Brand USA Newsletter - June 2020

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Brand USA Holds Virtual Board Meeting

Brand USA’s board of directors convened for their first all-virtual meeting on Wednesday, May 20. Board members approved the minutes from the February 2020 meeting and recognized the significant impact COVID-19 has had on many facets of Brand USA’s operations as well as it’s worldwide impact. Throughout the meeting, listeners heard from Brand USA executives on how the organization is navigating the current crisis and its tentative plans to help U.S. destinations recover. A recap of the meeting is below: 

 

Navigating the Crisis

Brand USA president and CEO, Chris Thompson, kicked off the meeting acknowledging the COVID-19 crisis and the unprecedented impacts the virus has had on the industry since the previous February board meeting in which the organization was coming off the heels of reauthorization and gearing up to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Travel Promotion Act.

In doing so, Thompson recognized the timing of Brand USA’s 2019 reauthorization, noting that the organization’s subsequent contingency planning has allowed the organization to operate in good-standing while dealing with the effects of the current global crisis.

Brand USA executives described how the organization is balancing the pause in paid media activities with its “Stay Home. Stay Inspired.” message to offer an empathetic voice to global audiences during this unprecedented time, and also engage and inspire travelers where they are. 

As the world stays home, Brand USA has been working to ensure its digital platforms like GoUSA TV continue to push out a steady drumbeat of content in order to optimize the current opportunity to engage and inspire audiences. Content that displays celebration and nightlife experiences have been scaled back in light of the current crisis and to make way for immersive and interactive content - allowing viewers to make the most of their travel dreaming. 

Listeners also learned about the organization’s commitment to the following basic tenets:

  • Provide guidance, information and insights
  • Educate, Entertain, and Inspire
    • Travel trade webinars, trainings, and certificates
    • Organic and engaging social media content
    • GoUSA TV platform continues to deliver content in a virtual way
  • Build SMART marketing tools to deploy when the time is right

 

Brand USA Successes & Accomplishments

Brand USA staff offered highlights of success that help emphasize the organization’s effectiveness pre-COVID-19 and demonstrate its unique ability to bring real results and impact to U.S. destinations, the economy, and jobs.

 

ROI Study and Annual Report

  • Brand’s USA’s annual ROI study, conducted in part by Oxford Economics, reveals that over the past seven years Brand USA’s marketing efforts have helped welcome nearly 7.5 million incremental visitors to the USA who spent $25 billion and generated a total economic impact of nearly $55 billion, all of which supports on average, nearly 50,000 incremental jobs a year.
  • Brand USA’s Annual Report was submitted to the Department of Commerce earlier in May. The report summarizes activities from FY2019 and (Oct 1. 2018 – September 30, 2019) and serves as the single best encapsulation of how Brand USA inspires travel to the USA and lives up to the mandate of a public-private partnership.

 

United Stories

While production of United Stories filming is on pause and remaining trips will be rescheduled, the campaign started strong in the first quarter of FY2020. The storytelling campaign saw a nearly 20 percent increase in engagement and 50 percent increase in views thanks to successful destination profiles like the Wyoming United Stories trip, which was led by a popular Brazilian influencer and highlighted the wonders of the western state.  

 

America’s Musical Journey

In the first quarter of FY2020 Brand USA launched the streaming of America’s Musical Journey on GoUSA TV platforms. Since its launch, the film has garnered over 2 million streaming views and 42 million views of the trailer. These metrics further exhibit the value and versatility in Brand USA’s giant-screen film strategy.                                       

 

Virtual Roadtrip

The Virtual Roadtrip kicked off on March 25 to tell the story of the United States using compelling content from campaigns like United Stories. As of April 30, the activation garnered nearly 5,000 posts and nearly 8 million views.

 

Recovery Plan

Brand USA executives emphasized the need to adhere to guidelines put forth by the federal government and officials on reopening as it relates to welcoming travelers to the USA. The foundational elements of the tentative 18-month recovery plan were presented to the board and include the following:

  • Market entry prioritization
  • Entertain and inspire
  • Drive intent and bookings