Branding Luxury VolunTourism
 |
|
An Atlas-Like Task?
|
Hello.
I wanted to introduce you to our program, Escape To Shape- Give back Getaways- vacations with a consicence (www.escapetoshape.com). We would love to offer our programs to your readers. Please let us know how we can go about doing this.
Many thanks,
E.G.
Dear E.G.,
Thank you for your inquiry; one, I might add, which causes us to cogitate a bit.
Unbeknownst to you, you may have stumbled upon an intellectual property issue – one that you may very well want to address before exploring additional exposure for your program.
The term “Give Back Getaways” has been utilized by The Ritz Carlton Company, LLC, as both a descriptor for its Voluntourism initiative launched back in April 2008 and as the home page for the initiative. As Escape To Shape is also catering to the luxury consumer, this may pose a challenge and will likely draw some attention from the legal team there. I do not know how the term has been protected – copyright, trademark, or otherwise, but you will definitely want to look into this before you expend a great deal of time and effort in launching your program.
Once you have clarified this with the folks at the Ritz Carlton, which may require changing the name altogether, we can review this growing genre of Luxury VolunTourism and how Escape To Shape fits into the mix. But don’t wait for us. There is plenty of “ink” out there already.
For example, Adam Kirby, Associate Editor for HotelsMag.com, began his coverage of this developing story back on June 1, 2008. He covered the Ritz Carlton and also the Loews Coronado; and since that time, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts have rolled out their Voluntourism initiative in the form of “Community Conscious Vacations.”
So you are certainly not alone. Crafting a unique name/brand for your Voluntourism initiative may prove to be the most significant task as you move forward in the weeks and months ahead. The ones that come to mind at the present moment are:
- LuxSeva – Luxury meets Seva (service)
- SevaScape – Seva (service) meets “E” (absent) Scape (playing off of your name)
Whatever you decide, if it is unique, represents your core values and integrity, and allows consumers to participate in projects that deliver meaningful service to the destinations in which you operate, the brand will no doubt serve its purpose.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
[...] Debate.’ As some of you know, I have written about luxury voluntourism on several occasions (Branding Luxury VolunTourism, Re-Visiting Luxury VolunTourism, and Group Experiences With Luxury VolunTourism). I must admit, it [...]