Name change for luxury safari company

"We believe that our new name more appropriately reflects where and how we operate, and where plan to operate,” said Nicky Fitzgerald, &BEYOND group marketing director. "The decision to change the name of the company was based on the fact that the previous name, CC Africa, was far from ideal.

"Africa" no longer accurately reflected the company's operating regions; research indicated that while ‘Conservation' was an important value, it was not a primary motivator for first time guests, and the word ‘Corporation' was somewhat of a dampener because no one wanted to go on holiday with a corporation!"

Fitzgerald also emphasised those elements that remain the same: "While our expansion rollout marks the beginning of an exciting era for us, the company's core values remain the same, and it is the three thousand people who work in &BEYOND lodges and offices who remain our strongest brand," she said.

&BEYOND, with joint venture partners Taj Hotels Palaces and Resorts, and Cigen, will open two new lodges in India in December: Banjaar Tola adjacent to Kahna National Park and Pashan Garh near Panna National Park, both in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. This will bring to four the number of lodges it owns in India. The group is considering other sites in India as well for further developments.

The company's expansion also includes new luxury lodges in northern Kenya and southern Tanzania, and a move into Central and South America. In addition, the company is in discussions with the Madagascan government about the construction and management of luxury lodges in that country's national parks. In August the company opened two new lodges in Botswana: &BEYOND Xudum and &BEYOND Xaranna in the Okavango Delta.

Challenging exercise

Fitzgerald admitted that changing the name has been a challenging exercise. "Practical issues have headed the priority list," she said. "The impact and cost implications of the name change were considered on hundreds of items, everything from guest amenities, signage and uniforms to marketing collateral, IT systems and contracts. Items were identified that had to be changed for the official crossover day on 30 October 2008, as well as those that could be phased in a later stage."

The renaming process has also included a comprehensive internal campaign to staff throughout Africa and in India, a local and international PR campaign, and a range of communications to the global travel trade, guests and stakeholders.

The development of a new website, www.andbeyond.com, to encompass both the lodge and travel components of the business has been one of the major projects of the renaming. The site went live at one minute past minute past midnight, South African time, yesterday (GMT +2 hours).

In addition, after 15 years of going it alone on the advertising front, &BEYOND appointed Net#work BBDO South Africa in April to create and implement an international campaign, scheduled to roll out in 2009.

"Nothing has changed except our name and where we operate," said Fitzgerald. "Delighting guests to make a difference is at the core of what we do and now we will be doing so in more of the world's most beautiful natural places."