The Awareness Problem: Why Most Destination Ads Aren’t Working
One of the most striking things we found in our research is that two-thirds of Canadians don’t recall seeing any Canadian destination advertising at all. That’s a huge number, especially in today’s travel environment where people are actively planning trips, traveling more, and even choosing to stay in Canada instead of going elsewhere.
There’s a massive opportunity here for destinations to stand out and break through. But it gets even more challenging.
Of the people who do remember seeing an ad for a Canadian destination, many can’t remember which destination it was for. Ask them what they recall and you’ll hear things like, “It was a beach somewhere,” or “It was telling you to visit a city.” The visuals stick, but the brand doesn’t.
So even when ads are remembered, brand recall is still very low. And that’s a clear signal that destinations need to rethink how they’re showing up.
2025 Canadian Travel & Tourism Outlook Report
Step One: Truly Know Your Audience (And Go Deeper Than Demographics)
The first thing destinations need to do is really know their audience. Who is coming to your destination? What types of travellers are you attracting? What do they want to experience when they arrive? But it can’t stop there. It’s not just about the who and the what. You have to go deeper and unpack the why.
Why do they want to come to your destination? Why are they motivated to travel in the first place? What Social Values, aspirations, or emotional drivers are influencing their decisions?
When you start to understand traveller motivations at this level, you can build meaningful personas and audiences. And that’s how you attract like-minded travellers, people who genuinely connect with what your destination stands for.
Step Two: Test Your Destination Advertising (Don’t Assume It Works)
The second step is testing your ads. Even with a strong understanding of your audience, you can’t assume your messaging is landing the way you think it is. Some messages will resonate. Others might confuse people or even turn them off.
That’s why testing is critical:
Test different creative concepts
Test different messaging and value propositions
Test different images
Ask questions like:
What messages are sticking – why and with what audiences?
What messages are unclear?
What feels off-brand or irrelevant?
What feels unique or different to what else is out there?
Testing different iterations helps you understand what’s actually working. And in the end, it allows you to optimize your ad spend by delivering the right message to the right audience, in the right place, at the right time.
Step Three: Create a Distinct and Ownable Brand Positioning
The third and arguably most important piece is creating a distinct brand positioning.
Destinations are competing in a sea of sameness. Most destinations have cityscapes. Many Canadian destinations have mountains or beautiful ocean views. So the real question is: what makes your destination truly unique? What are your distinctive brand assets? What do you offer that no one else can?
Why should someone choose you over somewhere else? Strong destination branding comes from aligning:
Traveller Values
A clear and compelling point of difference
Destination Values
When those elements come together in a meaningful way, your brand becomes more than just another pretty place. It becomes memorable.
Make Sure Your Brand Is Clear, Consistent, and Differentiated
This also circles back to testing. Your advertising should clearly communicate what your brand is and what you stand for. If that message isn’t crystal clear, people won’t remember you.
Clarity and differentiation are what help destinations stand out from the pack and truly break through. When travellers can instantly understand who you are, what makes you different, and why they should care, that’s when destination marketing really starts to work.
Work with us
If you’re a business or attraction in the region and want deeper insight into traveller motivations and mindsets to better position your offering, let’s connect!
Environics Research provides organizations with actionable, evidence-based solutions to real business problems. We partner with clients to understand the business challenges they face and leverage innovative and creative solutions to generate understanding and insights.
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