(ONTARIO, California, April 20, 2023) – The premier tourism organization representing the cities of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga in Southern California’s fastest-growing destination has a new name and brand to better reflect Greater Ontario’s role as an international gateway.
Starting today, JNS Next has officially launched the rebrand efforts of the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau to GOCal (Greater Ontario California), the trusted tourism authority to meeting planners and leisure visitors for the Inland Empire, providing regional expertise, leadership, conventions and events, and customized solutions that drive memorable experiences across the region.
The rebrand, introduced Thursday during an event at the Ontario Convention Center, follows months of research and outreach by the team at JNS Next, in collaboration with the GOCal team, its stakeholders and SMARI – a research partner specializing in destination marketing insights. Hundreds of stakeholders were surveyed and interviewed, expressing “overwhelmingly positive responses” to Greater Ontario as a destination and the Convention & Visitors Bureau as an organization.
“We are thrilled to launch GOCal as the next-generation of tourism and hospitality planning in the Inland Empire, and to underscore the vital role this industry plays in this dynamic region we serve. As the regional destination authority, GOCal will strengthen partnerships and elevate Greater Ontario and the region with brand identity to increase destination demand and create even greater economic impact and employment opportunities,” said Michael Krouse, GOCal President and Chief Executive Officer.
During the event, Senior Vice President of Marketing David Wells detailed the months of research and interviews the agency undertook to gather valuable insights and information as it related to the brand, and the destinations marketing assets and key attributes. Following the research presentation, Jeff Miraglia, Executive Creative Director at JNS Next, detailed the extensive brand process the agency and the GOCal team undertook to result in the new brand. An exciting brand video featuring iconic locations, local poets and talent, which was shot and edited over the last few weeks, revealed the new brand in front of around 250 key stakeholders at the Ontario Convention Center, with confetti cannons and a balloon drop in pomp and circumstance.
“We are ecstatic to support Greater Ontario, the fastest-growing region in Southern California, with its new brand identity and story,” said Jeff Miraglia. “This legacy brand needed to create a new distinctive story to promote clarity between Ontario California and Ontario Canada. Our new brand identity takes a real and unapologetic approach to inspire inclusivity and collaboration as this region continues to be the gateway to the Southern California experience.
With this new brand position, we speak to our abundance of offerings, suggesting that GO provides plenty of options and access points to get from one place to another… and another. The true Southern California experience “goes through” Greater Ontario.”
This renaming of the organization to GO Cal suggests a new era for the dynamic destination. With numerous cities, one rightfully assumes there’s much to be experienced. This renaming also sets an inherent expectation for excitement and variety and an ability to accommodate one’s needs and desires, whether it’s a visitor seeking a new adventure or a meeting planner seeking a new venue. It should be noted this renaming also serves an operational purpose: non-participating inland cities within the region will likely desire to be a part of this new GO CAL family and contribute to our efforts and resources.
From a marketing standpoint, GO California – or GO Cal — is an empowering expression. It invites visitors seeking to tap into the Southern California experience to “GO” do it. The new name also suggests accessibility – no matter your method of transportation, you can easily “GO” everywhere and anywhere thanks to the region’s convenient Southern California location.
Finally, as a gateway, GO Cal promises connectivity as it provides the connections to where one wants to be – both physically and emotionally — with all the attributes and experiences necessary that make connecting so meaningful. View the official brand guide here.
Created in partnership with Evan Unruh, the new brand video highlights local poets and iconic locations and experiences in and around the region. View the new GOCal brand video:
Among the goals of the rebrand for GOCal is to generate a return of $23 in broad economic benefit for every $1 invested in tourism – leisure and convention planning. JNS Next supports GOCal with marketing and advertising services for both leisure and group meetings including branding, video and photo production, strategy, advertising, email marketing, social media, graphic design and more. JNS Next has been working as a marketing partner to the GOCal team since 2020.
The stakeholder survey and one-one-one stakeholder interviews conducted by JNS Next offered an enthusiastic endorsement, giving high marks to the region’s notable visitor assets, including the variety and quality of retail options, Ontario International Airport (ONT) and freeway access, and the Ontario Convention Center itself. Three-quarters of stakeholders agreed that tourism is good for the community and worth promoting. Community pride, diversity and convenience all were described by stakeholders as significant attributes of Greater Ontario and Inland Empire region.
The rebranding comes as Greater Ontario and the Inland Empire have emerged as one of the nation’s most highly sought-after population and economic centers. The region recently surpassed the San Francisco Bay Area as the 12th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and leads all of California in job growth.
The leisure and hospitality industry plays a critical role in driving the region’s prosperity, directly employing more than 180,000 people. A recent economic study by Oxford Economics showed that ONT alone generates $3.8 billion in annual economic activity and supports 27,800 jobs.
For more information on GOCal, please visit GO-CAL.org.
For more information on JNS Next, please visit jnsnext.com.
ABOUT JNS NEXT
JNS Next is a full-service marketing agency founded on strategic planning and innovative execution. They have guided tourism campaigns for Visit Greater Palm Springs, Palm Springs, Indian Wells, Greater Ontario CVB, Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg, Arlington TX, BNP Paribas Open, Hyatt Regency Indian Wells, Toyota Arena and more. JNS Next specializes in working with clients in all areas of the tourism and hospitality industries—from destination marketing organizations to hotels and restaurants, wine, events and more. Headquartered in Palm Springs and with offices in Phoenix and Austin, their award-winning work reaches several major media markets across the United States and international.
Founded in 2007, and now with a team of 17+ communications professionals that collaborate on creative programming ideas and execution, JNS Next specializes in destination and city brand voice. JNS Next becomes an extension of our clients’ organization and serve as your biggest supporters and greatest advocates. JNS Next landed on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies in 2019 and they are a proud member of the California Travel (CalTravel) Association. JNS Next provides branding, traditional and digital marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, graphic design, creative campaign development, media planning and buying, and more. Visit www.jnsnext.com
ABOUT GREATER ONTARIO CALIFORNIA
Greater Ontario California (GOCAL) is the official destination marketing organization to promote the cities of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga, California to visitors nationally and internationally. As destination experts we provide leisure, meeting groups and meeting professionals with an unbiased, comprehensive resource when booking a tour, convention, meeting or event within the cities of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga, California. Ideal for leisure and business travel, the region boasts scenic mountains, deserts, vineyards and metropolitan areas that are both historic and cosmopolitan in character. Under the umbrella of the Greater Ontario California is the California Welcome Center and several Signature Events to support the overall mission to drive visitors to the region, stimulating economic growth. GOCAL provides the necessary destination support tools to execute a successful experience Visit http://www.go-cal.org/