Brand USA selects Edelman and I Plus Connect Communications as international representative firms in the South Korea market
Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, today announced it has selected Edelman and I Plus Connect Communications (I Connect) as international representative firms for the South Korea market. The combination of Edelman and I Connect will allow Brand USA to reinforce strong travel trade relationships and increase efforts to reach consumers directly through new and expanded consumer PR and digital outreach. Both companies officially began working with Brand USA on April 15, 2019.
Edelman’s ability to create data-driven, integrated public relations campaigns that go beyond traditional approaches, and I Connect’s extensive travel trade relationships, will allow Brand USA to further expand its marketing efforts in South Korea. The key members of the new Brand USA Korea team are Emily Kim, I Connect CEO and managing director and Cecilia Yoo, senior supervisor Edelman. Kim serves as the Brand USA account strategic director and Yoo is the account communications strategy manager.
"We are excited about how bringing together Edelman and I Connect’s market knowledge, insights, and relationships will help Brand USA’s marketing efforts in South Korea," said Cathy Domanico, Brand USA vice president for global trade development. “The synergy this strategy shift creates gives us the ability to further expand our work with the travel trade, develop new consumer media strategies, and increase partner program opportunities in market.”
Brand USA has been actively engaged in the South Korean market since 2012 and it remains a critical market for U.S. international travel. According to U.S. Department of Commerce, in 2017 more than 2.3 million South Koreans visited the USA (fourth largest overseas source market for arrivals) and spent $10.1 billion while in the United States (sixth largest overseas source market for visitor spend).
Brand USA current and ongoing marketing initiatives in South Korea, include:
- A co-op promotion in partnership with Korean Air to develop and promote New England tour products. This initiative will coincide with the launch of the airline’s new service to Boston from April 12, 2019, and will include a wide range of promotions, including a consumer online event, sales contest, and promotions with seven key travel agencies.
- The third sales mission to South Korea will feature a B2B Marketplace in Seoul on July 11, 2019, between leading South Korean tour operators and U.S. destinations.
- Brand USA’s online training program, USA Discovery, will launch in Korea for the first time this summer. The Korean market specific modules will enable and encourage Korean agents to learn more about the many diverse destinations available in the USA in an interactive and fun way.
- Continued promotion of our giant-screen film “America’s Musical Journey” to theaters in South Korea and a variety of PR initiatives.
###
About Brand USA
Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, was established by the Travel Promotion Act as the nation’s first public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. travel policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. The organization’s mission is to increase international visitation to the United States in order to fuel the U.S. economy and enhance the image of the United States worldwide. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. According to studies by Oxford Economics, over the past ten years Brand USA's marketing initiatives have helped welcome 8 million incremental visitors to the United States, benefiting the U.S. economy with more than $58 billion in total economic impact and supporting, on average, more than 37,000 incremental jobs a year.
For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit TheBrandUSA.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter. To discover more about the USA and the boundless diversity of American travel experiences and authentic, rich culture, please visit Brand USA's consumer website VisitTheUSA.com; follow Visit The USA on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram; and watch travel shows on GoUSATV.