Brand USA teams up with ESPN to showcase American sports and tourism
ESPN and Brand USA, the tourism marketing body for the United States of America, have reached an agreement to develop an innovative, multi-territory online collaboration. Through the partnership, Brand USA and ESPN will deliver advertising and special interest content to sports fans across the UK and Europe via their proprietary websites, ESPNAmerica.com and DiscoverAmerica.com.
Through the partnership, Brand USA aims to educate and inspire more international visitors to the United States by showcasing the best that American sport and recreation have to offer. The agreement launches with three initial elements in the coming weeks, and will introduce a range of new elements over the course of the long-term relationship.
The three initial elements are:
- United States of Sport: Housed online at ESPNAmerica.com and on an ESPN-branded
section within DiscoverAmerica.com – Brand USA’s consumer-facing website. United States of Sport profiles sport and tourism in all 50 U.S. states through a range of bespoke audio- visual and text content, including specially-produced branded features on each state, which focus on sports and recreational tourism opportunities rooted in each state’s distinct sporting heritage and made possible by each destination’s unique landscape and culture. The branded features will run online, as well as on ESPN’s TV networks across Europe. United States of Sport also includes a range of information and background about recreational opportunities available across the United States, as well as each state’s sporting teams and venues. - U.S. Sports Team Picker - ‘Get in the Game’: An opportunity for sports fans to find out more about U.S. sports and sports tourism in the USA. Get in the Game is a bespoke online tool housed online at ESPNAmerica.com and on an ESPN-branded section within DiscoverAmerica.com. Sports fans can find out which sporting team in the USA they should support by inputting their sporting passions and personal interests, plus other information, such as the U.S. state they plan to holiday in and the game will provide them the closest match to their set of circumstances. Whether it’s American football, baseball or basketball, Get in the Game is sure to inspire visitors.
- Media Sponsorships: Last weekend (1 – 4 February), DiscoverAmerica.com sponsored NFL Super Bowl XLVII coverage on ESPN America in mainland Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa. Additionally, from 1 March, and providing sustained and ongoing promotion for Brand USA, DiscoverAmerica.com will sponsor a range of programming through ESPN’s TV networks across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. These include:
- o ESPN (UK & Ireland): Season-long sponsorship of football debate show ESPN FC Press Pass; season-long sponsorships of MLS and MLB programming
- o ESPN AMERICA (UK, Ireland and Nordic regions feed): Season-long sponsorships of MLB programming and, daily news and information show SportsCenter
- o ESPN AMERICA (mainland Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa): Season- long sponsorships of MLB programming; season-long sponsorships of NFL programming, and, daily news and information show SportsCenter
Alan Fagan, Director of Advertising Sales, ESPN - Europe, Middle East & Africa said: “In regions throughout the world, ESPN understands fans and their sporting passions. We understand local interests and context, and of course, we also have the leading global position in American sports. That makes us uniquely placed to connect fans throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa to Brand USA and the great tradition, competition and aspirational elements of US sport. Through this long-term collaboration, ESPN offers a relevant and authentic environment for Brand USA to achieve commercial objectives, delivers useful and engaging content to fans and highlights ESPN’s ability to deliver unique solutions for advertisers.”
Jay Gray, Vice President of Global Partnership Development, Brand USA, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with such an established brand as ESPN. Through this multifaceted campaign we aim to inspire visitors to look at American sports and the diverse and unique recreational tourism opportunities available in the United States.”
Gray continued: “We are committed in our activities across Europe and in particular in the UK market, the largest overseas visitor market to the United States, and very much look forward to developing further initiatives that will speak directly to the consumer.”
The campaign showcases the diversity of sporting experiences available in the United States of America in a fresh and unexpected light, inviting visitors to “Discover this land, like never before.”
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About Brand USA
Brand USA is the nation’s destination marketing organization, dedicated to attracting legitimate international inbound travel to strengthen the U.S. economy, increase exports, create quality jobs, and promote community prosperity. By running data-driven campaigns and unifying messaging across industry and government, Brand USA positions the United States as a top global destination while providing current visa and entry information.
Since 2012 Brand USA, in collaboration with travel industry partners, has been responsible for attracting an additional 10.3 million visitors who spent nearly $35 billion in the United States, generating $76 billion in economic output, and sustaining nearly 40,000 jobs per year. Without any cost to taxpayers, these efforts have generated $10 billion in tax receipts and returned $20 to the U.S. economy for every dollar spent.