The process of developing an identity and marketing plan for a company is no easy task. It involves delving into the very heart and soul of the company and creating an image that has to speak volumes about its inner workings, missions and intentions to its potential clients. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country? But not just any country, how do you create a logo and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries such as Peru and Mexico have successfully developed identities giving homage to their centuries old cultures. The United States is a noted melting pot of all cultures. How would you define that?

The Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) was given this lovely task. Saddled with a not-so-modest marketing budget of up to $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy aimed to promote tourism in the United States to international vacationers. What they came up with was <a href="http://www.thebrandusa.com/">Brand USA, Inc.</a> with the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”

<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1329" title="Brand USA" src="http://www.brandiron.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/USA_1720_vert_p5-300x157.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="157" />

According to Brand USA’s website, the identity is meant “to capture the American spirit and create a fresh new brand identity that welcomes the world to come experience the boundless possibilities in America.” The marketing campaign includes a consumer website, <a href="http://www.discoveramerica.com/">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning and traveling the U.S. It offers general guides for major cities, a deal finder (coming soon), and U.S. travel tips. The campaign, scheduled to launch in the spring of next year, ultimately looks to generate more American jobs through the boost it hopes to gain in international tourism.

*Rest assured taxpayers, no tax dollars were spent to fund the Brand USA. As stated on the website, half of the budget will be funded by private investment and the rest comes from a $14 visitor fee from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) when traveling to the US from countries that do not require a visa.

<strong>Thoughts from the BI Team</strong>

Justin