The Effect of Message Consistency and Destination-Positioning Brand Strategy Type on Consumer-Based Destination Brand Equity

Today, communication is a key factor of destination competitiveness. The aim of the present study is to examine the effect of message consistency between different online communication tools on the formation of consumer-based destination brand equity (CBDBE), within two distinct brand positioning strategies (single-destination brand vs. multiple-destination brands). An experimental design is applied to manipulate message consistency (high vs. low) and the type of brand positioning strategy implemented by the destination (single vs. multiple brands). The results demonstrate that when the messages received by the tourist are highly consistent across different channels, branding strategy type exerts no differential effect on CBDBE. By contrast, when the messages present low consistency, a single destination branding strategy generates higher CBDBE than a multiple destination branding strategy. The study makes an original contribution to the literature, showing the interaction between destination branding strategy type and degree of consistency in the messages received by the tourist.