Brand USA Welcomes New Team Members
We are pleased to announce that Tracy Lanza will be joining Brand USA in the newly created position of Vice President of Integrated Marketing (effective March 7), and Cathy Domanico will be joining Brand USA as Vice President of Global Trade Development (effective March 14). Both will report to David Whitaker, Chief Marketing Officer.
Tracy Lanza is no stranger to Brand USA having worked with us since 2012 as the Vice President and Global Account Director on behalf of J. Walter Thompson and JWT Action/Geometry Global (Part of the WPP portfolio of agencies and our agency of record just completing a transition to our new agency recently announced).
During her time at JWT Action/Geometry, Tracy has been responsible managing a team of 40 colleagues located in 10 offices around the world. Her responsibilities also have included omni-channel media planning and creative campaign execution with a significant focus on digital channels including the development of an online activation strategy and a new device-agnostic creative solution designed to increase consumer engagement through targeted content on Brand USA’s website and retargeting of user flow to affiliated online travel experts (a major new initiative for us).
Tracy brings to Brand USA insight gained over the course of more than 20 years in the advertising and marketing industry including the past 11 years with a wide variety of WPP portfolio holdings including Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam, Hill+Knowlton, Mediacom, and the aforementioned J Walter Thompson, as well as several agencies affiliated with ONNICOM. Over the years, Tracy has led efforts to create award-winning campaigns for brands such as Pepsi, Hasbro, Smirnoff and Grand Central Terminal.
Indicative of Tracy’s recognized leadership, she has chaired the Judging Panel for the U.S. Travel Association’s annual ESTO awards recognizing top state advertising campaigns since 2013. Tracy is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of The Arts.
In her new position with Brand USA, Tracy will be collaborating with the other senior members of the marketing team in our integrated approach with specific responsibilities leading the teams focused on our Advertising Agency of Record and our Consumer Website and related Digital/Social Marketing.
Cathy Domanico joins Brand USA after serving the past 11 years as the Vice President of Tourism and Leisure Sales for Choose Chicago. During her time with Choose Chicago, Cathy had many highlights – of recent note and relevance Cathy served as staff leader (and a Brand USA liaison) for Chicago’s organizing and hosting of IPW in 2014 and the US-China Tourism Summit in 2013.
During her time at Choose Chicago, Cathy has helped research, strategize and open 10 international sales offices including three offices in China, as well as representation offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Benelux Region, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and Japan. Under Cathy’s leadership Choose Chicago has consistently ranked in the top 10 of the United States’ most-visited destinations by international visitors. In addition to designing and implementing country-specific plans and traditional travel trade programs and relationships, Cathy also partnered closely with Choose Chicago’s Marketing Department on related international multi-channel digital promotions, including Chicago’s social media strategies with the trade in China and Mexico. To add to her partner experience and acumen, Cathy also has managed Choose Chicago’s Domestic Sales portfolio, with responsibility for forging partnerships with Chicago’s leading theaters, museums, attractions, restaurants, and sports teams. This was further expanded under the two key seasonal programs – Winter Delights and Summer in Chicago.
Prior to joining Choose Chicago in 2005, Cathy served as the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for the Notebaert Nature Museum where she was responsible for brand identity, attendance, membership, facility rental income, and gift shop/merchandise sales. Cathy also had a successful tenure from 1993 to 2000 as the Director of Corporate Sponsorship and Membership for Chicago’s famed Museum of Science and Industry.
Cathy also served for four years as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University teaching the Principles of Marketing to Masters of Engineering students. Prior stints included time as an Account Supervisor, Senior Account Executive, and Account Executive at four different advertising agencies with offices and clients in Chicago (1983-1993).
Cathy earned her Masters Degree (Arts-Journalism with and Advertising Concentration) at Northern Illinois University along with a Bachelor’s Degree (English Literature/Writing) from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Her industry service has included time as a Board Member of the Illinois Tourism Alliance, two-terms as Board Member of the formerly named US Travel Association’s National Council of DMOs, Board Chair of Market Illinois, a member of the Illinois Council of Convention and Visitor Bureaus and Co-Chair of the Marketing Committee for Illinois’ annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
Please join us in welcoming these two key new additions to the Brand USA team.