Being such a big destination, the USA does not lack awareness, however, it does have its other challenges.
Its strong currency makes for an expensive visit and the sheer scale of the destination can create an unwelcoming experience when trying to figure out how to visit the US.
Its strong currency makes for an expensive visit and the sheer scale of the destination can create an unwelcoming experience when trying to figure out how to visit the US.
Being such a big destination, the USA does not lack awareness, however, it does have its other challenges. Its strong currency makes for an expensive visit and the sheer scale of the destination can create an unwelcoming experience when trying to figure out how to visit the US. With this in mind, Brand USA's main focus is on winning the hearts of travellers and communicating the many possibilities available in the destination, through music.
Tracy Lanza, Vice President of Integrated Marketing for Brand USA, joined us to share how the team has successfully developed its integrated marketing function and how it has evolved its campaign work since 2012.
1. Brand USA is non-transactional. It does not sell on the website or do any direct bookings, only when working with a partner like an OTA or hotel so monitoring KPIs such as impressions and engagement levels are very important as this shows interest and intent.
2. Research demonstrates that the more 'advertising-like' the content is, the less trusted it is. Storytelling is a really important factor in Brand USA's digital strategy, focusing on promoting genuine and real content.
3. The more freedom you give to partners, and the more they are open to the strategy, the more their audiences will engage.
4. When working with media partners, alignment is everything. Be clear on objectives, make sure all expectations are the same, be clear on distribution.
5. When measuring success, be tough on partners and build trust to get to a position where you can measure and share everything together.
6. When working with music, be clear on music rights.
Tracy is vice president, integrated marketing for Brand USA, the public-private partnership responsible for launching the United States' first-ever nationally coordinated tourism marketing effort.
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