We Want You! America Ramps Up Its Advertising

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By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

In 2010, the United States Congress created the Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP), an entity with a $200 million dollar budget an effort to increase foreign travel (and spending) on U.S. soil. The board is made up mostly of executives from visitor bureaus and hospitality and amusement organizations. But now it looks like the CTP is starting to get more serious in projecting its image and mission around the globe. The CTP recently hired Chris Perkins, the president/CEO of Blitz Media, an agency based in Boston. Then, after Perkins was hired, they found JWT to be the marketing agency of record for the soon-to-be non-profit organization (according to the site, the organization has not yet reached that milestone) and its international marketing efforts.

Now the CTP has several lofty goals, which they hope to start attacking as early as October 2011. Describing itself as a public-private partnership, it will attempt to harness energies and resources from both sectors to drive increased travel to the United States. Naturally, Perkins and JWT will be commissioned to implement the creative and messaging to ensure that success. But the CTP also outlined overall deliverables of the program, once, according to Oxford Economics, it is fully funded. Oxford believes the program will:

Have a return on investment of 20:1
Attract 1.6 million new visitors annually
Rake in $4 billion new spending annually
Create 40,000 new U.S. jobs

A while back, we discussed the plight states were having in travel promotion and advertising, forcing many of them to get more creative. Can the U.S. and their advertising arms prosper where the states are struggling?

The United States sees where the revenue is lacking (for the most part) and looks to be relying on advertising to help reconcile the issue. If the U.S. has trouble getting their own citizens to open up their wallets, it will be interesting to see how they convince our foreign friends.

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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