Brand USA and ESPN partner to promote sports tourism in the US
The tourism marketing body for the United States of America, Brand USA, has joined forces with ESPN to produce an online sports calendar explaining which cities are hosting which sporting events.
Housed on the Discover America website, the calendar aims to make it easier for tourists to plan their holidays accordingly around certain sporting events and teams. The easy-to-use tool provides background information on the teams, as well as details about each game, relevant news, training and scouting updates.
“This is an exciting launch for us and tapping into the sports market is important to us and our partners. Sport draws Americans together and for visitors getting tickets to a sporting event is the perfect way to get involved in the American way of life. This new online sports calendar allows users to get behind their team and enjoy the game,” commented CEO of Brand USA, Chris Thompson.
Highlighting the diversity of sporting experiences available in the USA the campaign hopes to promote the US in a new light, inviting visitors to “Discover this land, like never before”.
Kristin Nichols, associate director of advertising sales at ESPN – Europe, Middle East & Africa, added: “This campaign highlights for the world’s fans the truly distinctive sporting culture of the US, and the launch of this calendar allows them to create one-of-a-kind trips to experience and share in that.”
Thompson continued: “Through this multifaceted campaign with ESPN we aim to inspire visitors to look at American sports and the diverse and unique recreational tourism opportunities available in the United States.”
Included in the partnership along with the media campaign is a game which enables users to find out more about US sports and find a team to follow. A selection of bespoke branded videos will also feature to highlight each State’s sport and sports tourism highlights.