Destination marketing for Twente: rebranding & activation campaign.
2012 - Twente has become an increasingly attractive destination for day trips and holidays. Over the past years, awareness of Twente as a tourist region has grown significantly, now ranking among the top five in the Netherlands. While visitor numbers have risen in line with national trends, daily spending per visitor remained slightly behind.
The Challenge: Stimulating Longer Stays and Higher Spending
The primary assignment for the Twents Bureau voor Toerisme (TBT) was to encourage multi-day stays and increase visitor spending. The ambition was to make “Twente. Estate of the Netherlands” top of mind for tourists and leisure seekers.
The goal:
Extend visitor stays
Increase spending per person
Encourage repeat visits
This would strengthen the economic importance of the tourism sector. Target markets included the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), and Germany (Nordrhein-Westfalen and Niedersachsen).
Defining Core Brand Values
Together with marketing experts from leading Twente companies and organizations, we developed the brand positioning for tourist Twente. The identity was distilled into five core values:
Lush – abundant richness in attractions and experiences
Proud – authentic pride in what makes Twente unique
Generous – eager to share its beauty with those who appreciate it
Mature – rooted in lasting qualities rather than fleeting entertainment
All campaign expressions, projects, and products were tested against these values.
Campaign & Positioning
Since 2007, Twente has campaigned under the positioning “Twente. Estate of the Netherlands”. The focus: enjoying the good life in the countryside — peace, space, nature, walking, cycling, and relaxation. Two key segments were developed:
Countrylife – highlighting the rural lifestyle, relaxation, and pure enjoyment for couples and active families.
Citylife – a new concept connecting Twente’s urban qualities with its countryside charm, targeting culture lovers and festival visitors.
New Visual Identity
In 2012, I led the development of a new tourism visual identity for Twente, aligning local tourism and hospitality with regional branding.
As project lead, I was responsible for briefing requirements, selecting colors and fonts, and guiding designers. Red was a given for Twente, but I introduced purple as a secondary brand color — symbolizing heritage, heathlands, and culture, while reinforcing the core values of lushness, pride, generosity, and maturity. The serif font Oranda completed the identity.
I then mapped all online and offline touchpoints — from websites to trade fair stands, print, advertising, and Tourist Info signage — and systematically transitioned them to the new identity. This ensured a consistent brand experience across all channels.
The identity was rolled out both within Twente (VVV/Tourist Info points, route networks, local entrepreneurs) and externally through the “Twente. Estate of the Netherlands” campaign. The branding remains visible across the region today:
Creative Concept & Activation Campaign
In autumn 2013, we expanded the campaign with a new creative concept: “Your Day in Twente”. This umbrella campaign focused on walking, activities, outings, and wellness, serving as a platform for targeted marketing across different segments.
Video Content for Social Media
To activate the concept, I collaborated with Studio MAD (Enschede) to develop interactive video formats from a first-person perspective. These videos allowed viewers to experience a day out in Twente virtually. Watch the video here: YouTube link
After viewing the YouTube and Meta video ads, visitors were encouraged to plan their own weekend in Twente via twenteweekend.nl.
Results & Market Impact
This project successfully strengthened Twente’s tourism brand, combining brand strategy, visual identity development, concept creation, destination marketing, and content strategy.
The campaign received positive feedback from visitors, reinforcing Twente’s position as a top destination in the Netherlands and boosting longer stays and tourist spending.
Lead content & social media, brand identity management: Marlies Nijmeijer
Visual Identity: Morskieft Ontwerpers: Morskieft Ontwerpers
Video Content: Studio MAD
