Business Model Revolution
The Situation
Tourism is a major foreign currency earner for Britain. The BTA (British Tourist Authority, now “Visit Britain”) was charged with promoting tourism to Britain.
Its funding comes from the DCMS (Department for Media Culture and Sport).
The BTA was subsidising the advertising costs of airlines, hotels and others in the tourism business.
The DCMS was not happy with this business model. It was unable to attach any benefit to tourism: BTA was just reduced the advertising spend of British Airways etc.
The BTA decided to change its business model by doing its own marketing. It had engaged two consultancies in turn to address this issue. Both had failed, and were “disengaged” after their first conferences with BTA. They invited me to address their issues.
The Task
BTA invited me to show them how to do their own marketing, and support them in implementing the new way of doing business.
The Action / Approach
I designed two interventions:
1. A workshop to introduce the concepts of a market-led business strategy
2. A plan to turn these insights into a new way of doing business.
The workshop was very successful. BTA invited me to run the workshop and introduce the business plan worldwide.
The Result
Within a year, the new business model was introduced.
BTA had supported their representatives around the globe in researching their markets and identifying new market segments.
They had identified and researched over 30 new market segments, and had implemented local plans to promote Britain as a tourist destination to them.
The DCMS and BTA decided that the income from tourism directly ascribed to the new business model was thirteen times the original funding.
The BTA recognised my contribution in their Annual Report.
I continued working for them occasionally for over ten years.
