Brand USA selects Edelman and I Plus Connect Communications as international representative firms in the South Korea market
Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, today announced it has selected Edelman and I Plus Connect Communications (I Connect) as international representative firms for the South Korea market. The combination of Edelman and I Connect will allow Brand USA to reinforce strong travel trade relationships and increase efforts to reach consumers directly through new and expanded consumer PR and digital outreach. Both companies officially began working with Brand USA on April 15, 2019.
Edelman’s ability to create data-driven, integrated public relations campaigns that go beyond traditional approaches, and I Connect’s extensive travel trade relationships, will allow Brand USA to further expand its marketing efforts in South Korea. The key members of the new Brand USA Korea team are Emily Kim, I Connect CEO and managing director and Cecilia Yoo, senior supervisor Edelman. Kim serves as the Brand USA account strategic director and Yoo is the account communications strategy manager.
"We are excited about how bringing together Edelman and I Connect’s market knowledge, insights, and relationships will help Brand USA’s marketing efforts in South Korea," said Cathy Domanico, Brand USA vice president for global trade development. “The synergy this strategy shift creates gives us the ability to further expand our work with the travel trade, develop new consumer media strategies, and increase partner program opportunities in market.”
Brand USA has been actively engaged in the South Korean market since 2012 and it remains a critical market for U.S. international travel. According to U.S. Department of Commerce, in 2017 more than 2.3 million South Koreans visited the USA (fourth largest overseas source market for arrivals) and spent $10.1 billion while in the United States (sixth largest overseas source market for visitor spend).
Brand USA current and ongoing marketing initiatives in South Korea, include:
- A co-op promotion in partnership with Korean Air to develop and promote New England tour products. This initiative will coincide with the launch of the airline’s new service to Boston from April 12, 2019, and will include a wide range of promotions, including a consumer online event, sales contest, and promotions with seven key travel agencies.
- The third sales mission to South Korea will feature a B2B Marketplace in Seoul on July 11, 2019, between leading South Korean tour operators and U.S. destinations.
- Brand USA’s online training program, USA Discovery, will launch in Korea for the first time this summer. The Korean market specific modules will enable and encourage Korean agents to learn more about the many diverse destinations available in the USA in an interactive and fun way.
- Continued promotion of our giant-screen film “America’s Musical Journey” to theaters in South Korea and a variety of PR initiatives.
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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.