Branding Gallipoli as a transformative branding experience

Abstract

The aim of the study is to explore how transformative experiences act as a catalyst for visitors branding the Gallipoli pilgrimage in Turkey. The study adopts Keller’s (1993) brand development model and uses transformative research theory (Filep & Pearce, 2013) as the lens to clarify how tourist experiences can develop brand equity. Recent findings related to Gallipoli reveal there are management implications for the site (Reeves, Bird, James, Stichelbaut, & Bourgeois, 2016), so as a heritage site Gallipoli requires further attention. This study will adopt a phenomenological qualitative approach, which is considered to be the most suitable when exploring complex phenomena (Pernecky & Jamal, 2010). The transformative lens includes the major theoretical contribution to the context of branding tourist experiences such as pilgrimage tourism.