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HristinaTypewritten TextRikalo, M. Lazarevic and Novakovic, D. Visaul identity as an instrument of turist destination brending: case study the Vinca archeological localityCASE STUDY: THE VINA ARCHEOLOGICAL LOCALITY

HristinaTypewritten Text













Instruction for citation: Rikalo, M. Lazarevic and Novakovic, D. (2012) Visaul identity as an instrument of

turist destination brending: case study the Vinca archeological locality, II International Symposium Engineering Management and Competitiveness (EMC 2012)

June 22-23, 2012, Zrenjanin, Serbia

VISUAL IDENTITY AS AN INSTRUMENT OF TOURIST DESTINATION BRANDING: CASE STUDY THE VINA ARCHEOLOGICAL LOCALITY

ABSTRACT At the time of fierce competition in the market, only a recognizable brand brings profit. Due to the rapid development of tourism, branding of a tourist destination becomes a very important activity. Brand creation is a very complex work as it is vital to include all those contact points with the consumer on which impressions are being formed. For the purpose of positioning a tourist location it is necessary to provoke emotions, associations and images in the visitors minds. What attracts most attention when a brand is mentioned are the logo, colour and the emotion which is being released on mentioning a brand name, so it is not unusual for a visual identity to represent the key factor when deciding on a particular brand. This paper considers the potential the Vina archaeological locality has in terms of this tourist destination branding. The colours, characteristic of the Vina period, as well as the font, inspired by, still indecipherable, the Vina indentations, have been used as the instruments of branding. Key words: brand, colour, emotions, tourist destination, itinerary INTRODUCTION In the contemporary business environment, tourism represents an important economic activity which shows constant growth. Regarding the manifold offers of different tourist sights, their branding becomes unavoidable. Tourist destinations are complex unities which consist of an aggregate of attractions, convenient tourist facilities and services, various natural characteristics, cultural, anthropogenous and historical values (Pike, 2004). Thus, it can be concluded that tourist destination branding has its own specifics in comparison to concrete product branding. A destination brand is a name, a logo, or some other graphic mark which both identifies and distinguishes the destination. Moreover, it makes a promise of an unforgettable experience which is uniquely linked to the destination. Furthermore, one uses it to revive the memory of a pleasant experience of the visit to a destination (Goeldner, Ritchie & McIntosh, 2002: 21). Branding activities try to change the current picture which inhabits consumers' minds and to form a brand identity, which is the desired image. Therefore, the primary task of a brand is differentiation with respect to competition and positioning of a specific tourist destination in the minds of consumers tourists. A brand ought to create an impression and make a promise so that consumers would attach themselves emotionally to a place. Apart from that, while choosing a brand consumers try to tell a story about themselves. A consumer chooses a brand which relates to their image and that is exactly the way they define their identity and prove their belonging to a group, and often their own social status. In terms of this, one can say that a person's characteristics determine the choice of certain tourist destination brands. Travel with the aim of relaxation permeates everyday life and encompasses the experience dimension, i.e. journey planned in detail, heightened expectations, and reminiscing afterwards with the help of souvenirs, postcards, maps, photos, logos which point out that I was there and I did that (Morgan, Pritchard & Pride, 2002: 4). From everything mentioned above one can conclude that creating a brand of a tourist destination identity which emphasizes uniqueness, is of the utmost importance. Therefore, it is necessary to deliver a clear message with a central theme which should help relive an experience. The things that attract most attention when a brand is considered are the logo, font and colours. Nowadays, when tourism keeps moving toward the tourism of experience, branding of Vinca as a tourist locality represents an important, so far unused potential. When creating a brand it is significant to do certain research which would lead to the relevant data important for the creation of the visual identity. This paper presents one modern and realized methodology.

