Lodge owner, Michael Benton, invited John to visit the lodge for a “reconnaissance mission”. During which time John was able to get a better understanding of the resort and its target audience.
John comments, “On the weekend I visited the lodge, I was fortunate enough to meet and interview a businessmen’s group of a dozen or so guys, who frequented the location twice a year. In speaking with these gentlemen, it was clear that they all came from a reasonably wealthy career path, with plastic surgeons, film producers, doctors, developers and lawyers all amongst. And when interviewing them, it was clear that they were all there for not just the fishing, but the adventure of a boys’ weekend.”
John went back to his office to crystallise his thoughts and within a week, he provided the owner of the lodge with a detailed marketing plan recommendation, which included “re-branding” the resort to Clearwater Island Lodge.
Because the resort’s occupancy rate needed lifting, the owner was more than receptive to John’s ideas and therefore agreed to re-name the resort Clearwater Island Lodge. John’s rationale for this was that the Aboriginal term “Munupi” really meant nothing to the majority of the lodge’s target audience and a more adventurous name would undoubtedly conjure the right images in the target audiences’ minds.