Every nation has its collective package holiday destination. For years the English fled to Southern Spain, with the sole aim of getting as sun-burnt as opening hours would allow. The advent of low cost airline carriers broadened their horizons and now the Greek Islands seem to be the destination of choice.
Through logistical necessity as much as anything else, the Russians preferred the Black Sea coastline for their mid year break. And on the other side of the Atlantic, those US citizens with a passport tended to head for Mexico or the Caribbean.
South of the equator, and strangely unsatisfied with some of the most glorious coastlines on the planet, Australians have always had a very discreet love affair with Bali. And, in a similar vein, New Zealanders have been quietly making the short hop to Fiji for their fun in the sun.
Regardless of destination, the package holiday has been the mainstay of the ubiquitous 2-week family love-athon for decades now. In the most part, they’re neatly shaped to get you to your preferred place on the planet at minimum cost and maximum convenience. All with a complementary bowl of fruit and bottle of crushed grapes on arrival.
Of course, what’s appealing about this type of holiday is the fact that the traveller doesn’t really have to think. It’s a get-away-from-it-all adventure where the entertainment is slick, if not entertaining. Scratch the surface and there’s not really very much there. And in the most part that’s absolutely fine.
But with a little bit of prodding, the average package holiday can take on a very different guise. Every country has a fascinating story to tell, layers of history or hidden treasures that are known only to the local community and, generally, kept under wraps. So strike up an easy conversation with a local and a place that is rich in its own idiosyncrasies can reveal itself very quickly.
Having just returned from my own family holiday, I speak from recent experience. My young son still remembers the place where the fish came to feed, darting through the glass-like water in a frenzied bid to catch small pieces of bread being lobbed into the tranquil seas.
Whilst the tranquility of that particular holiday seems a long way away now (I’m in Beijing), it has a particular resonance in my current location. Fresh from their get together at the Summer Davos sessions in Dalian (just up the coast) there’s a good number of foreign business executives and diplomats craving some positive media exposure before the long flight home. Beijing seems the best place to get it. Problem is, they have little to say and seem to expect local journalists to pander to their egotistical machinations just because that’s the way it is at home.
So here’s a quick tip for those executives with the Just Visiting label on their lapel. Package communications does not work. Anywhere. Especially in China. Simply applying the same strategy or approach to one market because it works in another not only fails to consider the sensitivities of local audience groups, it’s damn right lazy. Add to that the rise and rise of the online advocate in China (143 million at last count), and any suggestion that overly packaged communications has a place at the reputation table is dead in the water.
If an organisation is going to be successful in China, it has to get out there and talk to the locals. People who know the way things work; people who understand the culture; people who know what’s going on behind the façade. A failure to do so is a missed opportunity at best. More likely it will be considered ignorant and play havoc with any brand reputation already in place.
Packaged communications is for tourists seeking a quick update on the temples of the Forbidden City. It comes with a tape recorder and a stylish set of earphones. And that’s where it belongs. On holiday. Not in the workplace.
