INTERNET & BRANDING: A PERFECT MATCH OR A FATAL ATTRACTION? ANALYSIS OF FIFTY STATES OF THE U.S.

Abstract: Internet plays a significant role in generating new business and facilitating customers ' need for a better way to plan and book their trips. From a marketers' perspective, one of the seemingly "fatal attractions " of the Internet for DMOs is that it can be an extremely effective tool in terms of both cost effectiveness and market penetration compared with other traditional forms for destination branding. Employing a content analysis of the slogan, graphic projection, verbal expression, and other explicit or implied messages at the official tourism website of each state, the study attempts to delineate unique selling propositions (USP) and positioning strategies of destination organizations at the state level. Also, the state's tourism slogans were analyzed and categorized into types for an evaluation of their efficiency in terms ofUSP and targeting. Five types of slogans emerged as the result of conten