Ericka Lewis Selling America Abroad is an article discussing the efforts made to increase travel to the United states with the help of the Travel Promotion Act. For the first time ever America is marketing itself abroad with the use of billboards, social media, public relations, and educational campaigns. Brand USA is targeting Britain, Canada, and Japan first in hopes of stimulating the American economy through tourist revenue. Their marketing strategy is to change the perception foreigners have of America. Instead of a unwelcoming post 9-11 country, Brand USA wants to create an inviting USA which is easily accessible, contrary to the difficultly associated with attaining a visa. Brand USA relies on private and public funding and is set to last until September 2015. The basis of this marketing endeavor grew out of a legal act passed by congress in 2009 with the hopes of creating more jobs for Americans. Travel industry research shows that with every thirty-five foreign visitors, one new job is created for an American. The goal of marketing America as the ideal tourist country is economically driven and spear headed by various industry leaders across the nation. However, changing the perception of America in the minds of foreigners is not necessarily an easy task. Over the next few years Brand USA will be transmitting their message to consumers world wide using a variety of methods. The social media method I feel might be the most affective because those will the means to travel are more likely to be on some type of social media, whether it be facebook, twitter, or tumbler, as apposed to those without the means to travel. Billboards are accessible to a larger amount of people and over time if individuals see the same repeated message the perception of America could change slowly. For example, if someone in Japan sees the same billboard of a welcoming inviting America for a year, that individual might start seeing America a little differently, and be more open to the potential of traveling. The educational campaigns I think are also a great idea because it invites younger people to the country and allows them to stay for a longer period in which they can positively affect the economy over a wider time frame which. The targeted audience of Britain, Japan, and Canada make sense to start with since they are english speaking countries. Japan might at first not seem like the most traditional english speaking country but many of the citizens of that nation are bilingual. Additionally, the targeted audiences are coming from affluent countries which would also lead to more people with the means to travel. Also, the marketing team is comprised of a variety of professionals from different organizations that are already successful and established. This will lead to a more productive Brand USA and hopefully will yield to great success. I think the marketing strategy in place is promising and I look forward to following the progress foreign tourists have on the economy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/business/with-brand-usa-us-in-big-drive-to-attract-foreign-tourists.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=marketing&st=Search