Arnold Says: See California, Invest in California and Buy California Grown.

TOKYO -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Launches Japanese Marketing Campaign to Attract Japanese Visitors, Investors and Customers for California Grown Products

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth yesterday unveiled a 25-foot tall by 60-foot wide billboard on the "Roppongi Metro Hat," the huge subway station in the heavily trafficked Roppongi Hills shopping district.

The billboard features Governor Schwarzenegger, arms folded, posing in a khaki-colored suit in front of an image of the Golden Gate Bridge with the tagline "Arnold Says: Visit California. You'll Be Back." Other billboards and banners will feature the taglines "Arnold Says: Buy California Grown" and "Arnold Says: California Wants Your Business."

The billboard is the first piece in a multi-pronged Japanese marketing campaign organized to support the trade mission by the California Jobs Commission and its partners, the California Travel and Tourism Commission and the California Grown campaign.

The purpose of the trade mission is to boost Japanese tourism in California, increase California agricultural exports to Japan and encourage direct foreign investment (DFI) and job creation by Japanese companies in the state.

The Tourism Commission and the California Grown Campaign last evening sponsored a "Taste of California" reception with Japanese and California chefs. On Saturday, there will be an outdoor festival at the Roppongi Hills Arena promoting California tourism and agricultural products. Additionally, the Jobs Commission will sponsor a reception tonight for Japanese business leaders that provide the most DFI and jobs in California.

Japan is California's largest source of foreign visitors, its third largest agricultural customer and its number one source of DFI. However, Japanese tourism and agricultural purchases have declined and DFI has remained flat in recent years due to the September 11th attacks and a worldwide economic slowdown.

The trade mission is focused on drawing attention to positive changes in California's business climate, its attractiveness as a destination and its reputation as a source for world class products.

Describing California's attractiveness to foreign investors, Governor Schwarzenegger cited the progress his administration has made on improving California's business climate and listed the state's other inherent advantages.

"We have reformed workers' compensation and employer litigation, stopped the overspending in the state budget and re-financed our inherited debt," Schwarzenegger said. "We are working to encourage more stable and cost-effective energy supplies, and to break down regulatory barriers to doing business.

"But it doesn't take heavy lifting from me to show people that California has the best-educated workforce in the U.S., a world-class infrastructure, vast consumer markets, tremendous access to capital and one of the most enviable climates in the world. It's the easiest sell I've ever had."

The "Arnold Says" billboards were developed for the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth. The billboards were designed and produced by advertising legend Lee Clow, and his colleagues at TBWA/Chiat/Day, one of the leading advertising agencies in the U.S. and the creators of Apple Computer's famous 1984 Superbowl ad. TBWA-Japan Regional Creative Director John Merrifield designed and produced the Roppongi Hat billboard.

Clow, a member of the Commission, is one of the original members of Chiat/Day, which was founded in Los Angeles in 1968. He is a member of the Art Directors Hall of Fame and the Museum of Modern Art's Advertising Hall of Fame.

"My love for California and the beaches and coastline where I grew up were my incentives to stay in California, rather than move to New York City, to work in the advertising business," Clow said. "I found the passion, creativity and independent thinking of Californians to be the stimulus that allowed us to build the eighth-largest advertising agency in the world in Los Angeles."

The Japanese campaign, which includes banners and posters, is valued at $150,000 in paid and in-kind services.

The California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth is an independent, member-supported California nonprofit corporation that works to attract and retain employers and jobs in California and to market the state across the country and around the world as a place to do business, visit, invest and buy products and services. The Commission's recent accomplishments include successful efforts to retain Genentech's $500 million factory expansion in Vacaville, California and lure the new Virgin America airline to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Note to editors: High resolution versions of the billboards, as well as fact sheets about the Commission, can be downloaded on Friday, November 12 from www.4cajobs.com.