WHY BRAND USA CHOSE WORLDWIDE PARTNERS

Why the world’s largest destination marketer selected an independent agency network to fulfill its ambitious new strategy.

From left to right: Humphrey Ho, Hylink Digital, Ally O’Neill, Ardmore, Dulani Porter, SPARK, Lindsey Patterson, R&R Partners, Staci Mellman, Brand USA, John Keane, Ardmore, Antonella Frustaci, Wasserman, Fletcher Whitwell, R&R Partners, Michael Peters, SPARK, Vitor Barros, Propeg

With a lofty goal to attract 90 million international visitors to the US by 2027, new chief marketing officer Staci Mellman needed to rebuild the Brand USA marketing team and programme in short order, starting over with a new full-funnel media strategy, developing a differentiated brand and creative platform and rebuilding a strong integrated team around her.

By focusing her approach on the global collaboration of independent agencies, she has propelled the business to its highest performance in her inaugural year. Here’s how she came to – and what she’s gaining from – a differentiated breakthrough path.

With a lofty goal to attract 90 million international visitors to the US by 2027, new chief marketing officer Staci Mellman needed to rebuild the Brand USA marketing team and programme in short order, starting over with a new full-funnel media strategy, developing a differentiated brand and creative platform and rebuilding a strong integrated team around her.

By focusing her approach on the global collaboration of independent agencies, she has propelled the business to its highest performance in her inaugural year. Here’s how she came to – and what she’s gaining from – a differentiated breakthrough path.

WHAT CHOICE DID YOUR RFP PRODUCE?

We invited dozens of media and creative agencies to respond, and the decision came down to a stark choice between models – all-in-one vs. all for one. A global agency with offices around the world, or US-based top independents powered by an independent global agency network.

WHAT IMPRESSED YOU?

The global agency offered us size and scalability with a wide bench of seasoned employees. Their human capital was unrestricted, and our board and stakeholders respected their brand.

However, I knew the independent agency model and partners would be invested in our business. We’d have access to the senior-level people working on it every day, they could move fast without having to answer to higher-ups, and they could seamlessly blend with our team culture and be open-minded and willing to solve problems with me and my team. They would also bring unrivalled expertise in destination marketing.

WHAT CONCERNED YOU?

I worried we would get lost within the global agency. I wanted to ensure we weren’t overlooked among their large roster of clients, and that our business did not suffer given their focus on the bottom line.

In a previous role, I’d experienced similar challenges where interns were doing a fair share of the work. Also, pulling together a team with a deep understanding around the interconnectedness of the travel industry seemed like a stretch.

On the flip side, I wasn’t convinced that an independent agency would have the scale and speed we needed to run our dynamic business. Would they have the in-country relationships and buying power to move fast? If not, how long would that take to develop? We didn’t want to make trade-offs or compromises because of scale or capability concerns.

WHAT SWUNG YOUR DECISION?

Seamless integration was the tipping point. If we selected a multinational agency, it would likely be an imbalanced relationship where their commitment to our business was uncertain. I felt that our interactions would be much more transactional because we wouldn’t be significant contributors to their business growth.

With an independent agency model, we could build the right team with everyone equally committed to our business. I was able to achieve scale across the globe in each of our core markets through the collaboration with Worldwide Partners agencies. Working with a network of independent agencies provided flexibility to tap into in-market agencies when I needed to, allowing me to seamlessly extend my team. And we all knew that if we built it the right way we could create something really special together.

HOW HAS IT WORKED OUT?

The independent choice has paid off. In my first 10 months as CMO, our marketing campaigns have reached 3.2 billion travellers, achieving 151 million completed views of 3-minute-long videos – all for 80% less than platform baselines. Additionally, we drove more than 9 million clicks to website article content and 8 million clicks to the trip planner, further increasing consideration to visit the US. We’re getting stronger audience insights and customised opportunities because our local agency partners are rooted in their territories.

