Baltimore sells smiles with new tourism campaign

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore's tourism agency is all smiles.

The group Visit Baltimore plans to unveil a $500,000 marketing campaign Thursday with the slogan, "Find Your Happy Place in Baltimore," according to The Baltimore Sun. It will target nearby states.

As part of the unveiling, the agency will attempt to set a Guinness World Record by arranging 250 people into the world's largest human smiley face. If they set the record, the group plans to release 19 dozen butterflies into the air.

Chief Marketing Officer Sam Rogers says people are looking for happiness and simple pleasures in the current climate. One Web spot asks "Has the economy got you in a slump?"

The theme was largely inspired by an upcoming exhibit at the American Visionary Art Museum entitled, "What Makes Us Smile?" It will be curated by "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening.