For an organization in the business of persuading people that they need a change of scenery, Visit California had been remarkably content to stay put.
The state's tourism marketing arm announced on Tuesday that it had selected Gale as its global brand agency of record, covering brand strategy, creative and media across 14 countries. The appointment follows a competitive review and represents the first time in more than two decades that Visit California has changed its core brand agency — a span during which the internet went from novelty to necessity and the phrase "influencer marketing" went from nonexistent to unavoidable.
Caroline Beteta, the president and chief executive of Visit California, said in a statement that Gale was chosen "for its proven track record, sophistication to operate at global scale and a business intelligence approach that major consumer brands and commodity boards rely on to drive real results."
(The phrase "business intelligence approach" is doing considerable work in that sentence, though Ms. Beteta did not elaborate on what distinguishes it from the regular kind.)
Visit California, which is privately funded, oversees approximately $55 million in annual media investments on behalf of the state's tourism industry. The account is a meaningful one: recent data cited by Gov. Gavin Newsom showed statewide travel spending reaching a record $158.9 billion in 2025, with California maintaining its position as the top travel destination in the country. San Francisco alone accounted for $14.2 billion in visitor spending, buoyed in part by World Cup-related enthusiasm.
Andrew Noel, the chief executive of Gale, said the agency would "bring innovative approaches to capture attention and demand." Dates for the first work under the new arrangement have not been announced.
After 20 years with one agency, Visit California apparently decided it was time to take its own advice.
Original story published in MediaPost: "Visit California Selects Gale As Global Brand AOR"