'Brand USA' Campaign Seeks Global Travelers

Formerly known as the Corporation for Travel Promotion, the newly formed organization responsible for marketing the United States to international travelers is now called Brand USA Inc., it announced today.

America's first-ever global consumer brand for travel marketing, Brand USA was introduced to an international audience of travel professionals during a brand launch event in London. The event was led by Brand USA CEO Jim Evans and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Perkins, who explained that the group's new brand identity is part of an effort to "more clearly align brand strategy and corporate messaging."

"The United States offers a range of destinations and experiences that are unparalleled in the world market," said Evans, former CEO of Best Western, who was named head of the new destination marketing organization in May. "Now, through the creation of Brand USA, we are inviting the world's travelers to come visit us and experience the limitless possibilities for themselves."

According to Brand USA, its logo—a collection of dots joining together to compose the letters "USA"—was created to be "fresh, welcoming, and inclusive" and aspire to remind the world that "the United States of Awesome Possibilities welcomes everyone." The dots will reportedly serve as a vessel through which Brand USA will showcase different images of people and destinations across the United States, emphasizing the nation's diversity.

"What is so compelling about the United States is that no one thing can explain who we are as a nation," Perkins said. "Each visitor and each experience helps create the fabric of American culture, and Brand USA embodies this spirit. When we launch our global marketing and advertising campaign next year, we will be able to reach audiences around the world by showcasing the best of America and spreading the message that we welcome visitors with open arms."

A public-private partnership, Brand USA is part of the Travel Promotion Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in March 2010. It was officially launched as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in September 2010, when the U.S. Department of Commerce named 11 travel and tourism industry leaders to serve on the group's first board of directors.

By funding up to 50 percent of the country's promotion activities, the Travel Promotion Act allows the United States to advertise itself for the first time as a tourist destination to travelers in foreign countries. As the governing body in charge of spending the country's travel promotion dollars—which will be secured through private donations and matching public funds collected through a new $10 fee on select foreign travelers under the nation's Visa Waiver Program—Brand USA will be tasked with creating advertisements and marketing messages for overseas travelers, the first of which will debut in spring 2012.

"Brand USA has arrived, and it is not just a tourism brand," said Brand USA Chairman Stephen J. Cloobeck, who also is chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International. "It is a 21st-century global brand that will help reposition our great nation in the market for travel—and drive 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."

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