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This film shows the marketing and the factors which make the region an economic success.
What is the “Styrian Vulkanland“ Project all about?
The Vulkanland project emerged 15 years ago. At first in the small regions
where the mayor of Auerserbach, Joseph Huber with other mayors
from the region sat down and considered what was to be done from the need
that there was little business activity in the region as it was classified as a border area.
There was a general opinion that you had to leave the area if you wanted to achieven anything. There was simply
a very negative atmosphere in the region and several mayors sat down together
and thought about what to do and from this came the idea of the Vulkanland project which
then spread and in the next phase first to Feldbach,
and after that came Radgasburg and since then in the whole LEADER-Region.
There are 79 municipalities from 4 districts who have taken control of the development and
have worked out the operating principle. The greatest success I believe is simply that they
have managed, knowing there is nothing in this region, where you have nothing
to arrive at the point that it is a region with an innovative future which
will be noticed not only by people in the area but also beyond this borders. And that makes possible
many many things.
How is the project constructed?
Every company has a main product for which they accept responsibility. That is
very important for the product positioning. I’ll just say there are many carpenters and other
professions as well and that I say I stand for something special
and I can do it very well and that is my main product line and then I can use the license for the brand
for my business
What are the affects for the region?
Much, I believe, for one thing, perhaps the most important is that the culture of co-operation
has improved, that many things come together, that the various businesses also
competitors work together because they simply grasp that the neighboring company is not the competition
the one in the next municipality but our competitor as far as our carpenters are concerned
Is IKEA, - KIKA, Lutz and not the carpenter next door. I can work with him
quite happily and even across different branches. But this needs a long time to prepare
until such co-operation is even imaginable. That you trust yourself to go ahead
also demands a great deal of courage from the companies who want to get on with it. I also think that you
can ensure the longtime survival of the business so that
many of them grow and the craft trades develop a good reputation, that
they have a certain prestige and get away from the idea that everybody need to
have a higher education, have as much education as possible so that you see
there’s something special in a crafts business and there is also a great deal of
know-how behind it, respect for it so that the company
is relieved to get good apprentices.
Which marketing communication tools do you use?
I would say that every member business is also an important advertising medium.
From the beginning, we emphasize local marketing as it was never our plan to
place adverts – we haven’t spent much on them – particularly abroad or outside our region
it was simply important that in our region we
first of all gain public acceptance.
And also that the brand awareness of Vulkanland in the region is about 97%, that the acceptance
and the values attached to it are very positive which means it
is not only known but also loved and that people take this as their own and for
that 100,000 residents are 100,000 ambassadors for the brand.
What are the factors which made the project successful?
There are many. First of all, it’s not really a project, more a process. That is
very important. A process is different from a project, a project is usually
matters taking two or three years to reach their aims and often it is
So that somewhere in the middle of the project you know that it is soon coming to an end and now I have
to take care of the next one so that my attention drifts away when
i start a new one. Two years later, I start something new and
after another three years again something new. So after working for 15 years, I have the effect
that I have completed many projects but I haven’t achieved anything long term
and with the process we try with all the various activities, also
projects, to bring them in one direction. We manage that by
working together on a common vision which means we have a common
picture of the future of the region, where we want to go, what we want to achieve, which we have not
thought out, just three or four of us, but developed in a very broad process
and that vision has gained wide acceptance. And it guarantees that we
are as if by magic drawn in many activities and go more or less or nudged in the same direction.
That is certainly very important. Furthermore, we have pushed the culture of co-operation very hard
And also just to know each other, to work together, brings great advantages
And that has been very strongly communicated. When there are successful groups
we make sure that these are known to the media which is also a good example
and is valid as a role model. I also think this common brand was very important and
we’ll stick with it, then we the greatest …… if I want to stay unknown, then that is
the surest recipe for changing the brand every five years and we have
stuck with it for a long time already, even if many people say „Oh no, not Vulkanland again.“ I believe it needs this
stamina and persistence so that you keep going even when sometimes
people laugh at you – it has the effect that it drags itself out, and it takes
a long time for these things to come out. In the process of building a brand, I perhaps have
certainly I have to count on not getting any reaction from the public in the first three to five years
then things start to move and then I have the effect that we get better known.