San Francisco gets uplifting ad campaign amid difficult times for the city

San Francisco has had its share of problems lately. But from the California Gold Rush to the Silicon Valley tech boom, the city and its surrounds have played host to a number of world-changing innovations since the mid-19th century—earthquakes and great fires be damned!—and a new campaign wants you to know it. Developed by Goodby Silverstein & Partners for Advance SF, a nonprofit consortium of some of San Francisco’s largest and most influential employers, the multimedia marketing effort is themed “It All Starts Here” and is anchored by an inspirational manifesto-style film narrated by Bay Area actor Peter Coyote. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs In the film, viewers are treated to a poetic voiceover and cinematic shots of all facets of the city, including cameos by many of the businesses that support Advance SF. It’s peppered with nods to more than two dozen companies, organizations and individuals that have roots in the “cauldron by the Bay,” as the script calls it, such as Google, Tesla, Salesforce, Apple, Lucasfilm and Levi Strauss & Co. “For San Francisco’s size, we punch above our weight,” Rich Silverstein, co-founder and co-chairman of San Francisco-based GS&P, told Ad Age, noting that the city and surrounding areas are currently a hotbed for innovations in medical research and artificial intelligence. “I’ve got a love for the area,” he said. Calling it a “pro-business effort,” Silverstein likened the campaign to another city-defining piece of work, “I❤️NY,” the 1970s tourism push whose iconic logo, created by American designer Milton Glaser, can still be found on everything from highway signs to T-shirts in the Empire State. “I’m hoping that businesses go, ‘If I want to start something with technology, the best people are there in San Francisco.’ It’s always been an intelligent city,” Silverstein said. Debuting Thursday at the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park baseball stadium, “It All Starts Here” arrives as the city gets ready to welcome a bevy of global economic and political leaders for the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Week, taking place Nov. 11-17. “The eyes are going to be on San Francisco,” Silverstein said, “and Advance SF felt this is [their] opportunity.” The campaign also features a slew of colorful out-of-home executions, playing off the range of the city’s achievements. The OOH and social media-based campaign was privately funded by individual donors, including Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and Gap Inc. chairman Bob Fisher, with no funding or creative input coming from the municipal government. The rollout also comes amid something of a reckoning for San Francisco, in which a cost of living crisis and relative upticks in crime have contributed to its population declining by more than 7% in the past few years, U.S. Census estimates show. Headlines such as “How San Francisco Became a Failed City” have followed. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs But Silverstein, who moved to San Francisco 52 years ago and recognizes that the city has its share of issues, said he is “sick of people dumping” on the city. He called “It All Starts Here” a “rallying cry that we’re not going to take this anymore.” “And the best is yet to come,” he said, echoing the closing line of the campaign film. “If we don’t believe that, we should just move to Austin.”

San Francisco gets uplifting ad campaign amid difficult times for the city

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