Brand USA Newsletter - March 2020

Partner Spotlight: Destination Cleveland

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is arguably Cleveland's best known attraction but they also boast major professional sports, several museums, the world's largest outdoor chandelier, neighboring Cuyahoga National Park, and Lake Erie shoreline. Destination Cleveland is using local events with a global interest as a springboard to gain international attention. The 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Klipsch Audio, will be held at Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio on May 2, 2020 and will be preceded by Induction Week with celebratory events and the opening of the 2020 Inductee exhibit. 

Brand USA has partnered with Destination Cleveland on cooperative marketing to promote Cleveland to a global audience with a focus on the United Kingdom (UK). Messaging in the UK market uses the line "We're ready for another British invasion" using visuals of The Beatles' memorabilia in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame museum. 2020 marked the second year in a row Destination Cleveland has participated in the UK Winter multi-channel campaign. Combining reach on Google Display Network, Facebook, Expedia Group Media, and a print insert in The Telegraph, the multi-channel delivers millions of impressions and booking results of Cleveland's airport and hotels through Expedia. 

Starting in 2019, Destination Cleveland has partnered with Tourism Ohio in the Global Inspiration Program. This program is in nine languages and 14 markets across the world. Their first year of participation also marked the year the program evolved to include mobile takeover ads powered by AdTheorant. Mobile users encounter a full screen ad of Ohio content and can swipe to view Cleveland content and click through to discover more on VisitTheUSA.com. 

Destination Cleveland, Experience Columbus, Tourism Ohio, and other Ohio partners collaborated with Brand USA to create a road trip video series. Cleveland's video showcases experiences at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, West Side Market, Cleveland History Center, and Cleveland Museum of Art. The video will live on VisitTheUSA.com with an accompanying article translated into nine languages. It will also be available on YouTube and serve as a tool for trade and PR for years to come. 

Cleveland has benefited from the USA campaign. The current iteration of the campaign is called United Stories. Named one of Cleveland's most interesting people in 2019, Cleveland-native, Chris Webb wrote and performed spoken word, "when I think of Ohio the film cameras in my mind pictures a state shaped like a heart." The video premiered on Instagram and is part of a larger consumer campaign with additional marketing assets to share the story of Ohio with the world. 

In a partnership with NBCUniversal and Euronews, Brand USA filmed an episode of "Notes from the USA" starring Northern-Irish singer-songwriter, Foy Vance, in Cleveland. In 2019 the episode aired across Euronews broadcast networks in ten languages and additional articles were posted on a content hub on Euronews.com. A highlight of the episode is Vance's visit to The Grog Shop, a live music venue since 1992 where he saw American band Frankie Cosmos perform. Vance was accompanied by third generation Clevelander, Laura DeMarco, who proclaims Cleveland was a music city before the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was opened.