and on top of our marketing strategies to ensure that travelers continue to come to

Africa and more specifically to Botswana.

Other factors that may cause changes in the market could be environmental,

economical, political and technological. Environmental changes could be considered

stabilities issues, like an environmental disaster or something that would affect the

landscape and attractions Botswana offers. Economical changes could be things like flux

in exchange rates. For example, exchange rates could shift and make Africa a more

expensive travel destination. If this situation were ever to arise then our company would

have to take a proactive approach. We would have to consider offering deals and

discounts to attract customers to continue to make Botswana a priority tourist destination.

WanaTravel wants to make sure our customers know that experiencing Botswana is a

must and we will do anything we can to make it become a reality. Political factors must

also have to be taken into account. Factors like corruption and changing in funding could
affect us. For example, if corruption happens within the country there is always a

possibly of laws and regulations changing. Since we could possibly be featured on the

Botswana tourism organization, something like laws and regulations changing could

affect our funding from the Botswana government. Lastly, we must be prepared for

technological changes. Although this does not greatly apply to us since our brand is a

website service we already heavy rely on technology. However, we will continue to stay

up to date in the world of technology and be prepared to make any necessary changes and

updates we need to in order to stay on top of the travel industry.

The Future of Branding

Considering Botswana has a high unemployment rate, WanaTravel can help create

jobs for citizens. This can help the economy grow and provide a solution to the issue of

the unskilled labor force. In the future, we hope to be a stand-alone agency without

having to be partnered with our companies.

Although, the website does not allow people to book directly online right now, in

the future we plan to make booking even easier so that customers do not need to call to

make bookings. Telecommunications is rapidly improving in Botswana and as it

progresses we will focus on being fully digital. The number of internet users has

increased in recent years because of improvements in international connectivity (Buddle,

n.d.). Being a landlocked country it has relied on satellites for its international bandwidth

(Buddle, n.d.). The Botswana telecommunications corporation introduced Integrated

Services Digital Networks (ISDN) to focus on expanding the countrys

telecommunications requirements (Ide Go, n.d.). WanaTravel is already in the

international market in terms of countries who will be able to access and use our service.

However, in the future if proven success for Botswana we would like to expand

nationally throughout Africa. We would want to target Zimbabwe next, as it is the closest

country to Botswana. It has a huge amount of tourists that visit each year and would be a

great market to tap into. We would like to remain national and not international though.

WanaTravel is set on remaining true to their African culture and using that culture to

provide our travelers the most authentic travel experience possible. We are also working

on creating an app for our customers to plan their travels on the go.

As stated previously, our customers will be people who are looking for an

adventure or something outside the norm. People who love traveling which can fall into

any category: friends, groups, couples, families and even individual travelers. Our

website will feature a review section where customers can come and provide comments

on their travel experience with us. As a company our priority is making sure our

customers are happy and feel that we were accessible and helpful with all their travel

needs and questions. Our initiative is to always stay in touch with our customers and keep

open communication, whether it to be positive or negative comments. We will work to

answer complaints and take those to initiate change going forward. We hope this provides

great word-of-mouth advertising going forward into the future for our brand and allows

other people to experience what Botswana has to offer.

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