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 - from its inner workings and intentions to its mission, value and promise to its potential customers. Taking this into consideration, how do you create a logo for an entire country?

Not just any country.

How do you create a brand image and marketing strategy for the United States of America? Other countries (<a href="http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/perus_new_brand.php" target="_blank">Peru</a> and <a href="http://www.visitmexico.com/" target="_blank">Mexico</a>) 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 upwards of $200 million* annually, CTP looked to create the first unified marketing strategy to promote tourism in the United States, aimed to reach international travelers. What they came up with was <a href="http://www.thebrandusa.com/" target="_blank">Brand USA, Inc.</a> and the tagline, “The United States of Awesome Possibilities.”
<p style="text-align: center;"><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" /></p>
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 first initiative of the marketing campaign is a consumer website, <a href="http://www.discoveramerica.com/" target="_blank">DiscoverAmerica.com</a>, meant to offer a user-friendly experience of planning travel around the United States. 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 bump it hopes to gain in international tourism.

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

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

<strong><em>Justin - Art Director</em></strong>

I definitely have mixed feeling about the brand. At first sight, the logo left me unimpressed. It's just a bunch of dots, right? Hasn't this been played out by the telecom industry? However, after I stopped to think about the direction I would have taken, it started to make sense. Even though most people would agree that the logo is generic, doesn't it <em>have</em> to be? Due to the extreme diversity found in our country, this is probably one of the few cases where something as generic as this is actually a good solution. The best solution? Probably not. But with the strong concept, there is a lot of great possibility for the other marketing pieces. I even like the tagline. "The United States of Awesome Possibilities" is the new "The Land of Opportunity". Although new, the tagline feels like it has roots. <strong>+1</strong>.

The website, on the other hand, is undeniably - a disaster. Keep in mind that the budget is <em>200 million dollars a year.</em> Aesthetically, it's embarrassing. The <a href="http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/" target="_blank">landing page</a> looks like a bad knock-off of a <a href="http://livingsocial.com/escapes" target="_blank">flash sale site</a>. The <a href="http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/home.html" target="_blank">homepage</a> is busy. The background photo ends abruptly at the bottom of the page, yet scales to fill the browser window horizontally — a half-assed attempt at a common technique. If <a href="http://ringvemedia.com/" target="_blank">China</a> can do it, we can do it...can't we? It's not like they couldn't afford a decent developer — the <a href="http://b.oss.im//3a/hlhetaxy2ookk.png" target="_blank">border</a> around the content area isn't even aligned properly for crying out loud. Is the strategy to barrage the viewer with photos? They get it, there's a lot of variety, there's no need to let it govern the design. I'll stop there — but, really? It's unwelcoming, unprofessional and it isn't representative of what we as a country can produce. For <em>200 million dollars a year</em>, I want to see design equivalent of a 3-D video music montage of me and the Statue of Liberty performing a choreographed dance through the top tourist destinations of America. Instead, we get what looks like an outdated and broken template that they grabbed off the internet, for free.

Final thoughts:
Instead of taking the obvious direction using any combination of red/white/blue/stars/stripes/guns, they've come up with a good concept with some great potential. As far execution goes — <a href="http://www.thebrandunion.com/" target="_blank">The Brand Union</a> either completely missed the mark, lost a brutal battle against design-by-committee, or saw this as their chance to fulfill everyone's childhood dream of throwing a <a href="http://www.lindsaybrothers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/scrooge-mcduck.jpg" target="_blank">Scrooge-McDuck-style pool party</a>.

<em><strong>Leilani - Graphic Designer</strong></em>

My first impression was, "It looks like a boring corporation." Upon further investigation of the marketing materials beyond the logo, my impression was, "It looks like a semi-boring corporation." The logo feels predictably generic, even in the multiple color variations. The dotted logos have been a trend for several years now and lack longevity. It's already outdated. Though I commend the CTP for finding a solution without the use of the blaring stars, stripes, and red, white and blue color palette. The concept behind the logo is quite compelling, however, the execution leaves something to be desired. If their aim was to create a brand to "capture the American spirit" and invite global visitors to "experience the boundless possibilities in America," then America seems like it would bore me to tears, and try to sell me insurance, or Tupperware® from a suitcase.

The opening page of the website is interesting in design, <em>almost</em> successful with large modern typography and lovely photographs. Except, this page is unnecessary and makes me work for my information instead of welcoming me with open arms. The overall design would be a good attempt, if you were a first-year design student showing an interest in pursuing the profession of web design - eight years ago. The design tries to be hip and modern, but instead is confusing and as outdated as the new logo. The photographs are pretty, but you can't rely on a good photograph to carry an entire design. Their solution? Place a ton of large photographs all over the site. The interior page content is dense and made difficult to read through lack of attention to typographic styling, (particularly the leading). One of my biggest problems with the site is the language issue. Currently, it can only be viewed in five languages. For a marketing strategy that is meant to reach people across the globe, this seems a bit limiting. For this size of budget, the site should be able to translate content into Klingon if one so wishes! I could nitpick this site to death but the bottom line comes down to one thing - with a budget of $200 million PER YEAR, there are no excuses for poor design or lack of options.

<em><strong>Ben - Design Intern/Lackey</strong></em>

Brand USA tells us that part of their astronomical marketing budget for Discover America comes from the "nominal $14 fee paid by visitors from visa-waiver countries," and that “No U.S. taxpayer dollars” were used.  At the end of the day, at least I didn't pay for it. Who am I kidding...I don't pay taxes.

<strong><em>Kaitlyn – Brand Manager</em></strong>

Coming up with content and messaging around why people should come to America is by no means an easy task. In fact, I might almost say it’s impossible to describe who we are, all that we’ve got to offer, and why we are appealing in a way that grabs people from all around the world. And not to mention in a way that makes them get out their checkbooks and actually book a trip.

So does “The United States of Awesome Possibilities” do the trick? I have to say, the word <em>awesome</em> sort of threw me off at first. But then I thought about what other options I could stick in there: Inspiring? Wonderful? Stunning? None of those seem to do the trick either. In fact, I think we are kind of <em>awesome</em>, and awesome is a new way to say all the other words I could come up with anyways. But what I’m not sure about is how well this will resonate with the target of this campaign – our international travel friends. Will they understand how we take “awesome”? And does that word translate for them?  I think that will be the true test for how well this slogan backs the new campaign.

<strong><em>Abbey – Brand Manager</em></strong>

The Brand Union shared that this new identity is designed to capture the spirit of our homeland - a place that is supposedly: Authentic. Optimistic. Unexpected. Inclusive. Endless Possibilities. Yet, I've always been a believer in branding that is consistent with realistic perceptions of the company, or at very least, branding that is reflective of a mission that the company is able to truly manifest. In America's case, my guess is you'd be hard-pressed to find very many international visitors who would describe our country using any of these terms other than perhaps, 'Unexpected.' 'Authentic' certainly doesn't speak to a place that has long been referred to as 'a melting pot.' And it doesn't help that the agency launched this new identity at a time when the biggest trend here is occupying.  I can't be the only one with a raised brow as to who The Brand Union went to as the source for our collective so-called 'spirit.'

Before too much more opinion about the new brand, let's give it time to gain some traction. We'll see if the investment behind Brand USA translates into campaigns that actually engage the international audience, and if they actually embrace the brand - enough so to come on over.