VISIT CALIFORNIA RELAUNCHES CONSUMER WEBSITE IN BRAZIL DRUING WTM 2015

Image-driven resource to inspire travel to the Golden State

São Paulo, 23 de abril de 2015 - Visit California will today launch the Brazilian version of its dynamic new website at VisitCalifornia.com.br during the World Travel Market Latam 2015, in Sao Paulo. The website has been designed to be more inspiring and visually engaging than its predecessor, and comes as part of a complete redesign of the state's thirteen sites in nine languages.  This is Visit California's first major website strategy shift in nearly ten years, and the investment solidifies the organisation's focus on establishing a strong digital base for the California brand. 

The new, fully responsive VisitCalifornia.com.br leverages the latest in website design, best practices from today's cutting edge consumer brands and high-quality visual assets to ultimately bring the organisation's 'Dream Big' brand marketing platform to life in the digital space.

Designed in collaboration with creative agency Code and Theory, the new site aims to serve as an inspiring introduction to California. Content was built from the ground up in collaboration with long time California-based content partner, Sunset, and showcases the diversity and abundance found throughout the twelve regions of the state.

“A curated gallery of California's abundance of experiences, the new VisitCalifornia.com.br offers compelling content that embodies California's 'Dream Big' attitude,” said Caroline Beteta, president & CEO of Visit California.  “Big, bold images capture the iconic California lifestyle, and completely fresh content invites our future visitors to discover the Golden State through a new lens.  As a top international market, we are very delighted to relaunch the website in Brazil, inspiring more and more Brazilians to discovery and rediscover California.”

This renewed strategy focuses on the unique value a statewide tourism organisation provides, providing context for what a visitor can experience throughout the state and creating excitement for a California holiday. Once that excitement is created, consumers are directed to best in class third-party sites to complete the planning process. 

“Accessing media is the centerpiece of the travel planning process and potential visitors are utilizing a host of websites for everything from trip inspiration to planning and ultimately to booking and sharing their trip,” said Lynn Carpenter, Vice President of Marketing at Visit California.  “Visit California is carving out a unique space to tell the California brand story, inspire consumers and capitalize on the investments of world class brands like Google, TripAdvisor and Weather.com.”

Highlights of the new VisitCalifornia.com.br include:

Mobile/Responsive Design: The website was built to be fully responsive to ensure the best possible browsing experience for today's increasingly mobile consumer. Mobile platforms are becoming the primary engagement platform for travellers, according to the 2014 DMAI DestinationNEXT report.

Renewed Strategy: The site will refocus Visit California's digital identity and will not try to tell the entire story, but instead provide relevant information to move consumers to a decision and then pass them to partners, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Disneyland Parks and Resorts and Universal Studio Hollywood, for deeper content.

More Flexible Structure: An easy to navigate back end infrastructure will allow for more up-to-date relevance, such as seasonal content or spotlights on newly announced offerings.

Utility Features: The new site will work to provide utility to the consumer, providing important information – like current and average seasonal temperatures, high level maps for geographic context and easy access to more complex mapping technology. 

“Partnering with Visit California to better translate their story and message to the digital space was an incredible challenge,” said Michael Martin, Managing Partner of Code and Theory's San Francisco office. “Beautiful, high-quality, original editorial content is one of the most authentic ways to engage first-time visitors and drive repeat visits. Not only will users be able to visually explore content in a more streamlined and intuitive way, but the Visit California team will be able to publish content easily and flexibly in order to best serve their customers and industry partners. It was a pleasure collaborating with the talented team at Visit California to bring this shared vision to life.”

 -ENDS-

About Visit California
Visit California (formerly known as the California Travel & Tourism Commission) is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state's travel industry – that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. According to Visit California, travel and tourism expenditures totaled $117 billion in 2014 in California, supporting jobs for over 1 million Californians and generating $9.5 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information about Visit California and for a free California Official State Visitor's Guide, go to VisitCalifornia.com.br. For story ideas, media information, downloadable images and more, go to media.visitcalifornia.com. 

About Code and Theory
Code and Theory is an award-winning creative agency that creates products, content and campaigns across physical and digital worlds. Founded in New York in late 2001, Code and Theory is one of the largest remaining independently- owned creative agencies, with more than 255 people working across offices in New York, San Francisco, London, and Manila. The agency creates across the entire ecosystem – from physical and digital product creation to digital marketing and storytelling. Our past and current clients include Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Maybelline New York, Comcast, Vogue, the BURGER KING® brand, Guardian News and Media, Bloomberg, Mashable, the Los Angeles Times, Visit California and many others. For more information, follow Code and Theory on Twitter and Facebook, or visit codeandtheory.com.