how destinations can contribute content to brand usa

Destination partners are invited to submit up to 10 assets to Brand USA’s Digital Asset Management (DAM) system, MediaValet. All submissions will be reviewed by Brand USA, which retains final discretion over the selection, usage, and placement of materials.

To ensure the strongest impact, please limit submissions to 10 high-quality assets at a time and select your most compelling content in alignment with the imagery guidelines below. Quality over quantity is key.

Vertical (9:16) asset submissions (stills and video) are strongly encouraged for use on social channels.

what we are looking for

We’re currently seeking imagery and short-form video assets for the following:

1) America the Beautiful themes: Beautiful, Bold, Bountiful, and Brave (see more information below)

2) Sports travel: Professional and collegiate team sports (American football, soccer, baseball, and other major sporting events or fan experiences)

3) Social-first content:

  • Vertical (9:16) format preferred
  • Strong sense of place—instantly recognizable destinations
  • People-first storytelling — Include people when they enhance the scene while keeping the destination as the focal point
  • Horizontal versions accepted if cleanly crop-able to vertical
  • Refer to @visittheusa for examples

america the beautiful campaign guidelines

In the America The Beautiful campaign, we use a variety of words and themes to help convey what a trip to the USA can be like, such as Beautiful, Bold, Bountiful, and Brave. Imagery is meant to help deliver on defining what each of these words means to the audience.

  • Beautiful: Capturing unforgettable views in all different places in America.
  • Bold: Not loud for the sake of attention, but unmistakable because it’s iconic.
  • Bountiful: It’s about getting more than you expected. It can be a literal sense of the meaning.
  • Brave: Being open to small adventures. A curiosity that walks towards the unfamiliar.
St. Louis, Missouri
Fort Worth, Texas
New York City, New York
Bear Rocks Preserve, West Virginia
Vieques, Puerto Rico

Image Guidelines

Images should meet these criteria

  • Visitors can go swimming anywhere. How does your swimming image differentiate your destination?

    Does the photo’s location stand out as unique? Try to select photos that show iconic landmarks and places unique to your destination.
  • Is it inviting and relatable?

    Does it make you want to visit? Does it spark wanderlust?

    Avoid staged or generic stock photos.
  • Showcase various communities including, but not limited to, a range of ages, races, ethnicities and abilities.

    Feature a variety of attractions, activities and geographical locations.
  • Does it have a clear sense of focus on the destination with human experience included?

    Does it clearly show human emotion and experience in the destination? Focus on the human-to-human element and emotional connections that travel to the USA can bring to a person in a destination.
  • Try to avoid images that look too cloudy or overcast.

    Is it overedited or black and white? Is it overly photoshopped or distorted?
  • DO select images with naturally vibrant colors that highlight the best of your destination. ​​Images should convey a clear sense of human emotion and experience in inspiring audiences to visit

    DO select images with recognizable or inspiring locales, where people are included as part of the focus to help audiences visualize themselves in the destination.

    DO feature a variety of people, places and activities in all submissions.

    DO showcase wildlife in natural settings and free-roaming habitat

    DON’T provide photos that feel distorted and unnatural. Avoid fish-eye lenses, blurred people and oversaturated colors.

    DON’T showcase animals obviously in captivity. Avoid cages and restraints.

    DON’T choose images that lack a sense of place. Avoid closely cropped plates of food, as well as generic landscapes and cityscapes.

    DON’T choose images that lack clear, vibrant lighting.

    DON’T use AI-generated destination images. Brand USA will not accept AI-generate destination images.

SUBMIT YOUR ASSETS

Register for Brand USA’s Digital Asset Management System (DAM) and upload your assets.

*Every upload must be accompanied by a completed and signed In-Kind form.

REGISTER
Detailed DAM Instructions
  1. Review our standard In-Kind form and ensure that you 1) agree to the terms and conditions and 2) have the appropriate rights to sublicense the material to us. Fill out and sign the form reflecting all assets you intend to upload. Follow the file naming structure outlined in the form.
  2. Register for our the DAM at https://brandusa.mediavalet.com/register. The Brand USA DAM coordinator will then process your registration. Processing will be done as soon as possible, but may take a few days. You will receive an email notification when your registration is processed. Once you are able to login into the system, follow these next steps to get your materials ready and to upload
  3. Click the Upload icon.
  4. Drag and drop or choose files to upload.
  5. Continue to “Actions”.
  6. Select the Asset Submission Folder – this is the folder where you will upload your assets.
  7. Select “Add/Edit” under “Actions” to add important metadata and attributes. Be sure to include expiry date if applicable and terms of use.
  8. Add “Keywords”.
  9. Continue to edit title and description as needed.
  10. Click “Done” to upload the assets.
  11. The Brand USA DAM coordinator will receive a notification that assets have been uploaded and are ready for review. Once the asset is approved by the DAM manager, the asset will be searchable in the DAM for those with the proper permissions.
  12. For any technical issues or questions, reach out to [email protected].