America Needs to Advertise

There is a new advertising campaign designed to convince people to come to the States for business and leisure travel – is this the beginning of the end of the "American Empire?"

It’s a fairly well-known fact that the biggest, most well-known brands – those that are veritable icons or entrenched in pop culture – rarely need to advertise. Well, apparently America no longer has the muscle to count itself among those top "brands," as a recent marketing campaign dubbed "The United States of Awesome Possibilities" shows all too clearly. The advertising effort, reported by Advertising Age, is intended to boost business and leisure travel in the U.S. so, to be fair, this is all about making the U.S. a travel destination more than anything else.

Still, at a time when the U.S. has been battered for years by a bad economy, crony capitalism and inept politicians, it just seems pathetic. Yes, America…it really has come to this. You need to advertise to be relevant again. That’s an oversimplification, of course, but what does it say about a country when advertising is necessary to convince people to travel here?

The website for the campaign offers some "useful tips" about American culture. They’d be useful if they weren’t so hilarious. One tip is this: "Be aware that Americans are fanatics about showering and hygiene." Other tips? "Health care is superior in the US but it can be very expensive because there is no universal health care." The question is – superior to what? Or how about this one – "some banking networks charge fees of $1-2 per transaction." Yup…that’s spot-on, though the number will eventually be even higher (and does run to $3 for some banks) if some big banks have their way.

Notes Chris Perkins of Corporation for Travel Promotion, "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. 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." As long as they’re willing to shower regularly, pay exorbitant banking fees and part with their cash for "superior" health care, that is.