Brand USA Newsletter - September 2019

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Partner Spotlight: Visit Idaho Leverages Brand USA Marketing to Entice Global Visitors

Outdoor adventure is a cornerstone of Idaho’s appeal as U.S. travel destination. The state has thousands of miles of biking trails. It’s also known for its mountains, lakes, and it has more whitewater than any other state in the continental United States.

Additionally, Idaho has 300 hot springs (130 are soaker-friendly), 30 state parks, 10 national forests, and 31 scenic byways.

Brand USA and Visit Idaho are steadily working to ensure that international travelers from all around the globe learn about the state’s appeal as a U.S. travel destination.

One of the core elements of this partnership approach has been Brand USA’s broad-based promotional messaging, its USA Campaign, a collective effort that uses multiple formats.

Through the USA Campaign, Brand USA has highlighted Idaho Panhandle National Forest as one the five best U.S. locations for seeing the Northern Lights. It has also presented the allure of Yellowstone National Park. And, it has broadcast information about Idaho’s emerging culinary scene, especially such signature Idaho items as rainbow trout, potatoes, and the array of wine choices from the state’s Snake River Valley. (Overall, Idaho has more than 50 wineries.)

Cooperative marketing is another way in which Brand USA is getting the word out about Idaho. These promotional efforts allow Idaho and its individual destinations to leverage Brand USA’s investment in creating targeted, international campaigns – way beyond what these destinations could do on their own in global markets.

Idaho Road Trips

The promotion of Idaho road trips takes advantage of cooperative marketing. One trip is a winding, scenic route that gives travelers a chance to experience the state’s frontier heritage, see its natural wonders, and visit a collection of charming towns. A diverse range of Idaho destinations have the option to participate.

The itinerary starts at Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America. It then goes through Southwest Idaho to the resort town of McCall – a mecca for skiing in the winter and water recreation on Payette Lake in the summer. Sun Valley, a prominent stop on the Union Pacific Railroad, is next. In 1936, Sun Valley made its debut as the first destination ski resort in the United States.

The trip continues along Thousand Springs Scenic Byway, with a detour by Snake River Canyon, the thousand Springs Waterfall, and Miracle & Banbury Hot Springs. Twin Falls is the home of Shoshone Falls, which is actually 14 meters higher than Niagara Falls.

Heading northwest, the journey returns to Boise, the vibrant capital city of Idaho, located amid an abundance of outdoor grandeur. Boise also has one of the world’s largest Basque communities outside of Spain.

Visit Idaho also aligns with a number of its cities to participate in a Brand USA Original campaign, a yearly, multi-channel program that targets potential visitors from Western Canada. The program uses digital, print, social, traffic generation and activation campaigns.

Travel-trade, Media Outreach
A third element in the Brand USA and Visit Idaho partnership involves travel-trade and media outreach. Idaho destinations, for instance, have been included in Brand USA MegaFams. And, this past June, Idaho hosted a Visiting Journalists Program from Spain.

Visit Idaho has additionally joined Brand USA in presenting a state web page and individual city pages (Boise, Lewiston, Pocatello, and Idaho Falls) on a Brand USA website.

These varied efforts collectively show potential visitors the depth and breadth of travel experiences that are available when visitors go to, through, and beyond customary gateway destinations.

Brand USA frequently pushes this messaging about travel in Idaho as digital and social content on platforms in 14 international target markets, in eight languages.
The following 13 Idaho destinations, attractions and services are among Brand USA’s network of approximately 700 U.S. partners:

To learn more about some of the many ways Brand USA promotes Idaho, click here.