THE IMPORTANCE OF VINCA CULTURE, THE VINCA LOCALITY AND THE NEED FOR ITS BRANDING Ever since Miloje M. Vasic discovered it in 1908, the Vinca culture keeps surprising the scientists with its accomplishments. Developed in the valley of the great river Danube and its tributaries (the Tisa, the Drava, the Sava, the Morava and the Tamis), which enabled communication and interaction on the vast territory, it represents the most developed Neolithic culture in Europe. The first cities with thousands of inhabitants on the old continent were formed in the Vinca culture. The area which we inhabit did not manage to reach the size of their cities and number of inhabitants up until the Roman age. The people of Vinca were engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting, fishing, gathering crops, craftwork, mining and trade, which formed the basis for social division (Crnobrnja, 2010). Vinca is the first culture which introduced the industry of polished stone, i.e. an organised acquisition of the raw material and an organised manufacture of tools (Antonovi, 2001). They were also the first to discover the refinement of copper ore, so we tend to connect the first metallurgy to the Vinca culture (Antonovi, 2002). The excess of craft and agricultural products, work specialization, technology development, developed metallurgy and mining, the industry of polished stone, along with the good geographical location conditioned the exchange with the neighbours from the Black Sea in the east and Slovakia in the north to Croatia in the west and northern Greece in the south (Radivojevi, 2006). Economic prosperity enabled the development of culture and art. The work of the Vinca's sculptors represented the model to their neighbours, and various artefacts never cease to amaze artists and archeologists worldwide even today. Apart from the artefacts, Vinca people devoted attention to jewellery made from marble, bones, different types of shells etc. Besides the classical exchange of goods, there was probably the exchange of creative products in Vinca (artistic and ritual), and some scarce raw materials such as alabaster, marble, obsidian and marine shells (exotic goods). They exchanged both ordinary and creative goods. That is why we can find the early beginnings of protocreative economy in Vinca (Rikalo, 2011). On the occasion of 100th anniversary of the locality of Belo Brdo near Vinca in 2008, an important jubilee was celebrated and there was an exhibition called Vinca the prehistoric metropolis organised in SANU gallery which greeted 45,000 visitors. Bearing in mind that about 620,000 tourists visited Belgrade in 2011, a discussion about the possibilities of the locality of Vinca as a tourist attraction seems worthwhile. Up until two years ago about 5,000 tourists visited the locality per year, while nowadays that number has drastically decreased due to landslide and the closing of the locality for group visits. The locality is not under the protection of UNESCO because there is no regulation of its ownership yet, which is one of the main criteria of this organization. Ever since the talks over the creative sector in Serbia, and over Serbia in the European culture routes, there has been a mention of the potential of Vinca as a locality of the utmost importance (Roga, 2010). Making an offer which has rich cultural inheritance in the first place, with the possibility of creating a visitor centre, and with the development of ecology are the chances which should be grasped. Vinca is located on the banks of the river Danube, where the close proximity of the capital city to it and its position on the river enable an easy access to the site. Its favourable geographical position marked this location as the crossroads of the large region, being a part of the great hydrographic system the RhineMainDanube Canal. Even though the access to all the means of transportation is easy, the quality of the transport network and its infrastructure are not at the adequate level. The Tourist Organizaton of Belgrade (TOB) used to advertise and sell the programme of visits to the archeological site of Vinca (until it was closed due to landslide). Following the reconstruction, in agreement with the mission of TOB, the mission of the Vinca locality would be harmonized as well because it would contribute to the creation of an authentic image of Belgrade as a leader in the region. With the use of an attractive tourist offer based on the principles of the sustainable development and by connecting all the services, products and activities, directly and indirectly connected to tourism, we could strive for the aims of the sustainability of the European tourism which are: economic growth, social equality and cohesion, protection of the environment and cultural inheritance. There are six key products

for Belgrade as a tourist destination (Tourism development strategy for the city of Belgrade, 2008) and following the reconstruction, the Vinca locality could be included in five of them1. POSSIBLE OPTIONS OF THE POTENTIAL ITINERARIES BRANDING Within the development of Vinca locality as a tourist destination, we could enliven different forms of cultural tourism: Heritage tourism, Arts tourism, Creative tourism, Indigenous tourism. Launching different thematic itineraries (latin: Itinerarium the plan of a journey) within the limits of Vinca complex, would require their branding (Education, culture and art routes, Adventure routes, Food routes) which would request the production of logos, catalogues and prospectuses, i.e. the production of their visual identity. Before the creation of a visual identity of a cultural and tourist brand, it is necessary to decide on the most convenient colours for a destination's image, i.e. the colours which would represent the identity of a destination, its authenticity and cultural heritage. There has been a research done for the purposes of branding an archeological site, which ultimate goal was finding the most suitable colours which could be used for branding the locality of Vinca (see picture 1). We have assumed that the perception of colours which could be used in branding the archeological tourist itineraries does not differ much in relation to the age and gender of the interviewees. According to the frequency of occurence of certain colours in the interviewees' answers, we have reached the conclusion about the colours which are the most appropriate for the purposes of itinerary branding and we have noted certain exceptions. The basic reseach conducted was related to the associations between certain concepts and colours of artefacts from Vinca locality. The interviewees could choose a colour which they mainly associated with a certain concept, a colour they would expect to see on the promotional material. By means of associations, we managed to find out the colours that associate the interviewees with food, adventure, religion, craft, art. The subject of research which was used as a sample was the population of the city of Novi Sad. 276 people of both sexes, aged 10-60, were interviewed. The sample was divided according to gender and age based on their proportions in the whole population2. The research was conducted in the period 1st-5th March 2012 in similar lighting (in the period between 10-15h).

