Brand USA, a large tourism brand, awarded its media business to the independent media agency R&R on Dec. 15, following a review that formally began with an RFP issued Sept. 8. The business moved out of GroupM’s EssenceMediacom, and with the transition complete, R&R is now managing media strategy, planning and buying for the brand.

It’s designing full-funnel campaigns with international scope, aiming to increase international tourism in the U.S. Brand USA conducted the review internally, without tapping a pitch consultant for the project. Brand USA declined to name other agencies it invited to the pitch.

As part of the Worldwide Partners independent agency network, R&R is collaborating with three other network agencies—Ardmore, Hylink and Propeg—respectively located in the United Kingdom, China and Brazil. This partnership is the most extensive collaboration Worldwide Partners has ever executed.

“Clients are believing in independent agencies’ ability—not just to deliver—but to deliver at scale,” Worldwide Partners’ CEO, John Harris, told Adweek. 

Brand USA reviews its partnerships every three to five years, and that pre-determined timeline catalyzed the review. EssenceMediacom declined to comment on the news, although a source familiar with the review confirmed it did not defend the business when invited. The source did not specify why, although Brand USA is now doubling down on its marketing initiatives after a period of relatively little spend when the pandemic halted international tourism. Several GroupM clients launched reviews recently, including General Mills, Kimberly-Clark, Uber and most recently, Shell.

“From a marketing perspective, we started out the year really making sure that the U.S. was top of mind as people from international countries are thinking about resuming their travel back to, hopefully, the United States, but really just more long-haul destinations outside of their specific countries,” said Staci Mellman, senior vice president of integrated marketing at Brand USA.

‘A pent up demand for travel’

Brand USA’s typical annual marketing budget fluctuates from $100 to $125 million, though it declined to specify how much of the budget it allocates specifically to media investments. R&R began partnering with Brand USA in 2012, and was one of the brand’s earliest partners following its operational launch in 2011.

R&R is a specialty agency with expertise supporting hospitality clients. Its roster includes Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Discover Puerto Rico, Boeing, Allegiant Air, and Hyatt.

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