Brand USA has commissioned an IMAX film to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the country’s National Parks.
The national marketing organisation is working with IMAX specialist producers MacGillivray Freeman Films, with the film due for release next summer ahead of the National Parks centennial in 2016.
Speaking at US trade show IPW in Chicago, Brand USA chief executive Chris Thompson said the film would tell one of the country’s “most compelling stories” and showcase the diversity of the National Parks to a global audience.
Thompson also hailed the success of Brand USA’s global marketing efforts, citing research from Oxford Economics which found that an additional 1.1 million visitors arrived in the US last year with a total economic impact of $7.4 billion.
The research also found that Brand USA’s activity had resulted in a return on investment ratio of 47:1, with $47 returning to US businesses for every dollar spent on marketing.
In addition to the IMAX film, Brand USA is working with National Geographic’s “Digital Nomad” Andrew Evans on a series of iconic road trips which will be live-blogged.
And the organisation has also expanded its partner base in the US, with more than 400 companies now actively working on joint promotional activity.
US Travel Association chief executive Roger Dow said Brand USA had become “a powerful force for US economic growth”.