Springfield CVB launches international marketing campaign

The Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau is launching an international marketing campaign for the first time in its history.

CVB officials are targeting international travelers through videos, articles and print and digital advertising placed through Brand USA, a national destination marketing agency promoting travel to the United States. According to a CVB news release, marketers are partnering with the Missouri Division of Tourism and using resources available through the Travel Promotion Act, a law sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in 2009 that created Brand USA.

The Springfield CVB’s $15,000 campaign is estimated to have a value of more than $45,000. Brand USA campaigns reportedly generate a 47 to 1 return on investment, based on a 2013 study by Oxford Economics.

"The partnership with Brand USA and the Missouri Division of Tourism gives us a unique opportunity to tell our Springfield story to visitors that we otherwise could not reach on our own and with a very small investment,” said CVB Marketing Director Laura Whisler in the release. “We are thrilled to share our great mix of history, culture and the great outdoors with these new potential visitors."

Elements of the campaign include a video featuring a host from the United Kingdom and a travel article translated into nearly 10 languages posted to the CVB, state tourism and Brand USA websites. A Springfield section with a travel article, photos, CVB Web links and representation on the national TripTuner also are included on the Brand USA website.

In Canada, Springfield tourism offerings will be highlighted in a six-week multichannel campaign featuring print, email and digital banner ads, the CVB said.

According to the CVB, tourism in Greene County generates nearly $600 million a year and supports 16,500 jobs.