Brand USA to Unveil Campaign to Inspire and Welcome Travelers to Experience the USA

Integrated campaign being revealed at International Pow Wow is the first-ever collaborative marketing effort to promote the USA as a premier travel destination

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. April 12, 2012

April 11, 2012 - The organization responsible for marketing the United States to world visitors will unveil the United States of America's first-ever global marketing campaign to inspire and welcome the world's travelers to visit the USA. The campaign will be introduced to the world on April 23, 2012, at 1:00 pm (Pacific Time) during the opening lunch of International Pow Wow, one of the largest travel tradeshow events. The event, being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from April 21 through April 25, draws more than 1,000 US travel organizations and 1,200 international and domestic travel buyers. Together, these buyers and sellers will negotiate business that will generate an estimated $3.5 billion in future USA travel. A private event will be held for international press at a press conference in Concourse Hall at the Convention Center at 8:00 am (Pacific Time) on April 23, 2012.

"The focus of the campaign is all about rekindling the world's love affair with the USA," says Jim Evans, CEO of Brand USA. "It's an incredible opportunity, because this is the first time that it's ever been done."

Brand USA will provide the international audience at Pow Wow a glimpse of the fully integrated campaign, which includes television, signage, digital, mobile, print and social media. The first wave of the campaign will launch May 1, 2012, in Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom and will be followed by Brazil and South Korea in June. Additional markets will be announced in July.

"Our marketing strategy is welcoming and unexpected," says Chris Perkins, chief marketing officer of Brand USA. "The experiences, the locations, the visuals of all there is to see in the United States will surprise and inspire even the most traveled worldwide. We can't wait to show the world the limitless range of destinations and experiences the USA has to offer. Through this campaign, we are showcasing the best of the USA and spreading the message that we welcome visitors with open arms." Perkins adds.

The United States' first-ever nationally coordinated tourism marketing program was created by the Travel Promotion Act, federal legislation passed in March 2010. A public-private partnership between the travel industry and the U.S. government, the Corporation for Travel Promotion (doing business as Brand USA) was charged with increasing international visitation to the United States through marketing and promotional efforts to drive job creation and economic growth.

"Brand USA is not just a tourism brand," says Stephen J. Cloobeck, chairman of Brand USA and chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International. "It is a 21st-century global brand that is helping to reposition the United States as a premier travel destination. The other benefit of this campaign is that it drives economic activity, including billions in new spending, tens of thousands of new outsource-proof jobs and much-needed tax revenue, to spur powerful growth throughout all corners of the United States."

Brand USA is led by private industry with oversight from the Department of Commerce and U.S. Congress. The program is funded through a combination of private sector investment and funds collected by the Department of Homeland Security from international visitors who visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. No U.S. taxpayer dollars are used to fund the program. Brand USA's headquarters are located in Washington, DC.