We have also been able to pull from the entire Worldwide Partners network in real time to make strategic enhancements to our marketing plans. With R&R Partners as the lead media agency and SPARK as the lead brand and creative agency based in the US, working with Ardmore in Northern Ireland for the EMEA region, Wasserman for Canada, Hylink Group for APAC and Propeg & Yink for Latin America, we’ve been able to balance the global brand strategy with local market nuances and activations to drive genuine brand engagement and business success.

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?

The power of independent agencies is that they have the freedom to be themselves and have the flexibility to build a customised approach for each client. They can seek out clients who share their values, respect their points of differentiation, and inspire them to do great work that excites their teams.

Most of all, independent agencies are positioned well to build a collaborative agency-client model that drives business results. This is what we’d hoped for when we chose an independent agency network in Worldwide Partners, and this is exactly what we got.

WHAT CHOICE DID YOUR RFP PRODUCE?

We invited dozens of media and creative agencies to respond, and the decision came down to a stark choice between models – all-in-one vs. all for one. A global agency with offices around the world, or US-based top independents powered by an independent global agency network.

WHAT IMPRESSED YOU?

The global agency offered us size and scalability with a wide bench of seasoned employees. Their human capital was unrestricted, and our board and stakeholders respected their brand.

However, I knew the independent agency model and partners would be invested in our business. We’d have access to the senior-level people working on it every day, they could move fast without having to answer to higher-ups, and they could seamlessly blend with our team culture and be open-minded and willing to solve problems with me and my team. They would also bring unrivalled expertise in destination marketing.

WHAT CONCERNED YOU?

I worried we would get lost within the global agency. I wanted to ensure we weren’t overlooked among their large roster of clients, and that our business did not suffer given their focus on the bottom line.

In a previous role, I’d experienced similar challenges where interns were doing a fair share of the work. Also, pulling together a team with a deep understanding around the interconnectedness of the travel industry seemed like a stretch.

On the flip side, I wasn’t convinced that an independent agency would have the scale and speed we needed to run our dynamic business. Would they have the in-country relationships and buying power to move fast? If not, how long would that take to develop? We didn’t want to make trade-offs or compromises because of scale or capability concerns.

WHAT SWUNG YOUR DECISION?

Seamless integration was the tipping point. If we selected a multinational agency, it would likely be an imbalanced relationship where their commitment to our business was uncertain. I felt that our interactions would be much more transactional because we wouldn’t be significant contributors to their business growth.

With an independent agency model, we could build the right team with everyone equally committed to our business. I was able to achieve scale across the globe in each of our core markets through the collaboration with Worldwide Partners agencies. Working with a network of independent agencies provided flexibility to tap into in-market agencies when I needed to, allowing me to seamlessly extend my team. And we all knew that if we built it the right way we could create something really special together.

HOW HAS IT WORKED OUT?

The independent choice has paid off. In my first 10 months as CMO, our marketing campaigns have reached 3.2 billion travellers, achieving 151 million completed views of 3-minute-long videos – all for 80% less than platform baselines. Additionally, we drove more than 9 million clicks to website article content and 8 million clicks to the trip planner, further increasing consideration to visit the US. We’re getting stronger audience insights and customised opportunities because our local agency partners are rooted in their territories.

We have also been able to pull from the entire Worldwide Partners network in real time to make strategic enhancements to our marketing plans. With R&R Partners as the lead media agency and SPARK as the lead brand and creative agency based in the US, working with Ardmore in Northern Ireland for the EMEA region, Wasserman for Canada, Hylink Group for APAC and Propeg & Yink for Latin America, we’ve been able to balance the global brand strategy with local market nuances and activations to drive genuine brand engagement and business success.

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?

The power of independent agencies is that they have the freedom to be themselves and have the flexibility to build a customised approach for each client. They can seek out clients who share their values, respect their points of differentiation, and inspire them to do great work that excites their teams.

Most of all, independent agencies are positioned well to build a collaborative agency-client model that drives business results. This is what we’d hoped for when we chose an independent agency network in Worldwide Partners, and this is exactly what we got.