San Luis Obispo Tourism Campaign

Making the Happiest City Happier

Since 2010, when Oprah Winfrey publicized it, San Luis Obispo has been known as “The Happiest City in America.” But even happy cities need a facelift. AMF took it from the ground up in a comprehensive tourism campaign in which we created a new logo, redesigned the city’s visitors’ website and print materials, and produced a visually stunning tourism video — supported by a custom song produced by local musicians and performed by the local symphony, the Cal Poly Marching Band and others.

Outcome

The city saw an immediate 12-percent jump in its transient occupancy tax, and the tourism campaign racked up several tourism awards, including top honors in the state’s prestigious California Poppy Awards.