Brand USA Newsletter - September 2018

RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Show

For the past four years, Brand USA has worked with several partner states in developing a USA Garden marketing and activation program with the Royal Horticulture Society – RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Show. This year, Charleston, South Carolina and Travel Oregon participated in the July event which attracts thousands of visitors to view the gardens.  Here is the wrap up video from the event: 

 

Brand USA Teams Up with NFL for 2018 London Games

Professional football returns to London this year with three National Football League (NFL) games set for Wembley Stadium in October. Wembley has been the site of NFL games in London since 2007.

Brand USA has been a co-sponsor of the NFL in London in previous years. This year, Brand USA is expanding its role by having ownership of the prime music stages in London that are tied to the NFL series.

On Saturday, Sept. 8, for instance, London’s Piccadilly Circus was shut down to traffic in order to stage “NFL Kick-off on Piccadilly,” a free, six-hour festival starting at noon that was expected to draw more than 500,000 people. It was the NFL’s opening weekend in the United States. Brand USA’s GoUSA TV was the sponsor of the event’s main music stage. GoUSA TV also sponsors the pre-game performance at the first game.

The Piccadilly event included a headline music performance, additional on-stage entertainment, and activities for families. It also presented American-style culinary experiences that represented the home cities and regions of the six NFL teams that play in London next month.

Upcoming match-ups are (home teams are listed first):

• Oakland Raiders vs. Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Oct. 14
• Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Oct. 21
• Los Angeles Chargers vs. Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Oct. 28
   

Brand USA receives branding and media assets on site at all three games, as well as media assets through digital, broadcast television and print. 

Multi-tier Campaign Targets UK Agents & Consumers

Leveraging the momentum of its “Year of Music,” Brand USA recently launched a new marketing push in the United Kingdom (UK) to elevate the awareness of travel in the United States. 

The campaign – presented in tandem with Travel Weekly, a media outlet for the travel trade – uses a business-to-business-to consumer approach. It is designed to educate UK travel agents and tour operators about U.S. tourism opportunities, while also encouraging their retail customers to come into their shops to get a taste of what the USA offers.

Brand USA’s “Year of Music” emanates from its release earlier this year of “America’s Musical Journey,” a giant-screen documentary that traces the roots and heritage of American music. It features on-screen visits to iconic U.S. cities known for their enduring associations with various music styles. 

With messaging directed to the UK travel trade, Brand USA and Travel Weekly have developed this joint campaign using a blend of advertising, advertorials, print wrap, e-newsletters, and social media. 

The promotional effort also leads UK travel professionals to a campaign-dedicated microsite: VisittheUSA.co.uk/win. Through the microsite, they can access videos, images, fact sheets, and itineraries to assist in building USA travel packages. 

Agents, can additionally win one of 30 Brand USA “Music Takes You Further” tool kits, which features point-of-sales material that helps them to “sell the USA” with an in-store, music-themed event. The kits have posters, banners, factsheets, giveaway items (pens, sunglasses, headphones), an Instagram selfie board, and a gift card to cover the cost of food and beverages for in-store events. 

Each kit also includes a portable wireless speaker and a one-month subscription to Premium Spotify, allowing agents to create their own U.S.-themed playlists for in-store music events.

Agents who do not win a tool kit, can still win one of 50 other prizes, such as VisitTheUSA beach towels and tote bags, and shopping vouchers.

Brand USA has developed the campaign to ensure that UK agents are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about arranging multi-center/fly-drive and touring holidays in the United States, using new music-oriented packages and the array of existing travel itineraries. 

Another expected result of the campaign is an increase in registration for Brand USA’s online-training program for international agents, the USA Discovery Program.