Table 1. Gender and age structure at the territory of the city of Novi Sad

Since branding is all about subjective estimation and perception of the consumer, instead of measuring the realistic value of the colours of the Vinca objects, it was decided that representatives of different target groups should choose the most acceptable colours according to their opinion and point of view. They chose the colours which would be used for branding the logo, catalogues, monographs, labels etc. Even 1 City breaks, Round trips, Events, Special interests and Navigation

2 The citizens used in the research according to their features were chosen at random (because every

individual had equal possibility to be chosen for the group), and proportionally (those parts are in direct proportion

with the territory of the city). Stratification was done according to the territorial arrangement of citizens.

though people of all ages and backgrounds were interviewed, certain target groups are to be emphasized, such as children and teenagers who would be visitors (within school trips), aged 10-19, and youth aged 20-29, as a target group which travels the most, and educated people aged 30-60 (people interested in archeology, prehistory, and cultural heritage as well). Art, culture and religion routes would above all be meant for adventurers regardless of their age. Within an itinerary some would fish, other could go rafting, hunting, make clay souvenirs, weave, spin wool, feed cattle, milk she-goats, treat the wool, hit copper, dance, play instruments, sing, basically, feel the spirit of the Neolithic Vinca. Food routes are an itinerary which is, as its name suggests, mostly focused on food. People would come to Vinca to have a meal made in a similar way as it used to be made in Neolithic Vinca. The colours used for branding this itinerary are the ones which associate with food the most and rise the appetite. The target group for this itinerary are people aged 30-60. The test card showed Vinca dishes and objects of various colours, the plants which could have been found in Neolithic Vinca, fish and meat of the animals which lived in Neolithic Era, and there were also colours of the Danube and the sky (even though it is quiet probable that the colour of the Neolithic Danube was a lot different from the one today). Therefore, the colours offered were the colours of objects which had sacrad, artistic and useful function, together with the colours of nature that surrounded them. The colours on the test card are actually certain shades picked out from the photos of Vinca objects. The first part has mostly warm earth colours, but a bit colder achromatic grey shades as well, whereas the second part of the card includes bright and cold colours of water and different shades, from light to dark greens, cheerful yellows, and colours of meat, too.

Figure 1: Test card used in the research

The task assigned was to pick colours through associations item-colour out of the array of Vinca colours (which could be found in prehistoric Vinca), in order to brand theme itineraries which will be connected to the Vinca location. In order to brand the itineraries, the interviewees were given the option to pick what colour reminds them the most of religion, art, crafts, appetite and adventure. CHOICE OF COLOURS FOR BRANDING OF POSSIBLE ITINERARIES In search for the colour which would brand the itinerary Culture, Art and Religion Routes, we have assumed that once upon a time, as well as now, art and religion were firmly bound and the response (association) of most interviewees should be relatively similar. The colour which associates with art the most is IV3 (the one that was picked out by 20% of the interviewees). It is interesting to note that as the second most picked out colour by men was number 17 (9% of men chose this colour, whereas only 1.5% women picked it). On the other hand, women chose colour number II9 (10.4% of women, and only 1.5%

men chose that colour, Chart.1a). As expected, the colour which associated most of the interviewees of religion is under number IV3 (13% interviewees chose that colour), which is the exact colour which most interviewees chose to describe art (Chart 1.c). In the second place, there are colours number I1 and II7 which were chosen by 9% interviewees. Therefore, around 30% of the interviewees picked out three colours. It is an interesting fact that colour number IV3 (the most chosen one) was picked out by only 5% of the interviewees aged 50-59 (Chart 1.b). Most commonly picked colours for this age group were II9 and II7. Furthermore, many interviewees said that they were not religious and that dark colours associated them with religion.

