For many, the perception of Baltimore is a city rampant with crime, violence, drugs and poverty. TV shows like The Wire probably haven’t helped. 

A new campaign from the city’s tourism bureau, Visit Baltimore and agency Spark is designed to present a more positive view. 

It’s called "B-side Of Baltimore," a community-driven destination campaign that uses the vinyl record as both metaphor and medium. 

The insight driving it: Baltimoreans are vocally proud of their city, but there's been no centralized creative platform for their stories to challenge the recurring negative narratives. 

This campaign is designed to be that platform.  

Assets include a campaign anthem that was composed from sounds of the city and live contributions from Baltimore-based musicians which were pressed onto a limited-edition 45-RPM vinyl record with sleeve artwork by a Maryland Institute College of Art student. 

The campaign commercial was produced by Wide Angle Youth Media, a Baltimore nonprofit that trains young people in media arts, with voiceover by Baltimore native and NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony. 

A community mural is being developed with Create Baltimore and the No Boundaries Coalition, set to be unveiled at their annual block party in the Black Arts District in June. 

A live storytelling event is being curated by Stoop Storytelling and a digital hub at Baltimore.org/B-side invites residents to contribute their own B-side stories for distribution across campaign channels. 

The campaign draws on brand studies, traveler perception research, and sentiment analysis conducted by Visit Baltimore that revealed an opportunity to reclaim the city’s narrative and emphasize the many positive experiences happening across Baltimore every day.   

“The pride is there,” said Dulani Porter, executive vice president and partner at Spark. “The stories are there. What was missing was a creative frame that felt native enough to the community for residents to want to own and carry it forward themselves. The B-side metaphor gives us that. Every Baltimorean knows what it means to ‘flip the record’ and find the track that hits differently. That's what this campaign is asking them to do for their city."