Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/79688
Contributions of both in-kind and cash arewell underway,but wemust continue to look formore,which is one of several rea- sons BM&T launched this Stay-A-Day See OUR USA initia- tive (explained in detail below). Brand USA is more than just a marketing machine. Brand USA, travel industry partners and government leaders are working on several key initiatives, among them the lengthy and often difficult Visa application process in several countries. As an example, previously, it took 120 days or more for Brazilian citizens to obtain aVisa. Now the process takes less than two weeks. Brand USA also has several advisory committees such as a business development group and a marketing and advisory group. I actually have the pleasure of serving on the marketing advisory committee. It's a wonderful opportunity for me to contribute and watch the process unfold. In the short time of our existence, we've tackled myriad issues. But I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't report that there are a few prob- lems as regards to the inclusion of the African-American community, which is where Stay-A-Day See Our USA comes in. As you might imagine any philosophical discussion about promoting the U.S. as a hot travel destination is easy; the actual execution is another matter entirely. We are talking about a compre- hensive marketing campaign in multiple languages, adjust- ing to the seasonality of travel markets and understanding the nuance of messaging to each des- tination. Brand USA has identified over 40 international markets in which to pro- mote America. The comprehensive mar- keting campaign involves all the traditional ele- ments that make up a promotional push such as televi- sion, print ads, social media, out of-house marketing and more. Each of the identified markets will be phased in over the next 18 months. Brand USA already has campaigns going in Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan with several others scheduled to come online soon, including Brazil and China. Early results are encouraging; in the United Kingdom, 12 percent of citizens say they intend to visit the United States. In Japan the percentage has grown to 14 percent. Joel Secundy, vice president of JOEL SECUNDY 28 Strategy andOutreach for BrandUSA noted in a recent speech before NAB- HOOD that research has shown 100 percent brand awareness of America internationally, but just one to two percent clarity on themarket. It's a key indicator of likely travel that BrandUSAis working hard to rectify. And as youmight have guessed,we are playing catch-up to other nations and their marketing efforts. The European Union countries spend $800 million annually to promote their destinations. The United Kingdom spends $200 million annual- ly, excluding the Olympics. One of the primary outreach tools is Discover America and themulti-language website www.discoveramerica.com. One important caveat, neither Brand USA nor Discover America is in the business of selling travel.Their core mission is to encourage and promote this great country of ours to the world. For anyone in the business of selling travel it is up to sales agencies tomake the sale. Asmentioned earlier, I serve on themarketing and adviso- ry committee for Brand USA. I have witnessed the monumental challenge of trying to launch this venture. It's like trying to launch a Fortune 100 company with a 50-year track record overnight. Challenges aside, the African- American communitymust reap the benefits of increased travel, yet I see little signs of our par- ticipation at this early stage. Part of the problem – not knowing about BrandUSA. I have been fortunate enough to deliver speeches and presentations to local leaders at several events in recent months, primarily African-American groups. Business and government lead- ers, and even some travel profes- sionals I've addressed know absolutely nothing about BrandUSA. Part of the problem is Brand USA and their lack of outreach to theAfrican-American community. Not one of my appearances has been paid for byBrandUSA,which is unfortunate. Hopefully, that prob- lem will rectify itself soon. I've also seen little coverage of BrandUSAin Blackmedia. But I can't blame Brand USA for everything. As I started to investigatewhywewere being unintentionallymarginalized, I realized we as African-Americans have a serious lack of organized infrastructure to take advantage of Brand USA. Once I explain BrandUSA, I spend the remainder ofmy time offering suggestions on howlocal communities can take advan- tage of and/or contribute to the BrandUSAmission. I promise the followingwill be the only political statement I make. We can't depend on "trickle down" to satisfy the needs of our community.Yet,we seemto have adopted the approach that the windfall experienced by the greater travel community will some how trickle down to the Black and brown communi- ties. Trustme it will not. Black Meetings & Tourism July/August 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com