Chart 1.a(association with art) b(association with religion) c(association with art and religion)

In order to give a brand to Adventure Routes itinerary, we did a research on the colours which remind of adventure and crafts (the reason being that tourists can do different crafts within this itinerary). Most part of the interviewees, about 23%, responded that colour number I1 reminds them of crafts. It is worth mentioning that less than half of the female interviewees chose one of the first four colours in the first scale, whereas the answers of male interviewees were placed all over the scale. The cause may be in the fact that the offered pottery associated with crafts most women, while men have much wider span of associations connected with crafts. However, in search of colours which associate with adventure, generally equal answers were given, regardless of gender and generation of the interviewees. In choice of one between two colours which associate with adventure there were 7 colours offered with rather equal participation in choices, and altogether they made 77% of the most chosen colours, and these are colours: VI1, VI2, VI6, VII1, VII2, VII4, VII7 (picked out by 12% interviewees). It occurs that Culture Routes itinerary is meant for all generations, i.e. adventurers and that people gave answers which were quite alike, regardless of gender and age structure. In search of colours which would be the best for branding Food Routes itinerary, the test card shows colours of meat which may have been consummated by the Vincan people, and which is still available. Furthermore, there are also various plant species which can be used for making a dish or salad, and the yellow colour of a flower which associates with food. We wanted to determine which shades of those colours are the most suitable since this combination of greens, yellows and colours of meat is common in the national cuisine. The colour which associated most men with appetite (VII) is but in the 5th place in womens list. That colour was chosen by only 12.5% women, whereas 27.3% men chose that one. Nevertheless, the colours that both men and women preferred, regardless of their age, are VI2 and VI4. It is an interesting fact that colour VIII7 was picked out by almost 20% of people aged 40-49, and that percentage is only 5% for people 10-19, especially if we take into consideration that the younger population prefers cleaner and more saturated colours. Since the Food Routes itinerary is meant for the elderly in the first place, their choice of colour, i.e. colour VIII7 is going to be used for its branding.

Figure 2: Array of colours suggested for possible branding of different tourist itineraries for Vinca site

CONCLUSION In creating a visual identity of a cultural and tourist brand it was necessary to determine the most acceptable colours for image building of the destination, i.e. colours that would represent the identity of the destination, its originality and cultural heritage. This research has determined the most suitable colours for branding of tourist itineraries of Vinca archeological site .The crucial colour in branding of itineraries of culture, art and religion could be the colour purple which is found in ritual dishes and figurines, and it is also the colour chosen by most interviewees. This is also the colour which was very appreciated in the culture of Vinca (it was a symbol of luxury and wealth). As it was expected, one and the same colour associates with art and religion with most interviewees (even though it was unpredictable which exact colour it would turn out to be). The combination of purple and achromatic colours, black and grey, can also be very effective. Association with adventure is a variety of colours, but three shades of green and three shades of somewhat warmer colours with lots of red emerge from the multitude. That is exactly what has been found very surprising. It was expected that the shades of green would be much more prominent and that they would push the other colours aside, but that did not occur. The expectations were not realized in the choice of colours which associate the interviewees with appetite either. At least one green shade was expected to appear in the top five, but it did not occur. The reason may be the environment, since the first association with food is meat, for most people, and not a plant. Orange and pink shades are the most appropriate for branding this itinerary, though yellow and brown could add to the great contrast and stress them even more.Considering that it is sub consciousness and instinct what makes us decide, this method could be relevant in the choice of colours for branding. No matter how experienced one may be, some associations cannot be predicted. It has been shown that many expectations proved to be wrong, and therefore going out on the field and conducting research represent the real solution. REFERENCES Antonovi, D. (2001). Vinca History of Polished Stone in the Light of New Research. Journal of the Serbian Archealogical Society, 17, 169-175. Antonovi, D. (2002). Copper Processing in Vinca new contributions to the thesis about metallurgical character of Vinca culture, Starinar, 52, 27-45. Crnobrnja, A. (4. 2. 2010.). Neolithic Metropole A City of Vinca in Stubline, A 6,500 Years Old Clay Army , Vreme, No. 996, http://www.vreme.com/cms/view.php?id=911228 (accessed on 23th of Janurary 2012) Goeldner, C. R., Ritchie, J. R., & McIntosh, R. W. ( 2000). Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies. 8th ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Pike, S. (2004). Destination Marketing Organisations, Oxford: Elsevier Science Radivojevi, M. (2006). Contribution to the Typology and Distribution of Hammer Axes of Plonik type in Southeast Europe, Journal of the Serbian Archeological Society, 22, 211-224. Rikalo, M. (2011). From Prehistory to Creative Economy: A Study on Vinca Civilization, presented at the symposium Contemporary trends in European economy: implications for Serbia, Novi Sad Roga, Lj. (2010).Serbia in European Cultural Route , Culture, 128, 274-294. Tourism Development Strategy of the Belgrade City (2008). INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC SCIENCIES (IEN) BELGRADE

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