Jessa Ciel (center) and crew work out front of the "Big Blue House" featured in
Lady Bird, as part of a short film commissioned by Visit Sacramento.
photo : matt estrada
Lisa Berg is a 40-year-old designer from Phoenix who, mo-
tivated by the film’s success, made her first trek to Sacramento
with her husband last March. Their itinerary included spots
featured in the film, including breakfast and a movie at Tower
Cafe and Theatre and a walk through East Sacramento, where
Berg snapped a photo in front of the Blue House, which she
posted to her 49,000 Instagram followers.
“We thought it was cool how excited everyone was,” Berg
says of the hometown pride she saw the film engender. “I would
definitely go back to Sacramento.”
Even if there were 60,000 travelers like Berg, the tourism
reach of any movie, especially one with indie roots, has a lim-
ited shelf life. Lady Bird’s relative success falls far short of say, a
mega-hit like the Harry Potter series, which has boosted British
tourism for years. For the film to have a lasting impact, accord-
ing to Bill Baker, chief strategist at Total Destination Marketing
and author of the best-seller Destination Branding for Small
Cities, the press must be used to generate interest in other as-
pects of the city’s offerings.
“[Films] are opportunities, and there may be a window when
you can take advantage of them,” Baker says. “You can spread
the conversation out into larger issues beyond that, that’s the
ideal way to use them.”
ART AS BRANDING
In Testa’s eyes, the buzz created an opportunity to “position
Sacramento as not just a boring government town.” And cen-
tral to that is continuing to invest in and elevate the city’s arts
community.
“We’re not just about conventions … we’re really looking at
leisure travelers and the sporting market and music festivals
and Farm to Fork, things that really start to define the identity
and convey the personality of a city,” he says. “Art and artists
really convey the personality of the city.”
As Lady Bird fever began to peak around the Oscars, Visit
Sacramento partnered with Wide Open Walls to commission a
mural inspired by the movie poster at the intersection of 16th
and I streets. Painted by local artist Maren Conrad, the mural
became a hit online after it was shared on Instagram by the
film’s official account. “Celebrating the city where #LadyBird
found her wings. Thank you for all the love, Sacramento!” read
a caption carrying the hashtag #SacramentoProud.
And so, when it came to planning its annual tourism lun-
cheon, the agency set out to give the event a Lady Bird tie. Why
not see if they could recreate some of the excitement many
felt in seeing their city on the big screen with a film of their
own? It partnered with a group of local artists to commission
a short film on Sacramento. The task was to balance branding
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