Brand USA is exploring options to drive more business to trade partners with advertising and marketing collateral featuring pricing and calls to action.
The destination marketing organisation’s primary focus is on raising awareness of the US as a destination and inspiring interest from consumers.
But it has now started trials to explore how it can add additional value for the trade by helping to create and showcase specific products.
Speaking at the IPW Conference in Orlando, chief marketing office Tom Garzilli (pictured) said: “We are successfully pulling people into the funnel (with marketing efforts) but this is about exploring how we push them further down.
“This is an evolutionary effort on our part. We don’t take bookings, but as part of our recovery strategy we assessed how we could help the travel trade and drive business to them.”
Garzilli said the trials of co-operative marketing with tour operators featuring pricing and calls to action were still in their early stages and said Brand USA was conscious of the need not to be seen to be “picking favourites” or bypassing travel agents.
“We are being careful how we approach this, but we think there is an opportunity to support all members of the trade by driving potential customers to them, and this is about exploring ways to do that,” he added.
Garzilli said Brand USA was also expanding its services for US destinations and brands, including the provision of country-specific research, overviews and databases which are available in the “International Pavilion” area of its online Global Marketplace.
And he hailed strong demand from destinations, suppliers and international buyers for the organisation’s fourth UK & Europe Travel Week, which is due to take place in Frankfurt in September.
He said: “This is our third live Travel Week and our fourth overall, and it plays a key role in bringing European buyers together with our stakeholders.”
The 2022 event will take place from September 26-29 and will feature a CEO Summit and Media Forum alongside the business meetings and an education programme.