The Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP), a group formed last year to promote the United States to world visitors, unveiled its new organizational brand name, Brand USA, as well as a new USA logo and marketing plan to create America’s first-ever global consumer brand. CTP will now do business as Brand USA Inc. and the CTP name will no longer be used. The moves were announced at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London.

Brand USA said the creation of America’s new global brand is a critical first step in developing the nation’s first unified international marketing effort. The public-private group will launch its first official advertising and marketing campaign in spring 2012 at ITB Berlin. By 2013, Brand USA expects to spend roughly $200 million in public and private funds on marketing campaigns to promote the U.S. worldwide. It has already hired veteran advertising firm JWT to develop a marketing and advertising campaign centered on the creation of USA brand ambassadors around the world -- including millions of people who have an affinity for the United States.

During a brand launch event at London’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) on Nov. 7 and a subsequent press conference at WTM, Brand USA Chief Executive Officer Jim Evans and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Perkins unveiled details about the brand and how it was established. “The United States offers a range of destinations and experiences that are unparalleled in the world market,” said Evans. “Now, through the creation of Brand USA, we are inviting the world’s travelers to come to visit us, and experience the limitless possibilities for themselves.”

According to Evans, the logo was created to be fresh, welcoming and inclusive. It seeks to remind the world that the “United States of Awesome Possibilities” welcomes everyone. It features a collection of pixel dots joined together to form the letters USA. The dots serve to showcase the diverse colors and images of people and destinations across America and emphasize the boundless possibilities of the United States. The new logo will not adhere to a single color scheme. In addition, the new logo also displays the URL DiscoverAmerica.com, Brand USA’s official consumer website. The URL had previously been used by the U.S. Travel Association as its consumer facing promotional website.

“What is so compelling about the United States is that no one thing can explain who we are as a nation. Each visitor and each experience helps create the fabric of American culture, and Brand USA embodies this spirit,” said Perkins. “When we launch our global marketing and advertising campaign next year, we will be able to reach audiences around the world by showcasing the best of America and spreading the message that we welcome visitors with open arms.”

The United States’ first-ever nationally coordinated tourism marketing program was created by the Travel Promotion Act, federal legislation that passed in March 2010. A public-private partnership between the travel industry and the U.S. government, the Corporation for Travel Promotion, now Brand USA, was charged with increasing international visitation to the U.S. through marketing and promotional efforts to drive job creation and economic growth. The organization is led by private industry with oversight from the Department of Commerce and U.S. Congress. The program is funded through a combination of private sector investment and funds collected by the Department of Homeland Security from international visitors who visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. No U.S. taxpayer dollars are used to fund the program. Brand USA’s headquarters are located in Washington, D.C.

“Brand USA has arrived, and it is not just a tourism brand,” said Stephen Cloobeck, chairman of Brand USA and chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International. “It is a 21^st century global brand that will help reposition our great nation in the market for travel -- and drive economic activity, including billions in new spending, tens of thousands of new outsource-proof jobs and much-needed tax revenue, to spur powerful growth throughout all corners of the United States.” For more information about Brand USA, visit www.TheBrandUSA.com or www.DiscoverAmerica.com.