There may be a bitter dispute over how to reduce the federal deficit, but that didn't stop Congress from authorizing the creation of a new entity whose job it is to pump up the USA as a destination for foreign travelers.

The Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP)  is a partnership between the travel industry and the federal government established late last year. The first funding for marketing will become available in October 2011, part of what is expected to be a $200 million budget. In May, CTP appointed Jim Evans, a long-time leader in the hospitality industry, as CEO.

Its next big hire: the organization is looking for a CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to promote 'Brand USA' internationally and improve America's tourism revenues — and reputation around the world.Continue reading...

Singapore is a hotbed of fashion, innovation and culinary excellence. Now this independent Asian city-state that sits at the tip of the Malay Peninsula wants the rest of the world to get a taste of what it has to offer.

The Singapore Tourism Board has created "Singapore Takeout," a unique pop-up restaurant housed in a custom-fabricated shipping container, to allow consumers around the world to sample Singapore's famed cuisine.Continue reading...

When you’re talking about almost $400 million, everybody wants a piece of the pie. That’s how much a “report last month from New York's Senate Independent Democratic Conference estimated the state would earn” in the next three years if it legalized same-sex marriages, according to USA Today.

Now that the bill has passed and same-sex couples can start tying the knot in the Empire State on July 24, New York City is planning an “I Do” marketing campaign to help draw wedding-bound couples to the Big Apple.Continue reading...

As if the online world wasn't already challenging to navigate, ICANN, the company that regulates Internet names, this week ushered in a sweeping new change to the "dot" convention that could result in a virtually endless stream of new web addresses.

While familiar extensions such as "dot-com," "dot-net," and "dot-org," will not go away, added to the mix will be dot-just about anything. The current 22 gTLDs (generic Top Level Domains) will be expanded to unlimited possibilities since any person or company will soon be able to apply for a name ending in, well, you name it.

The move "usher(s) in a new Internet age," said Peter Dengate Thrush, Chairman of ICANN's Board of Directors. "We have provided a platform for the next generation of creativity and inspiration."

True, but ICANN has also provided a platform for what could amount to "the dawn of a chaotic new era with companies and other groups expected to battle over suffixes," according to Reuters.Continue reading...

More than 150 people were arrested and put in jail during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and 1693. Of those, 14 women and five men, were executed by hanging. Another man was crushed to death under stones because he wouldn’t enter a plea deal.

Those were hard times for witches in those parts. But these days, it’s not the worst thing to be or be associated with in Salem, Massachusetts. The town’s businesses bring in about $99 million annually on the tourist trade and a major chunk of that is related to witchcraft — but it wants to be known for more than its history.Continue reading...

Looking for a high-speed branding opportunity? Now may be your chance.

New Jersey Transit is hurting for cash and the Newark Star-Ledger reports that the agency is intending “to sell advertising rights to its stations, terminal facilities, and locomotives.” Corporations, presumably, don’t have enough places to showcase their brands already.

The state's transit authority — the third largest in the US — has been taking bids from advertising agencies that wanted to handle the bids and received a number of offers. However, a protest has just been lodged by one of the bidders that didn’t make it into the final round.Continue reading...

The Australian city of Newcastle, just 101 miles up the coastline from Sydney and home to about 290,000 residents, has had some rough times in recent years, even if it is still the largest coal exporting harbor in the world.

Back in 1993, there was 17% unemployment in Newcastle and things were particularly bleak there when a major employer, Melbourne-based mining, oil, and gas giant BHP Billiton, closed its Newcastle steelworks.

But now the city is attempting to get back on track with a colorful rebranding effort.Continue reading...

Absolut is paying its respects to San Francisco with a new flavored vodka, following in the wake of past citified special editions for New Orleans, Los Angeles, Boston and Brooklyn. Absolut SF’s somewhat esoteric mix of grape, dragon fruit and papaya is designed to capture the “unique cultures, ethnicities and culinary delights of San Francisco” and entice drinkers with a “bold flavor when mixing a perfect cocktail.”

The brand is tying the latest entrant in its Absolut Cities campaign with a Facebook page, “What’s Your Absolut SF?” that encourages city residents to share their stories, as well as inviting prominent San Francisans such as Digg founder Kevin Rose and DJ Miguel Migs to collaborate with the brand on various projects. Absolut is also donating $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco as part of the campaign. Continue reading...